Bernie Lincicome says he has been lax in underappreciating the modern analytics that have made baseball the sport of geeks, but he has some new metrics he'd like to offer -- especially with the Cubs and Sox in mind. One would be DHHBS: Didn't Have His Best Stuff. In fact, he probably borrowed it from Marcus Stroman. Associated Press

This summer's response to the Cubs and the White Sox deserves the cry, "The crowd goes mild!"

What we are seeing on two sides of Chicago is neither rebuilding nor responding but more like rotating the tires on a handcart.

I am nothing if not a trendsetter, and I have been lax in underappreciating the modern analytics that have made our national pastime the sport of geeks, a marginal minority for sure and of no use to anyone who does not appreciate launch angles and pitch counts.

Not that baseball needs more statistics, but clearly it needs something, at least around here.

So I'm watching a near victory by the White Sox in Baltimore and it occurs to me there is a helpful baseball statistic, one that seems fitting for the locals. Let's call it OPA, one pitch away.

The Sox did not win, but they were one pitch away from winning. OPA gives credit for coming close, as close as winning, which is more than anyone expects these days.

Not to forget the Cubs, try as one might.

I have a stat for them also. Let's call it RASP, runners advanced to scoring position.

This is an appropriate stat for the Cubs because, although the Cubs might not score, they would be given credit for trying. RASP would be distinguished from the common sacrifice (SAC) because the batter would not bunt.

It would be an aggressive stat, only half-surrender, and would, coincidentally, fit nicely with the Cubs habit of playing half a game before ... well, surrendering.

I can imagine these statistics, OPA and RASP, showing up in the ever-expanding box score, which has room for everything but the player's pizza topping these days.

I am sure OPA and RASP will soon take their places along side FIP and BABIP and wOBA in making a simple game into a computer distraction.

I had wanted to create a stat called LIPS (Loafing in Public Sight), only to find it already exists. My LIPS is a catchall for texting in the bullpen or sleeping in the dugout. The actual stat for LIPS is Late Inning Pressure Situations. I like mine better.

Most baseball stats favor the better teams. Do you think, for example, the Cubs have any real use for the RBI? Or the White Sox for the ERA?

The next time the Cubs' Ws outnumber its Ls, the entry will checked for typographical errors.

The more RASPs and OPAs we can think up, the more encouraged will be the local unblessed teams. And it will give them something to aim for during the space between pennants. Thus, presented for consideration is the following:

QAB: This is Quality At Bat, invented if I am not mistaken by Tony La Russa back in his genius days, which replaced the former NT, Nice Try. To get credit for a QAB, it is not necessary to touch the ball with the bat as long as (1) somebody steals a base, (2) nobody asks the manager why he didn't pinch-hit or (3) everyone gets to the tavern before last call.

JMHP: Announcers are the official scorers on this one. "He just missed his pitch," they say. JMHP is generally a pop up or a line drive to a stationary infielder. Not to be confused with DWT, or Deep to the Warning Track, which requires a longer walk back to the dugout.

NBUDP: Nearly Broke Up the Double Play. Of course, he didn't.

MR: The Manufactured Run. This is to be determined when, no matter how many beers later, it is impossible to remember where the "1" came from in an 8-1 loss.

LITCH: Leader in the Clubhouse. This is a National League statistic for yesterday's hero. In the American League it is any Yankee.

BTAF: The always underappreciated Big Turn at First.

IGI, IGI: This is usually a shortstop's statistic but can apply to any infielder who, before picking up the ball and throwing it too late to first base, has spent several moments waving his arms and shouting, "I Got It! I Got It!"

DHHBS: Didn't Have His Best Stuff. In fact, he probably borrowed it from Marcus Stroman.

ILLLDP: It Looks Like a Line Drive in the Paper. No problem, the paper has more important things to worry about these days.

CL and EE: The first is Caught Leaning. The second is Error of Enthusiasm. Sometimes these go together, sometimes not.