Sporting Goods Reviewed

While I have played baseball since I was 8 years old, it wasn’t until high school that training became important to me. Once I realized that running was a huge part of a pitcher’s life, I needed some shoes that could hold up season after season and mile after mile.

During high school and into college I tried many different types of running shoes. Some were better than others but comfort was always an issue. Also, I kept wearing out the soles and needed to replace them at least every year and sometimes even twice in the same year. Now I play professional ball, and I am happy to say that I have finally discovered a shoe that fit my needs, and that shoe is the Nike Air Max

They are the most comfortable running shoes I have ever worn. The air pockets on the bottom of the shoe make your feet feel light and give you a sensation like you are running on air. The air pockets also reduce the impact when you are running; this is great for those of you who suffer from shin splints or any kind of joint pain. The last thing you want to feel is hard impact every stride, making it tougher on you to get your workout in. I’m not saying these shoes are magic, and will take all of your pain away. We all know that in sports there is a lot of playing through pain, but these shoes will definitely reduce your impact and make it a more comfortable workout.

One down side to these shoes is that they can be pricey depending on where you buy them. But I can assure you that if you make the investment, they are worth every penny. I have had the same pair of Nike Air Max’s for 2 seasons now and they are still in great shape. I run in them, lift in them, cross train with them and wear them almost everyday during the season and during my workouts in the off- season.

I wish I had discovered them back in high school; it would have prevented me from going through so many shoes and would have been a lot more comfortable.

For the Nike Air Max selection click HERE.

Each year one of the biggest questions going into the baseball season is which cleat to go with. I mean you want the cleats to look good, you want them to perform well and most important you need comfort. Throughout my 20 years of playing baseball, 7 years professionally, I have found that a lot of cleats give you looks but don’t compare in comfort and performance, while others are great for performance and comfortable but look so bad you don’t even want to wear them.

Over the past few seasons the majority of players that I have played with or against all wear the Nike Zoom Clipper. I purchased a pair last season and was extremely pleased. This cleat gives you the comfort of a running shoe and the look of a professional. Another huge advantage to this cleat is the durability it gives you. I am a starting pitcher and have to take the mound every 5 days for a 100 game season, so I need a cleat that will not wear out after two starts. The Nike Zoom Clipper lasted an entire season and then some! Keep in mind that if you are a pitcher and you are looking for a cleat, it is always a good idea to add a pitching toe to any one that you choose.

I would say that the only downside to the cleat, if you want to call it a downside, is whether or not you want metal spikes or molded spikes. Most of the infielders that I have played with choose to go with the molded spikes, whereas most of the pitchers I have played with choose to go with the metal spikes. This simply comes down to personal preference. I chose metal because I need the most traction I can get, considering I am throwing off of a dirt mound most of the time.

I have found that having the right tools makes any job a little bit easier. Plus the saying is true - if you feel good, you will play good. The last thing you want to be worried about when you take the field is the equipment you have on.

For a closer look at the Nike Zoom Clipper as well as options for pitching toes check out Baseball Express.

Through the years I have used countless numbers of gloves, and have found some to be pretty good while other have been not so good. But for the past 7 seasons I have only used one model of glove, Rawlings Pro Prefered Series.

I have played professional baseball since I graduated from college in 2002. From 2002 all the way through this past season my glove of choice has been the Pro-Preferred Series that Rawlings offers. I have used different gloves before but none compare to the feel, fit and performance that Rawlings brings you with their Pro Series.

While I found it took a little bit longer to break this glove in than the others the durability of this glove is amazing! After 7 years in the minor leagues having to throw everyday and playing in 100 game seasons I have only needed 2 pro-preferred gloves in this time frame!

Another advantage of this series is you can customize your glove down to the last detail. Check out Baseball Express and they will walk you through a step-by-step process that will allow you to choose things such as the color of the glove, the color of the leather, you can choose your style of webbing for the glove (i.e. “I” webbing or Basket web), you can personalize it by stitching you name on the glove and many more options!

In closing there are hundreds of models and brands of gloves on the market today, but the one’s the pros choose and I use is the Rawlings Pro-Preferred Series!

The Total Gym is a great exercise machine for home use!  I will admit that the first few times I saw the Total Gym advertised on television, I was skeptical.  However, after considering what makes home fitness equipment truly valuable, I took the time to do some homework

I would venture to guess that most of the people considering the Total Gym and reading this review are not looking to enter a bodybuilding contest, or become Mr. or Miss Universe.  If you are, then you are probably already spending more time in the club than the rest of us regular folks do at our jobs, so this review may not be for you.

The Total Gym fits into a similar sized area as a treadmill would, and will fold up if you choose to put it away after each use.  I highly recommend finding an area where you can leave it set up, as the effort it takes to put it up and take it down each time you need it could be enough to discourage you from actually using it on a regular basis (and using it is the key to fitness!)

It does require effort when moving from certain exercises to others, but rather than see this as a negative, you can use the time involved in setup as a nice break between sets.  You will also be glad to know that you can get a quality work out done in less than an hour each time you use the Total Gym.

If you buy the model that I own, the Total Gym XLS, you can do almost any exercise that you would do in a health club or with a much larger and more expensive home gym.  It has proven to be the most valuable piece of home exercise equipment that I have ever owned.

Two additional great features that it comes with are the videos and the fitness cards.  The fitness cards are large picture cards, numbered and colored, which are also categorically divided into the parts of the body that you are intending to work.  They show an exercise for this particular body part, and then describe and illustrate how to execute.

You can also choose to customize your workout.  There are pre-selected routines, which take cards from each category and are designed to give you a solid circuit workout.

The bottom line is that you will actually use the Total Gym as an exercise machine and not as a coat rack or bookshelf, because it is easy to use, makes your workouts fun, and fits into a manageable space in your home.

As a father of two who works full-time, I highly recommend it!

See all of the models that Total Gym offers HERE.