Sports Product Review

I volunteered to handle my Little League’s all-star uniform order this year. That meant ordering belts, socks, jerseys and caps for six teams of thirteen players and three coaches, as well as coordinating sizes and jersey numbers. I’d had this job before and, not only was it a ton of work, I was never thrilled with the finished product. Since this was my last son’s final year in Little League, I wanted his 12 year-old all-star uniforms to be something special.

I stumbled upon the folks from Victory Athletic, (www.victory-la.com), and instantly felt a kinship. One look at their website and I knew that these guys made top-of-the-line stuff. Their custom-made pants and jerseys have the tailored look of the professionals and they use only the finest materials available. But it was when I began talking to them about our needs that I felt as comfortable as their uniforms looked.

We had a big order, and we needed it in a short time. My rep, Ray, couldn’t have been more of a pro. He was in constant contact and worked with me every step of the way, guiding me through the selection of sizes, materials, colors, fonts, and everything else needed to create a stunning uniform from scratch.

I felt like a little kid myself waiting in anticipation of the uni’s. And when they arrived – meeting our ambitious deadline – they didn’t disappoint. The soft, breathable jerseys and wool flex-fit caps were the best-looking gear our league’s all-stars had every sported. And the “Ohh’s” and “Sick!” comments I heard from all the kids when we pulled them out of the box made the work that went into the project worthwhile. 

If you’ve volunteered to do your basketball or baseball team’s uniforms, for Little League, travel, high school or any level, you owe it to yourself, and the kids, to give Victory Athletic a shot. They’ll manage all the details to ensure that while your team experiences the thrill of “Victory,” they’ll look great doing it.

Source: Victory Athletic

I hear it every year as a board member of my local Little League. When parents of six year-olds find out that their son has to play tee ball his first year in the league we hear them whine that he’s already hitting live pitching in the backyard and he’ll be bored hitting off the tee.

The tee gets a bad rap. Consider this quote from Hall-of-Famer, Tony Gwinn, arguably the finest pure hitter of his generation: “For me the most effective way to practice hitting is to use a batting tee and a bag of wiffle balls. Tee it up and start hacking. Even after 18 years in the big leagues, every winter I go home and break out the tee and wiffle balls. It's not the most exciting thing, so you have to be creative. I put my headphones on and listen to my favorite music while I concentrate on my hitting technique.”

So, if it’s good enough for Tony Gwynn, I’d say it’s good enough for your player. But when Tony said “It’s not the most exciting thing, so you have to be creative,” he probably didn’t know about the Multi-Tee (www.multi-tee.com).

What makes the Multi-Tee better than an average tee? It’s hard to know where to start. Until now, most batting tees have used only one upright tee – good for practicing those pitches down the middle. But what about getting help on the other 90 % of the pitches you’ll see from a good hurler? The majority of amateur baseball and softball players have not been taught the correct position of ball and bat contact for pitches in the other two hitting zones, (inside and outside). When you use the Mult-Tee, you can easily rotate the swing arm to the proper position for proper bat and ball contact. This is why the Multi-Tee is especially useful to those who don’t fully understand basic hitting techniques. Not only can this training device be set up to hit a ball in the three primary positions, you can vary it in dozens of increments in between, creating nearly unlimited practice scenarios.

I talked my kids into trying the tee out, in the garage, using wiffle balls. I tasked them with hitting twenty-five inside, twenty-five outside and twenty-five down the pipe. Before long, on their own, they were adding cuts to the twenty-five I’d suggested because the variety the tee offers breaks up the monotony of ordinary practice. Plus the unique double tee feature allows them to work a unique “High Hands Drill” and a “Hands-Through-the-Ball Drill,” both of which teach proper fundamentals and can only be accomplished with the Multi-Tee.

So don’t be in such a big hurry to get “beyond” the tee. In fact, if you take Tony’s advice, the tee will always be part of your training regimen. And if that’s the case, why not use the only device that teaches the proper swing, in the proper zone, and that takes an activity that used to be a chore, and turns it into a challenging and skill-enhancing exercise for kids from Tee Ball to the Hall-of-Fame.

Source: Multi-Tee

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for the baseball player, baseball mom or baseball dad in your life, (hint: Fathers Day is just around the corner), why not consider something unique and personal that they’ll treasure forever. A gift from Silver Diamond Jewelry (www.silverdiamondusa.com) is a great choice.

Hand-crafted necklaces, pins, key chains and tie tacks (pictured), made from sterling silver can be customized with your player’s number, creating a unique and attractive memento. Men and women both will appreciate the styles available, the quality is tremendous, and Silver Diamond’s prices are more than reasonable. Sister company Silver Ice Jewelry produces the same great items, but for those who chase the puck instead of the horsehide.

When looking for that perfect present, it’s nice when you’re able to hit a home run. In a world of ordinary, a gift from Silver Diamond Jewelry is out of the park.

Source: Silver Diamond Jewelry

My wife won’t let me have this product. Maybe yours will.

I have three baseball-playing sons and a softball-playing daughter. The two oldest boys are in high school and, nearly every day, they beg me to take them down to the school and pitch to them. Every morning I wake up with a lower back that feels like two Ginsu knives are stuck inside, and to say I have tendonitis in my throwing shoulder would be like saying gas prices are a little high.

Just like everywhere, there are plusses and minuses to living in Southern California. On the positive side of the ledger, there is beautiful weather, incredible beaches, natural beauty, and proximity to many great attractions and sporting events. The downsides include, overcrowding, high cost of living and smog. Add to that list the fact that, unlike where I grew up in the Midwest, homes out here are usually built on postage-stamp-sized lots. They don’t sell a lot of riding mowers in So-Cal.

Since my backyard is about big enough for a good-sized swimming pool, but not much else, if I were to get a backyard batting cage, it would take up most of the lawn. That would be fine with me, and would be thrilling to my kids, but my wife thinks it would “look terrible.” “If we had a side lawn so I wouldn’t have to look at it, that would be fine,” she says.

For those of you who, like me, believe a batting cage would be the perfect home improvement; who either have bigger lawns, or less ardent spouses, there is Cages Plus. (www.cagesplus.com). Cages Plus is a family business that specializes in bringing the batting cage dream to backyards everywhere. What is so special about Cages Plus?

For one, it is affordable: For about the cost of 10-15 hours in the indoor cage, you can own your own at home. The system is easily installed and durable, and the owners will provide you with the best customer service you could wish for. But, maybe best of all, a batting cage system from Cages Plus means no more trying to find an open field, losing baseballs, and losing sleep because of back pain.

It used to be that the backyard batting cage was reserved for the fanatical baseball-dad. No more. The only excuse you need now is a son or daughter who wants to hit, a lawn slightly larger than a postage stamp and a wife who sees the intrinsic beauty of 10’ poles, knotted nylon, and frozen ropes.

Source: Cages Plus

They may be the coolest-looking bats on the market, and sport some of the best names. V-Force. Beast. Ripped. But flash and style can only take you so far. You want a bat that delivers results. And bats from Mattingly Baseball (www.mattinglybaseball.com) do just that by delivering the barrel of the bat to the ball faster, thanks to their V-Grip technology.

For over a year my son has been using his Mattingly wood bat for training, (wiffles, tee, soft-toss) while using his Beast in the games. Now the folks at Mattingly are offering a unique Train and Game Two Bat Package so that you can do the same.
The V-Grip handle on all Mattingly bats promotes proper hand alignment for increased bat speed. Originally designed for the professional level, the V-Train Plus wood bat is made of hickory wood, which is heavy wood - ideal for weight and strength training. Its compact design promotes proper timing and the black post catalyzed finish gives it a professional look and feel.

The Ripped aluminum bat is the first and only bat to combine performance-enhancing alloy technology with the same V-Grip handle into one dynamically engineered game bat. Made of scandium alloy, the Ripped optimizes its ratio of scandium to provide a stronger and more durable material. The stiff handle maximizes energy and returns it to the ball, while the specially designed end plug maximizes trampoline effect. And maybe best of all? Compared to the price of some other high-end bats on the market, with the Train and Game package, you’re almost getting two bats for the price of one.

We’d all love to have Donnie Baseball as a personal hitting coach. Unfortunately, he’s a little busy. But maybe with enough hard work using the right equipment, someday you can call Don Mattingly “Coach,” which means you’ve taken your game to the highest level.

Source: Mattingly Baseball