Today is a big one for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. He worked hard on his first city budget, and today he puts on his best suit, maybe puts some product in the old hairstyle and tries out a different cologne. A cologne called “Victory.”

The City Council is expected to vote overwhelmingly in favor of the new 2012 Chicago budget. According to some reports, we could be seeing a 48-2 vote margin, reminiscent of the rubber stamp days of Daley. However, the aldermen appear to have had much more involvement in this first Emanuel budget, and many are signing on because of mayoral compromises made after a series of budget hearings. (For a look at how the proposed revenue increases will affect you, check out our short video with own Steve Edwards and Sam Hudzik, who break it all down). Bottom line:  This process has not been as “shove it down your throat” as it has been in the past.

Even so, it will be interesting to see who votes “no” in the end. Personally, I’m hoping that the council brings back Helen Shiller (former 46th ward alderman) to honorarily vote no, almost like ringing the opening bell for the NYSE.

But back to Rahm - this is his moment. He’ll have bigger (and smaller) moments in the future, but this is his first budget. I have a feeling he’ll frame it in his home office. And, of course, there will be a ton of fist pumps alone, behind closed doors.

But this all gets me to this:

What do you think the mayor’s “pump up song” is? Pump up song, you ask?  Yeah.  You know, what’s the song he plays to fire him up for those big moments, the one that gets him ready for the big vote today?

Well, the reason I ask is because Comcast SportsNet Chicago is running classic basketball games in place of real games this fall. Actually, they’ve been doing it for a while, but it just seems like replacement programming now.

Anyway, last night, they showed the famous Game 5 of the 1989 NBA Playoffs between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, the one where Jordan jumps over Ehlo and hits the game-winner at the buzzer.

At the end of the game, Jordan is interviewed by James Brown (now on CBS football), and James asks “Now I know you have a song that you listen to before every game to get you pumped up. Tell us what it is…” Jordan then says “Anita Baker, Giving the Best.”

Wait, what? Huh?  Anita Baker? This song?

This is the song that helped motivate the greatest basketball player of all time? I mean, at least Sosa had salsa. Every new Bull puts on their headphones and listens to hard core rap. Maybe they need to change their tune…

Anyway, this got me thinking. What is Rahm’s pump up song? And more importantly, what’s yours? When you have that big meeting, show, interview, moment. What song do you listen to at your proverbial locker? Please don’t say Anita Baker. 

All joking aside, this song does it for me: