Hey! We're In a Recession! Happy Holidays!

Well the cats out of the bag, according to the New York Times of December 1st 2008, the United States is in an economic recession.

And you know when the New York Times tells you that your country is in a recession, it's official. (As if the homeowners crisis, bailout bill, auto industry tanking, and unprecedented job losses weren't enough to hint to you that maybe the U.S is having a bit of trouble holding onto the moulah).

So, thank you New York Times for breaking the news to us right in time for HOLIDAY SHOPPING to begin that we're in a recession. What better way to get you into the shopping mood than with a recession lingering on your mind. As if shopping for the perfect gift for your friends and family members wasn't hard enough, especially those sports fans because nothing is harder than finding a gift for the sports fanatic among your clan or group of buddies that has everything already related to sports. There are only so many Atlanta Braves shirts one person should own (my cousin Andrew should know, someone manages to buy him something Atlanta Braves related just about every year. Poor kid, he likes other teams too!).

So, here are some interesting sports gifts that I found courtesy of the internet highway that are sure to satisfy the hardest to please sports fan on your shopping list this holiday season.


http://www.xperiencedays.com/prodview.asp?idproduct=7331&af=XperienceDays&CK=80

For the Nascar fan (yeah I don't know any either, don't worry), but for those of you that by chance know someone what enjoys Nascar why not buy them a ride in a Genuine Nextel Cup Car. For under $200 your loved one can experience 3 exciting Laps (this is verbatim from the site, I don't know what makes driving in circles exciting) as passenger in a Nascar Stockcar. And they get to wear a sweet racing outfit!

Remember when you were little and your little brother would throw a Nerf football and boast that he totally threw it like 200 million yards. Well, now you can prove him wrong with the Virtual Distance Football.

Using advanced sensor technology this ball can determine how far it is thrown and even shows it to you on it's oversized readout. So finally you can stop quarreling with your little brother over if he threw the ball 200 million yards. And the answer is, no, you didn't, but maybe you should invest in some KUMAN lessons as well as a Virtual Distance Football.
http://shopping.discovery.com/product-64886.html?jzid=40600651-0-0

I call this next gift "you really don't know what to get your husband/father/brother/grandfather/uncle/etc but you know that they sometimes play golf" so why not get them a "Tee It Up!: Golf Gift Basket".

This basket not only includes golf items such as a golf towel, golf tees, practice wiffle balls, and a golf mug (yippie!) but also gourmet snack foods. Now, the only people I know that are avid golfers are my Uncles and you could stick a case of Heineken in a basket along with a cheeseburger and some potato chips and call it a Golf Basket and they would be perfectly content. Why is it that only golfers enjoy gourment food and who are these golfers? I would love to meet them and compare notes.
http://www.greatarrivals.com/product_detail.cfm?pid=77&ah=1&affcode=FINDGIFT&stateful

Now, you knew a Red Sox gift was going to make the list. So, for those of you that aren't lucky enough to live a handful of T stops away from Fenway, why not bring Fenway to the biggest Sox fan on your holiday shopping list with a "Red Sox Premier Pail Gift Set." The gift basket includes Fenway Peanuts, a Wally doll, a replica autographed Red Sox baseball with autographs of all the players on the roster beginning in 2007, a Sox cap, and other assorted munchies and Red Sox gear.

http://www.massbaytrading.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SOS2013&Category_Code=SRR&Affiliate=FG

My little cousin graduated high school last spring and had the obligatory family/friends graduation party. Now, said party would have been awkward for a semi-adult like me (I didn't know any of his friends and I only really knew my side of the family well) if it wasn't for alcohol and the Sportcraft 3 Game Tailgating Combo.

I don't know if this was actually the game set they purchased but they did have two of the three games included in the set and they provided hours of fun. And apparently you can use them for tailgating as well although beer and horseshoes in a crowded parking lot sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00610494000P?vName=Fitness%20&%20Sports&cName=Sports&sName=More%20Sports&sid=IAx20071220x000001&aff=Y

Now for the gift for that person who really can't get over their alma mater or that high schooler who recently got into their top school, you can get them collegiate golf balls! There are over 25 colleges and universities to choose from so obviously coming from a big name sports school (Emerson College...only teasing) I couldn't wait to find my schools special golf balls. But to my chagrin, no Emerson College golf balls.


http://www.caddicap.com/collegiategolfballs.html

And finally the most unusual gift I found but I thought I would be fair and include something New York related, why not get your loved one a New York Yankees Hammer! Because apparently all Yankees' fans are construction workers in need of a hammer with their favorite team's logo.


http://www.sportsgifts.com/fm-prom-ha-yanks.html

There you have it, gifts that are perfect for any sports fan on your shopping list.

And in case you already finished your shopping, here are some items you should consider returning:

- That Plaxico Burress jersey
- The Sean Avery talking doll (apparently all it says are "bleep" "bleep" "Elisha Cuthbert" "sloppy seconds" "bleep" "bleep"