Sports Product Review

Who is the best college football team in the nation? Ohio State? LSU? Conventional wisdom at the time of this writing says we’ll see those two play for the National Championship. But how about USC? Oklahoma? Georgia? We’ll never know, because again, the BCS has made a mockery out of what used to be the greatest sport in America. Now, what inarguably has been the wildest and most exciting season in history, is going to fizzle out in a season-ending sham that will satisfy no one, except, perhaps, the BCS Commissioners.

The BCS has ruined college football. In December of last year I wrote how, in my view, the BCS was not only not an improvement on the old simple voting system it replaced, it was a step backward. I called for a return to the old system because the BCS does not ensure that the two truly best and most-deserving teams will play for the national championship, but it does eliminate the luster of the major bowls. Remember what New Year’s Day used to be like? You’d wake up groggy from the night before, depressed because it was the last day of the holiday season and a long winter of going back to school or work loomed ahead, but there was reason to smile. The best day in all of sports was waiting for you. After appetizers of Cotton and Gator, you'd be feasting on main courses of Sugar, Rose, Fiesta and Orange. All the games were meaningful. Often, three or four teams had a legitimate shot at the National Championship depending on how things shook out that day.  Instead of that final holiday before the coming dreary winter being something to dread, the glory of those games was like a goodbye kiss from a beautiful girl. And while the outcome of those bowls didn’t always leave us satisfied that the best two teams in the country had settled it on the field, (too many times the champion was more a popularity contest…see 1993 when Notre Dame and Florida State both finished with one loss and Notre Dame had beaten them head-to-head but the voters picked “aw shucks”, Bobby Bowden because he’d never won one before), is it any different this year? Even with the BCS, it’s all going to come down to opinion.

But now, not only do we not get to see the National Championship settled definitively, (nor did we last year - right, USC fans?), but we lose the thrill of that New Year’s Day culmination. Do you really care anymore who plays in the any of the BCS bowls? The Rose is still nice for its pageantry, and because it is on New Year’s Day, but the system even spoiled that this year because it will now likely be match-up of the Pac 10 Champion USC, and, drum roll please...the Big Ten Runner-up, Illinois. Whoopee. And then the Sugar, Orange and Fiesta in subsequent days are games that will decide nothing other than where teams finish in the Top 10. Who cares?

To me, the solution is so clear it is frustrating that I don’t hear it being screamed from every pundit in the country. Play the four major bowls on New Year’s Day as an elite eight. How’d you like to see these games on January 1, 2008? Rose: USC – Ohio State. Sugar: LSU – West Virginia. Orange: Georgia – Virginia Tech. And Fiesta: Oklahoma against, let’s say, Hawaii since they’re 12-0. And if you want to quibble that maybe Kansas or Missouri get in instead of West Virginia or Hawaii, fine. But the bottom line is every one of those games would be edge-of-your-seat viewing. Then, on January 8, the winners of those games would treat us to a bombshell Final Four, and the following week there would be a National Champion that no one could dispute.

Or just go back to the way it was. Everything the BCS was supposedly formed to accomplish, (no two-loss teams winning a title while one-loss teams are left out, the end of subjective voting to decide the champion), has flown out the window. And it’s been at the expense of the bowl games that used to make up the greatest one day in all of sports. Now, New Year’s Day is nothing more than the last day of vacation. A day to take down the decorations, nurse a headache, think about work or the year ahead, and maybe have a game on in the background. Thanks to the BCS, what used to be a sweet farewell kiss that could keep us warm as we waited for spring, has turned into a slap in the face.

Source: BCS

It’s so nice when something works as advertised. A week ago I heard my nine year-old daughter crying downstairs. She’d been out practicing in the backyard with her new soccer ball. She kicked one too high and it went over the fence. That would be nothing to cry over, but it struck the neighbor’s palm tree and punctured on a sharp frond. Her new ball, which she’d had less than a week, was ruined. The only thing to do was throw it away.

Or not. I got a Ball Doctor from Unique Sports, (www.uniquesports.us) and decided to give it a try. The website says, “seals leaks and punctures in all valve inflatable balls without a bladder. Just insert syringe in ball valve and depress plunger. Pump up pressure and bounce ball vigorously. It is fixed for continued play.”

It works. In less than the time it took to tear open the package I’d injected the goo into her ball, re-inflated it and we no longer heard the hissing from the puncture. The ball is as good as new.

Next time you have a football, basketball, soccer or volleyball that won’t hold air, don’t give up on it—rush it to the doctor. One painless shot is all you'll need.

Source: Unique Sports

In the age of specialization, my son is one of those vanishing breed of high school athletes who plays more than one sport. So when football weight training started up, he developed a blister right under his middle finger that made it impossible to swing the bat in his summer baseball league. Fortunately, the blister eventually healed, and now there will be no more problems with sore hands thanks to his new fitness gloves from Bionic, (www.bionicgloves.com).

Bionic Gloves focus on the anatomy of the palm, fingers and thumb. These areas of the hand have bony prominences, or, high points of the bone next to the skin. The friction of a barbell, baseball bat or golf club against the bony prominences cause blisters, calluses and hand fatigue. Bionic Gloves feature strategically placed pads to reduce the pressure and friction caused by gripping a weight-bar, vastly improving both comfort and grip-strength. I’m sure my boy doesn’t understand or care about the science behind his Bionics. He says they feel great and make him stronger. They must look great too, because everyone has been asking him where he got them.

Working out in the weight room is not supposed to be easy. The team’s slogan is “No Pain—No Gain.” But pain that keeps you from doing your job doesn’t gain you anything. And tools like Bionic gloves, which not only allow you to continue doing your job, but do it better, help everyone get on the winning team.

Source: Bionic Gloves

What do most if not all athletes have in common? Let’s see! They’re rich, super gifted and famous. No! Well yes! But more importantly, whether on the court, on the football or soccer field or simply in the weight room trying to make sure their bodies stay tight, they ALL work up a sweat and increase their body temperatures.

This common problem can be solved with the new cooling vests by Artic Heat USA (http://www.arcticheatusa.com/). They aren’t inexpensive, but health should be the most important thing to any athlete.

This cooling vest takes the premise of the popular neck cooler to the next level. Utilizing special crystals, the Artic Heat vests lower the body temperature of the individual to combat the unavoidable overheating that the body will go through when involved in strenuous activity or extreme heat.

But don’t fret footballers; these vests can also be heated. So when you head to Green Bay this winter, you will be prepared.

The Artic USA vest stays cold up to 2 hours and can be re-cooled in about 10 to 15 minutes; just enough time to whip up a protein shake. And it’s lightweight, weighing in at just over 2 pounds. The average athlete walks around with more than 2 pounds of gear on just to be ready for a game.

So next time your coach says, it’s going to be a long practice today, you won’t sweat it—literally.

Source: Arctic Heat USA
Submitted by: Brandy Johnson

NFL Training Camp is open, high school two-a-days are in full swing, and, Pop Warner Leagues across the country are beginning practice. Now is the time to dust off those old cleats, shape the new mouthguard, and look for every advantage you can find to create separation between you and the competition. If you’re someone who might be touching the ball, Cutters Gloves (www.cuttersgloves.com) will give you the edge you’ve been looking for.

The C-TACK performance grip material they use is a Cutters exclusive. Other gloves may look similar, but C-TACK is the only one where the grip is part of the material. This innovation not only creates an extremely high grip, but a grip that is actually self-restoring and performs in all weather conditions. When your Cutters Gloves get dirty, simply machine wash or wipe down with a damp towel and your grip will be restored.

I have two boys who have never worn gloves in the past, who now swear by their Cutters. The one-hand grabs I’ve seen both make lately have made me a believer too. Wearing Cutter’s gloves may give your player an unfair advantage, but until they legislate against extremely comfortable, durable, flexible, and sticky gloves, you’ll take any advantage you can get.

Source: Cutters Gloves