Trying to be a little less pessimistic

Let's talk about my Thanksgiving resolution ... from last Thanksgiving that is.

No, I didn't vow to lose 10 pounds or to stop speeding or to quit pining for Amy Winehouse to ask me out.

Instead I vowed to be less negative about Chicago sports.

How do I know you would prefer that? Because Roger Biver of Aurora e-mailed as much a year ago:

"Your articles always seem bitter and pessimistic. Not that you owe me an answer, but what is going on? Why are you always so down and out?"

Roger, you must not have followed the stock market the past 12 months.

"Why are you so upset with things? It is very unpleasant to read your articles because there is always a negative light on any situation you write about."

Imagine how depressing it is to write that stuff.

"Just wanted to know. Of course, you do not have to reply, but if you do, I'm curious why you write the way you do."

I did reply to Roger to explain that I grew up in Chicago, suffered too often with our local sports teams and instinctive pessimism is my defense mechanism. But I can take a hint, so to manage my anger I signed up for therapy sessions with famed sports shrink Dr. Otto Punt.

So, how did I do the past year? Er, OK, not very well. Not thus far anyway.

I'm not giving up, however. Dr. Punt remains on retainer and I continue to look for positives.

Like, for starters, the Cubs haven't gone 100 years since winning a World Series. They have gone only nine postseason games without a victory.

The Cubs didn't unceremoniously dump Kerry Wood. They ceremoniously gave him a chance to win a championship elsewhere this century.

It isn't that the White Sox traded away too many prospects from their farm system. It's that South Side grammar schools remain full of young talent.

The White Sox didn't strike out on Nick Swisher. He struck out on them.

The Bears haven't struggled on defense most of this season. They just weren't allowed to play the Rams every week.

It isn't that the Bears haven't had a Hall of Fame quarterback since Sid Luckman. It's that deceased he's currently no better than second on their depth chart at the position.

It isn't that the Bulls' Vinny Del Negro is a rookie head coach in every way imaginable. All that matters is he isn't Tim Floyd.

The Bulls aren't short of big men. It just looks that way because Derrick Rose makes them look long on short men.

It's not that the Blackhawks have a team captain still a year short of the legal drinking age. It's that they have one four years past the legal driving age.

The Hawks aren't a team with a dubious past. They're the NHL team of the future, sort of like soccer was, is and always will be the sport of the future.

As you can tell, I see the light now instead of the blight. Losses aren't losses. They're blips on a rose-colored radar screen.

No longer is it "Bah, humbug!" It's a kinder, gentler "Ha, bumhug!"

Except if the Bears are hammered tonight at Minnesota ... paging Dr. Punt, paging Dr. Punt, please report to the Metrodome.

mimrem@dailyherald.com