‘Twas the night before Game One, of the N-L-C-S,

Every Cubs fan was stirring, each one was a mess;

Their stockings were hung, in their closets with care,

In hopes that not washing them, would count as a prayer;

Some fans were nestled, all snug in their beds,

But many sat up, still scratching their heads;

How did they do that? That 4-run 9th inning?

It was hit after hit til the Cubs started winning!

We were down 5 to 2, with all thoughts on game five,

And we all had our doubts, Was the offense alive?

When on the base-paths there arose such a clatter,

We all sprang from our chairs to see what was the matter,

Away to first base Wilson flew like a flash,

and Javy then sealed it with his go-ahead smash;

It sure wasn’t easy, and with Crawford’s fly ball,

The fans held their breaths as the ball hit the wall;

Twas only a double, there was no way to mask it,

Unlike Wrigley Field, S-F’s park had no basket.

And oh, what a basket! Trapping Javy’s homerun!

With his defense and glove – Baez made it look fun;

And of course, not to mention, Aroldis’s save,

That sent San Fran’s team and their hopes, to the grave.

The Giants are vanquished, their bullpen – their flaw,

No more even year B-S, and no more Derek Law;

No more Hunter “Marv” Pence with his hair and his beard,

No Bumgarner or Cueto, those pitchers we feared.

We won the first series, we won it with pitching,

We won it with defense and some double-switching,

And then there’s our pitchers, Arrieta and Wood,

Not only they hit, but they hit pretty good.

In Lester and Hendricks we put forth all our faith,

As with Strop in the Seventh, and Rondon in the eighth;

For the first wins proved that, if we only believe,

There is nothing that this team can’t plainly achieve;

But hey, all we did was win three out of four,

If we want our redemption, we’ll have to win more,

The champagne’s dried up, and the team is now sober,

We’ll have to be better, should we get through October;

Not one Cubs fan forgets last year’s playoff collapse,

And it’s not without reason to fear a relapse;

But while you are stirring, unable to snooze,

Consider some reasons these Cubs will not lose:

For starters, our starters are better than all,

Be it E-R-A, WHIP, or mere hitting the ball;

And our bullpen is stacked, from Chapman to Grimm,

Montgomery and Edwards – that’s the kid that’s real slim;

We have Ross and Contreras – baserunners they’ll snag,

And their off-throws still get ‘em – with Baez’s tag;

The infielders, outfielders, they’ll play anywhere,

They’ll play their best defense whether foul ball or fair;

Now it’s on to the offense, and we need some production,

The Dodgers, their pitchers, are set for destruction;

With Fowler and Rizzo and Zobrist and Russell,

They’ll break out of their slumps and then show us some muscle!

The Dodgers – they’re fine, and their team may be sharper,

But remember: No Murphy, No Scherzer, No Harper;

And sure they’ve got Kershaw, that guy can be good,

But if one team can rock him, it’s this team that could;

Let’s hope for a wind that blows out straight to left,

So our big boys can show they can hit with some heft,

And for L.A’s young Dodgers, Wrigley won’t be so friendly,

For players named Chase, Joc, and Clayton, and Kenley.

Now Rizzo! Now Bryant! Now Heyward! Now Ross!

On Zobrist! On Fowler! And Maddon, the boss!

When the last time we batted, a miracle came,

Let’s keep that streak going, throughout every game!

For a buzz is among every fan in the city,

No one’s settling for less, no one’s taking in pity,

The past is the past, and today’s a new day,

And for Cubs fans and players – now’s the time: Beat L.A.