In the classic short story by Washington Irving, Rip Van Winkle wanders off into the woods near his village and falls asleep. He wakes up 20 years later and is shocked to find the world has greatly changed.

If Rip had been a follower of Chicago’s professional sports teams, he wouldn’t have had to sleep for quite as long to wake up to a new world. Heck, if old Rip had fallen asleep just last November, he’d even be shocked to wake up today.

In November, the Bulls were beginning their season with a 0-9 record and appeared to be well on their way to another losing record – their seventh in a row since dismantling the championship team after the 1998 season. A certain smart-aleck columnist at the Northern Star even made fun of their new marketing slogan – “Through thick and thin” – by warning readers to be ready for lots of thin.

But those same Bulls have turned their season around. Not only are they in the playoffs for the first time since a certain balding No. 23 patrolled the hardwood at the United Center, but they have home-court advantage in the first round. By itself, the turnaround of the Bulls might be enough to shock poor Rip.

But then there’s baseball. When Rip fell asleep in November, the Cubs had just missed the playoffs after leading their division much of the season. With a solid pitching staff and a lineup led by Sammy and Nomar, there was no reason to think the Cubs wouldn’t be dominant this year. But instead, they’re struggling around .500, with Sammy shipped out to Baltimore and the team so ravaged by injuries that muscles are falling off the players’ bodies, literally, in the case of Nomar’s recent groin tear.

Across town, the White Sox hadn’t given fans any reason to think they’d improved in the off-season. They even let their star-free agent, Magglio Ordonez, leave for Detroit. But the Sox are playing great baseball. How great? As of Tuesday, they’d won eight straight and held the best record in the majors.

It seems the only two teams you can count on anymore for consistency are the Blackhawks and the Bears. With this entire NHL season canceled from the lockout, the Blackhawks won only slightly fewer games this season than last, and earned their usual playoff spot.

Then there’s the Bears – take away that fluke 13-win season in 2001, and they’re averaging just six wins a season for the past 10 years. Other than 2001, their last winning season was in 1995. Am I the only one who suspects first-round pick Cedric Benson’s tears this weekend may not have exactly been tears of joy?

Despite the stability of the Bulls and Blackhawks, it would have to be disconcerting to wake from Rip Van Winkle’s November nap and hear the chant of “Noci-Oni” (for Bulls forward Andres Nocioni) during a playoff game at the United Center. And, this being Chicago, there’s no guarantee the pleasant surprises of the Bulls and White Sox will last. After all, in the world of Chicago’s sports teams, it seems things really can change in the blink of an eye … or during a little nap.

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.