#analytics

#analytics

We have officially reached the "nerd zone" of the 2025-26 European soccer season. It is said (by the nerds, of course) that it takes about 10 matches for expected goal (xG) figures to start telling you a semi-accurate, predictive story about a given team. We should probably think of that as more of a range of about eight to 15 games, but regardless, the European season has officially entered that range.

"A month after the Yankees' playoff exit, which was accompanied by the analytics-driven rip job by Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, that puppet-strings narrative continues to linger in the Bronx, like some foul-smelling odor. It surfaced again this past week, as GM Brian Cashman was asked about Aaron Boone's claim, during the manager's regular spot on the \"Talkin' Yanks\" podcast, that the Yankees are \"probably the least analytical in-game team there is.\""

Podcasting has exploded in popularity, and the good news? Starting your own show is easier than ever. You don't need expensive equipment or technical know-how-just a strong topic bank, solid branding, and growth strategy. The next step is choosing the right platform. Luckily, there are several free options that support your podcasting career from the ground up. Here's a breakdown of five top platforms you can use without spending a dime.

The team gave Weiss a three-year contract with a fourth year option. The team's coaching staff has not yet been determined. Alex Anthopoulos called it a "front-burner" priority. The decision to hire Weiss was made on Monday. Weiss indicated that he'd use information provided to help him as manager, when asked about leveraging analytics, also saying he had evolved with the game.

As Hayes mentions in the article, cutting down on pro scouts is a league-wide trend. He uses the Cubs as an example, linking to a November 2024 article from Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic detailing that club's move to more analytics and less reliance on traditional scouting. Hayes writes that the Twins, like the Cubs, have been relying more on video in recent years with far less travel for in-person scouting.

Headless browsers - the behind-the-scenes software that lets machines surf the web like people - were once the domain of quality-assurance testers and SEO agencies. But new AI-powered browsers launched this last year - like Perplexity's Comet and Browser Company of New York's Dia - are bringing new meaning to the term. These players are using headless browsers to power AI agents that need to click, scroll and interact with websites as a human would, to retrieve information.

We have you covered with everything you need to know. Our NFL Nation reporters take you inside the locker room with the best thing they heard this week, and ESPN Research provides a key stat to know and a betting nugget for each contest. Plus, analytics writer Seth Walder makes a bold prediction for each matchup, and fantasy analyst Eric Moody shares fantasy football intel.

Leadership can be a lonely position, and the writers of CIO.com often share insights designed to lighten the load. A good example is a recent article on IT management practices that are certain to kill IT productivity. It is a popular piece, and it prompted our CIO readers to ask the obvious opposite question: how does a manager increase productivity?

Kevin De Bruyne, recognized as the best midfielder in Premier League history, transferred to Napoli, marking a significant change in the league's landscape.

The default and most commonly used table engine in ClickHouse, MergeTree, is optimized for high-throughput batch inserts. It writes each insert as a separate partition, then runs background merges to keep data manageable. This makes writes very fast, but not when they arrive in lots of tiny batches, which was exactly our case with millions of individual devices uploading one log event every 2 minutes.

The improved Threads Insights will provide deeper analytics and visibility into content discovery, helping attract more creators to the growing platform.

"The same data that powers analytics is becoming the foundation for AI and machine learning models."

The trend in the martech landscape suggests platforms are more likely to incorporate AI rather than disappear as standalone applications.

Visibility is a key issue in early AI agent deployments, and Agentforce 3 addresses this by enhancing control and monitoring capabilities for businesses.

"Every good-to-great team has a Matt Roy, a key player who, while not overly exciting, plays an essential role in team success and stability."

Conversions are essential for any advertising campaign, serving as the primary goals, whether they involve purchases, subscriptions, or other engagements.

Fivetran's Connector SDK empowers developers to create custom connectors easily, addressing data gaps and enabling centralized data management without the need for extensive DevOps support.

"The games industry, and particularly the mobile space, is constantly evolving to match the everchanging needs and desires of players and their demands," said Appcharge CEO Maor Sason.