Sports

Sports > Score!
Point-winning holiday ideas for the sports lovers on your list

words by > DeMarco Williams

Cheers!
If you’d like your children to fall in love with your alma mater before they know how to spell it, Team Baby Entertainment and its too-cute “Team Baby” series is what you need. Customized for 20 top college programs like Georgia and Michigan, the 30-minute DVDs ($19.95) introduce the school’s traditions, colors and, yes, fight songs to tots. They also sell comforters and puzzles to further inspire your little fan. www.teambabyentertainment.com

Game On
So, you’ve managed to get the Playstation 3 game console in your hands. That in itself is an accomplishment worthy of extra eggnog. In all the haste, however, you neglected to figure out which games to get with it. Thankfully, EA Sports has got you covered. By tweaking already stunning visuals, this latest edition of the best-selling golf title, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 ($59.95), drives home realism. Galleries bustle. Commentators articulate. Swings twitch. With revolutionary universal facial capture technology, Tiger’s face even appears life-like. Not sure that’s such a good thing to see after you’ve four-putted on the 18th hole. www.easports.com

Cheap Feet
Some of the mystique of the Nike Air Jordan and Reebok Question sneakers comes from their retail prices. Not everyone can take out a second mortgage to pay for shoes. Steve & Barry’s University Sportswear, famous for its reasonably-priced collegiate hoodies and t-shirts, and Stephon Marbury, New York Knicks point guard, realized that and collectively came up with a well-manufactured, alternative line of sneakers called Starbury ($10-15). Marbury is so confident in the shoe’s look and feel, he’s wearing them this NBA season. www.starbury.com

Just the Ticket
For those fans who have struggled finding tickets for a big game, Seatsnapper.com is heaven-sent. Like a jock-friendly priceline.com, the site compiles ticket availability for 2000 interactive venue maps across the country. Seatsnapper permits the shopper to adjust the price ranges while continuously updating the number of open seats. www.seatsnapper.com

Sporting Event Calendar

December 2
Kentucky vs. North Carolina
Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC Tubby Smith’s Kentucky Wildcats rely on the three Rs—Ranjo Rando, Ramel Bradley and Randolph Morris—to show stability in this road biggie against UNC, which has one of college’s best big men (Tyler Hansbrough) and freshmen (Tywon Lawson).

December 25
Los Angeles vs. Miami
Miami
Who knows what we did to deserve this midday Christmas present between Kobe Bryant’s Lakers and Dwyane Wade’s defending NBA champion Heat, but we’ll gladly accept it.

December 30
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Georgia Dome, Atlanta
One of the most eagerly awaited Bowl games, this year-end ACC/SEC tussle usually provides quite a few fireworks before New Year’s Eve.