I love the Wii I received for my birthday last year. I never cease to be amazing by its motion-sensing controls and the remarkable flexibility of the system.

I’m not a golfer in real life but on the Wii… love it.

I’m not a tennis player in real life… but in my den I sure am, thanks to the Wii.

Yes, with the Wii I can fight dragons, play tennis and then, minutes later start a workout routine. Until now, however, I used the Wii Remote and imagined it was a golf club, a tennis racket or a sword. Thanks to Thrustmaster’s Sports Pack however I no longer need to use such a degree of imagination.

For all the sport fanatics out there, the Sports Pack+ NW, compatible with Wii MotionPlus™*, is just for you. This multi-accessory pack is designed for use with the majority of sports games available for Wii™… Continue Reading

If you know Element is something other than iron and aluminum, and that Zoo York isn’t a tough neighborhood in the Bronx, and that Ollie isn’t a character from Popeye … then chances are either you or one of you kids is well acquainted with the world of skateboarding! Anyone who has played Wii games such as Skate It knows that while the Wii balance board is a great controller, it lacks a certain ’something’ in terms of emulating the action of the skateboard. Thrustmaster announces a controller that augments the balance board to produce the most realistic possible skateboarding experience!

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Attention Android owning basketball lovers — listen to every NBA game live, watch video game recaps, review live scores, get real-time team and player stats and more. This is all available with the $9.99 NBA Gametime 2009-2010 application for Android available for download now. Compatible with T-Mobile myTouch 3G (OS 1.5+), T-Mobile G1 (OS 1.5+). Versions are also available for iPhone and BlackBerry in their respective application stores. This is the perfect application for watching sports while you’re supposed to be doing boring stuff like working.

Image courtesy of JS Online

As a marathon runner myself (I’m currently training for what will be my 11th marathon) I took special note of this story.

There has been much debate over the last few years regarding the use of iPods (or any Mp3 players) by runners during races.  Many argue the use of headphones impairs a persons hearing so much during a race that it makes them unsafe.  They might not be able to hear directions from an on course marshal or warnings from a police officer.  It also sometimes causes a problem with other runners trying to pass them.  They sometimes can’t hear runners coming up behind them asking for them to move over etc.

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Twitter, the social networking site that allows you to let your “followers” know what you’re doing, has been officially banned from the Texas Tech football program.

This action comes after one of the team’s players tweeted an unflattering message about the team’s coach while the player was in a team meeting.  The player, a linebacker, voiced his displeasure over the team’s head coach being late for meetings.

The team’s head coach Mike Leach says his team does not need distractions like Twitter or Facebook and called the services “stupid.”  He stated that players of college football get enough attention and called those who use such services  “a bunch of narcissists that want to sit and type stuff about themselves all the time.”

So the question around Gear Diary is how long before our own Coach bans Twitter from his team?

A while back I reviewed a new genre of app, 23 Ways to Destory Your Defender, that can be used to assist basketball coaches and players.  The app is a collection of videos that teach different basketball ball handling moves made famous by NBA players.  23 Ways is a really nice application, and while coaches can use it, it is really geared toward the player.  Level X Hoops has recently expanded their sports offerings with five new apps that truly focus on coaching.  Most coaches build a professional library of videos and clinic notes.  Personally, I want to learn all of it.  Maybe I will not run all of the moves, but my opponent might, and I want to understand how they are attacking or defending me.

The new offerings include one new app featuring Ganon Baker who is a world renowned basketball skills trainer.  The other apps are part of the Basketball Toolbox series and are instructed by long time coach Lason Perkins.  Instructions and white board diagrams will help coaches learn offensive philosophies against zone, man to man and full court defenses, as well as improve scoring opportunities in the paint.  Continue Reading

Do you love the idea of cutting back on driving your car? Have you been considering biking more, but fitness and speed hold you back? Do you love the idea of exploring new areas? Want to share it with a friend? Do you have about $2300 to spare?

Pedego, makers of electric bikes, have debuted an electric tandem bike. It’s coming just in time for the holidays, though if you live in the Northeast you MIGHT want to wait until after the snow has cleared.

Read on for the press release, and then start checking your couch for pennies!

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Fan of Sports Talk Radio?  ESPN Radio has just launched its very iPhone OS application, available in the iTunes App Store for $2.99

The app provides access to 15+ ESPN Radio stations including many of the ESPN personalities like Mike & Mike and The Herd.  There’s podcasts, Sports Center updates and more.  You can even send text messages from the application straight to the studios of ESPN.

Also in the mix is the ability to listen to live play by play broadcasting of college football games.

You can check scores to see how your favorite team is doing as well.

Check out the ESPN Radio application for the iPhone OS in the App Store here.

I’m currently training for what will be my 12th marathon.  This time I’ll be tackling the 26.2 mile distance down at the Outer Banks Marathon in North Carolina.

In addition to running 11 other full marathons I’ve run quite a few other races in my running career.  One of the items that goes with every race is a runner’s bib.  The paper bib, which has the runner’s number on the front, is fastened to your shirt via safety pins and serves to identify you amongst the swarms of other runners.

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A few weeks ago Judie asked the question “are you that guy?”

She was posting about the NoJoke.com Shotgun KeyChain.

Well NoJoke.com has another product, which although does have the ability to turn any can into a ready to shotgun chugger also has some really useful functions out on the golf course.

The DivPro is 6 tools in 1; think of it as the Leatherman of the links.

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Looking to listen to your music while going for a swim? Until now your choices would be hindered by the need for cords and in-ear devices. Now FINIS brings their patented bone conduction technology to create a 1GB MP3 player that is suitable for in-water use! Bone conduction is “the direct transfer of sound vibrations from the cheek bone to the inner ear”. Be sure to check out Dan’s review from last month.

“Current waterproof MP3 players are quite awkward for training in the water as athletes are hindered by straps, cords and earphones. We created the SwiMP3.1G specifically for swimmers so they could continually swim without having this cumbersome feeling of too many cords and poor sound quality. Our SwiMP3 features a water proof design with 1GB of storage for maximizing and motivating your swim workout with your favorite music” says John Mix, President of FINIS.

* Features & Benefits***
Small Slender Design
Easily clips on to goggle for a non-cumbersome fit that you can hardly feel
Patented Bone Conduction Technology
Transfers crystal-clear sound through the water
Integrated MP3 Panel
Incorporates on/off, volume, next/previous track, pause and shuffle
functions
1GB of Storage
Load MP3 or WMA files for a waterproof music library
Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery
Provides 10+ hours of use through USB charge
Compatible with Windows or MAC MP3 or WMA files

Source: Finis

Being a coach and having small children means lots of sports equipment at my house.  Almost every room of the house has a few footballs and basketballs.  Our garage has two baskets full of balls for the boys to play with on the driveway or in the yard.  One problem we often have is keeping them in a spot that is both handy and convenient.

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We started the weekend with Adrian’s excellent post on what’s wrong and right in college football. Yeah, we’re a site dedicated to gear, but as Judie and I were discussing this morning -  there are other things to life than gadgets… at least sometimes.

Adrian’s was a good piece, but it was missing one thing that is not only good but excellent in high school football. Gear Diary Contributor Travis (AKA “Coach”) is a coach for the Falls City High School Battlin’ Beavers.

Two games into the season, and Coach and his team are 2 and 0, with the first game won 40-7 and second game won 28-12.

Travis is what we call “right” with High School Football. Here he is in action…

While this is not a sports site, nor one that normally writes about this kind of stuff, I had to make an exception. As a father, former college athlete, and fan I have to say that the beginning of the college football season has not given me that warm fuzzy feeling. Last years Oregon vs. Boise State game ended with much animosity, which led to Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount’s pre-game statement saying they must keep their emotions in check…..heh. Well that didn’t turn out very well!

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While on vacation in Maine a few weeks ago I happened to break my sunglasses.  Luckily I was near a place that sold them and was able to pick up a replacement pair.

The pair I ended up with are Oakley Monster Dogs.

They’re not my first pair of Oakley glasses.  I’ve owned a few.

Oakley has been around for a while and always seems to be at the forefront of the sunglasses market with its innovative frames.

A brand of choice among active individuals they have stood the test of time.

This got me thinking.  How has the Oakley frame changed over the years?

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