The Night Before (Denver sports fans’) Christmas

While out on the ice, there arose such a clatter –
Landeskog with his third goal, we called it a hatter!
Away through the neutral zone, rode MacKinnon in a flash
He could not be stopped with a hook, hold or slash.

The star on Boulder’s Flatirons started to glow
As Tad Boyle yelled at his Buffs’ offense, “Go!”
When what to our wonder, a freshman appeared,
McKinley Wright the Fourth, to bring the crowds’ cheers.

While out in Fort Collins, the green and the gold
Fell in another bowl game — it sure does get old.
But out on the court, they battled their foe,
The Buffs couldn’t keep up and the Rams won the show.

Up high in the press box, the Duke sat dismayed
We knew in a moment, it was the great John Elway.
More rapid than horses, his directives came,
He shouted each one, but results were the same.

Now, Paxton! Now, Trevor! Now Kelly and Brock!
But each one fell down and they left him with shock.
And from the front office, he awaited the call,
He needed a quarterback to defeat them all.

While his chosen coach, Vance Joseph, looked for a way
For wins on Christmas Eve and before New Year’s Day.
What his future held here in Denver, he still did not know
But he had “the time of his life” in that first Monday show.

As for the Nuggets, they were more than a joke
With offensive fire, but defense of mirrors and smoke.
The man of the hour was the Serbian Sensation,
And at six-foot-ten, he ruled Nuggets Nation.

And from quite a distance, a Blue Arrow flew
Murray fired threes — and made some of them too.
Will Barton was good, Chandler steady, Harris able
And if Millsap comes back, playoff hopes might be stable.

With planned renovations and a restocked bullpen,
The Rockies counted the days to Spring Training again.
Their skipper, Bud Black, was sharp as a whip
And with all their young arms, next year just might click.

Nolan Arenado’s bat still swung like an MVP,
His defense, you just had to see to believe.
While the great Charlie Blackmon was more than a beard,
He covered the outfield; his work habits revered.

2017 was not the year Denver fans dreamed
It held no playoff wins and had a bad football team.
The Avalanche were awful; the Nuggets were sad.
The Rockies showed promise, but the Broncos? Just bad.

I say it again, because how should we go on?
The Broncos were bad! Have we lost faith in John?
For football is king in this hipster cow town,
But maybe 2018 brings new cheers around.

So from City and County lights, to the Mountain ski lifts
May Santa bring snow and our sports teams some gifts.
We’ll need some more playoffs, our teams need some light:
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!