Another Post About Statistics

Nah, just kidding. The Cubbies are back in first, which makes me way too happy to care about moldy arguments about PER's blindspots.

In other non-Bulls-yet-Chicago-sports-related news, Mike Brown is out for the season. This is pretty devastating. Not only was he just playing exceptionally well in the first half against the Bolts, but Brown's always had a special place in my heart, since I moved to Chicago in October 2001, right when he was singlehandedly winning games left and right by returning INTs for touchdowns. Led by the QB tandem of Jim Miller and Shane Matthews, the receiving corps of Marty Booker, Dez White and David Terrall Terrell, and the punishing runs of the A-Train, that team had absolutely no business going 13-3--and they were rightfully crushed by the Eagles in their first postseason game--but they somehow kept winning games despite themselves, which made them a lot of fun to root for. And Mike Brown was a big part of that.

When I first heard the news, part of me almost hoped he would retire because it's just so spirit-crushing to see him play so tantalizingly well and then be laid low by injuries that really have nothing to do with him being "soft" or lacking "toughness," but which result from just freakish bad luck. But when I was trying to think of another player in sports who is as simultaneously awesome and injury-prone as Brown, Ken Griffey Jr. came to mind. And since Griff has had something of a renaissance this year, here's hoping Brown comes back (if he feels like it). I'll be rooting for him.

Oh, and since there's apparently a new policy here at TYI (that I was unaware of) which states that every post must contain at least one (some might say gratuitous) insult hurled at other sports bloggers, let me close by saying that Free Darko almost sucks as hard as David Petraeus. Now that is some cold, motherfuckin' shit.