Dustin Pedroia could easily be mistaken for a mechanic, carpenter or plumber, most anything except a major leaguer. "I'm not the biggest guy in the world. I don't have that many tools," he said. "If you saw me walking down the street, you wouldn't think I'm a baseball player." Well, not unless he was carrying his AL MVP award.

Ryan Dempster made the successful switch from closer to starter this season, winning 17 games and helping the Chicago Cubs compile the best record in the National League. Once the postseason rolled around, though, Dempster's spring training prediction that the Cubs would win the World Series fell way short when Chicago was swept in the first round for the second consecutive year.

It was quiet -- too quiet -- in the Boston locker room before the game. On the floor, the Celtics managed to replace Kevin Garnett's intensity just fine. "Not having a great player out there, you definitely miss him," point guard Rajon Rondo said after Boston beat the New York Knicks 110-101 on Tuesday night while Garnett served a one-game suspension.

Mark Cuban yelled and cheered from his courtside seat during the game, then high-fived his players after it was over. The boisterous Dallas Mavericks owner didn't act any differently a day after being charged with insider trading. His team, meanwhile, stopped looking like the dysfunctional unit that started the season.

With free agency awaiting him in 2010, LeBron James put on a show for the New York metropolitan area and its deep-pocket teams highlighted by length-of-the court sprint to block a dunk by Devin Harris. James had 31 points, eight rebounds and four assists in another dominating performance and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to their eighth straight win with a 106-82 decision over the New Jersey Nets...