Christmas Gifts for the Baseball Player or Baseball Lover in Your Life

The snow is finally on the ground and the weather is getting cold. Now that we are in December the clock is ticking until Christmas. The kids are counting down the days until Santa gets here. Mom and Dad are counting too.......Why not this year get something for your son or daughter or the special boy or girl that they could use to get ready for next spring. Give them a gift of some equipment to work on baseball or softball, and maybe give them that extra edge for the season.

Batting Tee

This is one of the best things you could get for someone who wants to be ready for the upcoming season. There are all kinds of tees out there. You can get the multi-position tee or even the tee with swing attachments. Base your decision on where they would use it and how much room they would have. You can't go wrong with just the basic tee or even the tee with the ball attached to an elastic. Help them work on their swing so they will be one of the best hitters on their team.

Screen

Once again this could be elaborate or simple. What the player really needs is something to hit into and toss into. You are not looking for a hitting cage. A simple loose net on a frame may do for the younger players. For middle school up I would go with one of the Jugs screens. They range anywhere from $40 to $125. With the Jugs screen and a tee the player could do some work in the basement. They could even have a friend over and do soft-toss.

Reaction Ball

This simple rubber ball would do wonders for your player's hand-eye coordination. They could bounce it back and forth with a friend or off a wall. A few minutes of this a day could do wonders for them once the season rolls around. If you can't find this ball, head to a pet store. They sell dog Kongs that are almost the same thing.

Heavy Bat

For players who want to work on bat speed, this is a good place to start. Once again you don't have to spend a lot of money on this. You just need to get them a bat that is heavier than what they usually use. Or if they already have a bat for next year you could get them a doughnut (heavy) to put on their bat. They will be able to work on their swings in the basement or garage.

Baseball Movie

The first is one of the best sports movies of all time. The Natural, staring Robert Redford, delves into the lifelong dream of Roy Hobbs. Roy has a "mishap" while on his way to a pitching tryout for the Chicago Cubs as a young pitcher. The story picks up later in his life when he signs as a power hitting outfielder with the down and out New York Knights. What follows is the story of why many of us love baseball.

The second movie for the youth baseball players is Field of Dreams. Many people overlook this Kevin Costner hit. Ray Kinsella has great memories and dreams. He hears voices and people think he's crazy. What the voice tells him to do is what makes the movie a classic. This is a great family film that will make your eyes tear up.

Both of these movies focus on baseball's affect on life. Most of us come away from these movies remembering why we love the game.

Baseball Books

There is a huge assortment of books that every player will love. For the older players, a book like Ball Four by Jim Bouton or The Bronx Zoo by Sparky Lyle will fill their minds until they can get out on the field. For the younger players, they will want to read books like Play Ball by Jorge Posada or Take Me Out to the Ballgame by Jack Norworth every night.

Wiffle golf balls

One of the best ways to work on hand eye coordination and improve their swing is to hit wiffle golf balls. Kids must keep their eye on the ball to hit it with a bat. This is also a good way to tell if the player has an uppercut or downward swing. Once they get good at hitting with a bat have them try it with a round three foot dowel. It takes a lot more concentration.

Baseball Cards

The old standby. There are so many different brands and sets out there now; you can't go wrong getting them for a collector. A lot of the younger kids will want new cards. There are players in those sets that they see on TV, listen to on the radio or read about in the newspaper. The older kids may want older cards. A die hard baseball fan would love to peruse through cards from the 1960's, 1970's or the 1980's. Amateur baseball historians love to sift through old Nolan Ryan or Mike Schmidt cards.

These were just a few ideas to help make this Christmas memorable for the baseball player or baseball lover in your life. Give them something that they will appreciate, use and love throughout the year.