In what may be the best sports-related article I’ve ever read, Michael Lewis in the New York Times Magazine tells the story of Shane Battier, a legendary high-school and college basketball star who has terrible stats in the NBA, but is an exceptional talent. Battier plays smart, and was signed to the Houston Rockets by a smart management team who has tapped into measuring the right statistics in the game. In any endeavor, if you can collect and measure meaningful statistics and act accordingly, you’ll have a significant advantage of those who work hard, but do it blindly.