Here’s a good piece from Gordon Edes on Pedroia. Like the issues with J.D. Drew’s child several years ago, it’s always eye-opening to connect with the lives of professional athletes off the field.

It would have been tough for TrueHoop to have covered the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference any more than we did. And yet, despite all that, the huge point we really haven’t captured is that this conference was a point of no return for the NBA. Kevin Arnovitz and Henry Abbott discuss

I heard a ton of raves and very few complaints about the 2010 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.

The basketball analytics panel is always one of the best-attended and most engaging panel of the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.

The Detroit Red Wings made it to the NHL Finals the last two seasons, but are presently sitting in the last playoff spot in the Western Conference with a host of teams nipping at ankles. Injuries have played a big part in the disappointing play in Detroit, but it certainly isn’t crazy to wonder if something is amiss with the Red Wings. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterburg have both been healthy all season, but losing Johan Frazen and Valterri Filppula for long periods of time definitely have hurt them this season.

Here’s a little theory of mine which I like, even though I’m not sure it’s true: When players know each other really well, that helps the defense more than it helps the offense. The reason is because offense’s biggest advantage is getting to decide what’s going to happen. (”I’ll take you to the left block, then use my spin move to get into the lane.”) Through whatever the offense does, the defense mainly just has to react

Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations David Kahn has a message about Ricky Rubio.

For some bizarre reason I decided to tune into Dennis and Callahan recently, and I happened to overhear their passionate and informed debate over Theo’s decision to let Jason Bay walk, move Ellsbury to left, and sign a 37 year old Mike Cameron to patrol center. I’ll not say who was most vehemently against the idea, but suffice to say that the bulk of his argument rested on one of the things I hate most: lack of perspective.

By Chris Sheridan NEW YORK — Not too long ago, Zach Randolph was best known for his big huge contract, his flabby midsection and his round, chubby face. And Randolph’s running mate on the Memphis Grizzlies’ front line, Marc Gasol, once carried around so much extra poundage that he was dubbed “the Big Burrito” when he was in high school

This was passed on to us by a coaching friend, Bud Leonard. Respect. This is a topic I have spoken on at many camps and to quite a few young basketball players across the province.