It’s playoff time in Chicago, and I’ve never been more ready.

Typically, this is the time of year where as a Chicago fan, the only thing to watch on TV are my beloved North-side Cubbies. This year, however, my fingers are busy with the remote as I switch from CSN, to ESPN, to WGN and more for highlights of course. And when I’m not channel surfing, I’m on the Internet checking schedules to guarantee that I don’t miss a beat of this playoff madness.

Chicagoans have the Bulls and Blackhawks performing miracles in front of their eyes, and I hope everyone is as avid as I am about watching every game.

Let’s start with the Bulls who took game one from the reigning NBA Champions the Boston Celtics last week. Sure, the Celtics’ big man Kevin Garnett is out with an injured knee and may miss the entire postseason, but the Bulls have the worst record of any team in the playoffs. A missing Garnett is no excuse for Boston to drop a game to the Bulls, especially with a roster full of stars like Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. So we’ve all got to admit the Bulls are the underdogs. With the support from the city of Chicago and its suburbanites, I have serious faith in this team, especially if Joakim Noah can have another 17-rebound day.

And even if they lose, which they won’t, watching the Bulls pull off that game one 105-103 overtime win against the former champs brought me back to the good old days of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, kind of.

Moving on, most of you know that the Bulls have something in common with the other team currently in the playoffs, the NHL’s Blackhawks. Both teams are blessed with young talent. The Bulls boast rookie Derrick Rose, who already has a double-double performance in the playoffs, while the Blackhawks showcase young captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

Toews and Kane, along with outstanding goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, have led the Blackhawks to their first playoff berth in over 10 years. Previous to 2009, the last playoff matchup for Chicago ended with a 4-2 series loss to St. Louis back in 1997. Both Toews and Kane are only 20 years old but have combined for 69 goals on the season. With those numbers, how can you not root for the home team?

Well, I guess if you’re my brother you can’t, but that’s because we’re both huge Atlanta Thrashers fans. Jake just fails to realize that the Thrasher’s were out of the running back in, like, January.

Anyway, the Blackhawks have already surprised hockey fans, finishing the season with a 56-24-12 record. But the surprises haven’t stopped there. The Hawks already lead Calgary in the Western Quarterfinals, and surprise cameos by Ryan Dempster, Jay Cutler and Vince Vaughn are well worth getting out to a game.

‘Tis the season to be jolly for a Chicago sports fan, but sadly, there is one drawback.

Unfortunately, the best time of the year is hitting right near the end of school when we should all be getting ready for finals and finishing projects.

I guess those papers are just going to have to wait. Chicago is in the playoffs baby, and I won’t miss a beat.