Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house
not a creature was stiring not even a Wildcat and certainly not a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care;
In hopes that St. Nicholas and Pitino soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of the Cardinals beating the WildCats danced in their heads;
And Pitino in his white-suit and new Cardinal cap
Had just finished giving an interview before for taking a nap;
While watching ESPN their arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew in a like a bird,
tore open the shutters but couldn't say a word.
The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow
gave luster of mid-day to the Cardinals as the arrived in a limo with the elves below,
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But the Cardinals starting five in their playing gear,
With a little of driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
Santa jumped from the limo and gave a wee chuckle
He was dressed in Cardinal red with a big black buckle;
More rapid than eagles the CARDS they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
Now Sosa, Smith, Delk, Samuels, Jennings, Dasher, Prancer,
Vixen..., hurry move inside
before the WildCats come and try to catch us by surprise;
to the top of the housetop to the top of the wall
I am sure we have something to stop that darn John Wall;
A bundle of play books he had flung on his back;
Along with Louisville Cardinal season tickets he had in his pack,
His eyes how they twinkled! his dimples how mow merry!
He knew those Wildcats were getting a bit worried;
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a a bow,
How the Wildcats thought they they could beat the Cards he did not know.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
Just thinking of the WildCats downfall and their soon to be grief
Made smoke circle his head and he said, " Good grief!"
He had a round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
Just Thinking the WildCats would win,
now that would just a sin
With a wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
I knew in a moment there was nothing to dread;
Santa, Pitino and the Cards spoke not a word, went they arrived but went straight to work,
they knew that hadn't a second to linger or shirk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose
He whizzed up the highways and zoomed up the road,
in a S-L 300, delivering his loads.
He stopped at each house....stayed only a minute,
emptying his sack of stuff that was in it.
He shifted the gears and stepped on the gas
and up Highway 60 the rest went like a flash.
And I heard him exclaim as he went on his way,
"MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL, I WISH Kentucky really knew how to play!"
