Weekend Hot Reads....

The L.A. TIMES' Kurt Streeter profiled Sacramento Mayor and former NBAer Kevin Johnson, who is "among a number of younger-generation Democrats widely discussed as prospective candidates" for California Governor and the U.S. Senate. But a jump to higher office "would not be easy," as Johnson "is not the typical Democrat who wins statewide elections." He is "a corporate-friendly, pro-business centrist who has fought teachers unions and tax increases." There "would also be the past to beat back: the taint of old scandal and allegations of sexual impropriety."

The WASHINGTON POST's Alex Prewitt writes the NHL this summer "burst into its information age, poaching statistical gurus and bloggers from their Web sites and paying them to work behind the curtain." The numbers "had become more digestible, the information available everywhere." Ignoring it "meant falling behind." Meanwhile, the BUFFALO NEWS' Mike Harrington writes under the header, "Formulas For Success: Everyone Jumping On Board With Analytics."

Elsewhere: 

• Youth football is in "a fight for survival" after several on- and off-field incidents.
• New Padres GM A.J. Preller has "gone from Wiffle ball" to the Majors.
• Big Ten football "is not what it used to be," and "homegrown talent" is fleeing.
• The NFL's "not-so-subtle show of pink" helped one woman detect her breast cancer.
• Can Braves interim GM John Hart "pump new life" into the franchise?