It's been a little while since we've talked about Yahoo! Search Sports Shortcuts. During that time, Josh Beckett carried the Red Sox through the World Series and roughly (!) half of the NFL got injured. And now, for those who like nothing but nets, I'd like to introduce our NBA and NHL player shortcuts. Both leagues recently started their relatively long seasons -- a good thing, because there's plenty of time to learn the new names and faces.

Let's start with the NBA. The big news this offseason was the rejuvenation of the Celtics, who now feature Rajon Rondo. They also have Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Search for these guys on Yahoo! Search to check out The Truth's all-around game, Ray Allen's new number (#20) and KG's exuberant grin.

Look for the position-specific stats; you'll see steals and 3-pointers for guards as well as blocks and field-goal percentage for centers. The Yahoo! Search Sports Shortcuts also feature quick access to key player information, news, photos, game logs, and more.

Looking for other NBA players to try? Let's not forget Luol Deng-that's-a-lot-of-money-to-turn-down! I don't blame him, he's gotta feed his family, or perhaps try to help with Travis Henry's.

Okay hockey fans, it's your turn. As a Red Wings fan, I made sure that Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk are represented, along with Original Six veteran Chris Chelios. It just goes to show that these days, age doesn't matter. But if you really want to know, just click through for the profile.

Finally, I'll throw in an honorable mention to Mike Modano, who recently broke the record for goals scored by an American-born player. Congrats Mike, even if hockey in Texas is a meteorological abomination.

I hope you all find this feature useful and relevant in your everyday quest to prove your "fanhood." Now that we've completed rolling out the shortcuts for the Fan-tastic Four, we'll explore more opportunities to make Yahoo! Search the best darn sports search, period. Please let us know if you have any ideas/suggestions.

Ya-Bing Chu
Yahoo! Search