Yahoo Search adds Sports Shortcut

Computerworld -

Yahoo Inc. has added a Sports Shortcut to its search engine that lets users get the most up-to-date information on their favorite major league baseball players.

The idea behind the sports search shortcut is to give fans an easy way to keep track of professional athletes.

"Unless you're a huge sports fanatic, you may find it hard to keep up with all the new players in professional sports," said self-described Boston Red Sox fan Ya-Bing Chu, product manager of Yahoo Search in his blog. "I used to be pretty good at it back when I collected baseball cards or when I was able to watch news and highlights every night. These days, I don't have the time to track it all, especially with the increased action due to the salary cap, free agency and blockbuster trades."

However, Chu said the new sports search shortcut will let him quickly check up on his favorite baseball players, such as Seattle Mariners center fielder Ichiro Suzuki or Dontrelle Willis, starting pitcher for the Florida Marlins.

"Search for Dontrelle Willis, and there's the D-train's personable smile, along with the vital stats," Chu said. "Want to settle a bar bet about his ERA, strikeouts or even his player number? Done. Need a quick recap of his last performance? Try the Game Log. Want to see when the Marlins are coming to town? Didn't think so ;-), try the Scores & Schedule link."

Do a quick search on Curt Schilling, starting pitcher for the Red Sox (Computerworld's headquarters are located near Boston) and you'll learn that he has a 6-5 record for this season. His earned run average is 4.0, and he has struck out 76 batters and walked 19. You'll also see a photo of his slightly smiling face; and if you click on the Photos link, you can see some action shots as well.

"We've also added images to the News Shortcut," Chu said. "So, if you're searching for Barry Bonds breaking the home run record, for example, you'll now see pictures incorporated with the news results. We've got almost all MLB players (even Aaron bleepin' Boone)."

Yahoo also plans to add shortcuts on players in the NFL, NBA and NHL as their seasons begin.

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