Sports Product Review

I have boys who dream of playing in the Major Leagues. I know, as do they, that the odds of making it all the way are astronomical. There are thousands of baseball players who we never hear about, toiling in the professional ranks trying to get there, trying to work their way up from the minors.

S.L. Price has written a provocative, heart-warming and heart-breaking story, Heart of the Game, which tells of one such man who was a baseball “lifer.” Mike Coolbaugh, a minor league coach who had only recently given up his dream of fame and fortune in the Big Leagues, was killed while coaching first base when a foul ball rocketed off Tino Sanchez's bat. He left behind a wife and two children, with a third on the way. The cruel irony? Sanchez had recently become one of Coolbaugh's best friends. The book details Tino's decent into misery, and the lives Mike touched in life and in death.

In one particularly poignant scent, Mike tells the story of how his oldest son, who had just turned six, was getting ready for his first T-ball game. Coolbaugh told him that it was probably time to get his uniform on so that they could go to the field. The boy said, “That's OK. I'll just put it on in the clubhouse.” Having grown up knowing nothing but pro baseball, he didn't know that T-ball fields didn't have clubhouses.

For a behind-the-scenes look at professional baseball and the rivalries and friendships it forges, this can't be beat.

Source: S.L. Price

Serious players know that working out with elastic bands does wonders for arm-strength and conditioning. My oldest son's college team brought in a trainer who showed him a band workout and now he's hooked. The folks from Arm Strong sent us their Throwing and Pitching Trainer to try out. It blows the ordinary competitors out of the water.

The Arm Strong can be used outdoor or indoors, which makes it a perfect addition to off-season workouts – especially in parts of the country where no one will be going outside for couple months. It comes with three bands and seven different resistance levels, which means you can get one for your youth player now, and he can continue using it as he grows and advances.

Six distinct exercises can be done, which will create better arm strength and arm health for your player. The Acceleration Mode exercise develops the muscles associated with generating arm speed and velocity. Deceleration Mode works the muscles that act as brakes in the arm after releasing the ball. The rotator cuff and everything else associated with throwing mechanics are improved when athletes simply spend a few minutes each day with the Arm Strong.

But what makes it truly unique and superior is the patented rotating ball. This feature not only adds comfort, but a true feel and better results. With the rotating ball the hand muscles move the way they really would in the game, and since those are connected all the way up to the shoulder, you know that the same muscles you'll be using in competition are being developed in your workout.

We all know that if you want to be the best, you've got to do that little extra. Arm Strong has already done what it takes to be top-of-the-line. Now the rest is up to you.

Source: Arm Strong

We love solo training aids that allow kids to practice when there's no one around to work with them. We've reviewed many over the course of the past five years, some better than others, but all effective in their unique way. One of the things we've learned is that the simpler these aids are, the more likely they'll be used. And if you can find one that can serve more than one function, you've hit a home run.

Or, in the case of the RBI Pro Swing, make that you'll be more likely to hit one. The RBI Pro Swing is an ingenious device designed to improve baseball hitters' swings. The Pro Swing slips on to any bat and provides instant audio feedback so you know if the swing you just took was good, or needs some help.

Inside the Pro Swing, thousands of tiny pellets of steel shot slide from the top to the bottom as the bat is swung. A quick, “swish” sound means that the shot was released at the moment of impact, that all of your power was stored until the last possible moment. Hearing a longer, “swoosh” sound indicates a longer, looping swing which loses power early and does not hit the ball with the same force.

My 14 year-old daughter has this problem of swinging “around the ball.” We've been trying to get her to correct it for years. She, and one of my sons who plays at the collegiate level, took the product out into the garage and tried it out. The difference in the sound was instantly recognizable, with the swooshing audible before my daughter even broke the plane of the plate. I'm guessing a few hundred cuts with the Pro Swing are just what the doctor ordered.

This device also adds weight to the bat so it is a great replacement for the traditional “doughnut” hitters often use in on-deck circles. Youth league coaches who want to create hitting stations for their practices might want to consider buying two or three of these to keep players active at all times. But again, best of all, a kid who is motivated and wants to improve doesn't need to hope dad has time to pitch to him today or spend fifty bucks at the local cage to get in some practice. All he needs is a bat and a garage or backyard, and he's on his way. If you listen closely, you can hear him getting better.

Source: RBI Pro Swing

High schools, club teams, all-stars, take notice: If you want the best selection of caps, visors and or beanies with your logo or something new you design, we'd like to give a tip of the cap to Prep Gear.

Prep Gear provides outstanding customer service from start to finish. The selection they offer cannot be beat, and the quality of your finished product will make you a customer for life. There are no set-up charges, no artwork charges and you choose each design down to the color of the stitching!

Go onto their website and take a look around. It is like being in a virtual showroom for the finest headgear available. By the time you zoom in on each product you'll know exactly what you're getting and almost feel like you've tried it on.

It might be time to refresh a stale look for your organization. Maybe you're starting a new club from scratch. Or, you might know that a unique cap with your school's name would sell like hot cakes and be a great booster item. Whatever you dream up, Prep Gear will turn into reality.

Source: Prep Gear

How would you like to transform an ordinary item, that just about every sports-playing kid uses daily, into a really cool personalized souvenir? That’s what the inventors of Starview Bottles set out to do. And they’ve succeeded in flying colors.

Every kid needs a water bottle during games and practices. Why settle for an ordinary, run-of-the-mill bottle that everyone has when you can make it special? The Starview Bottle boasts a small picture frame perfect for inserting a photo of your young star. This not only adds a personal touch, but reduces the chances that others will be drinking from the same bottle on the bench.

Starview offers fundraising programs for sports leagues or for your favorite cause. Their bottles are BPA free, so you can feel about what you’re doing for the environment as well. Paired together, your child’s favorite beverage and action photo are a hydration combination that will create memories that will last a lifetime.

Source: Starview Bottles