baseball – The Next Kid Thing

Met’s First Family Sunday of 2015 Season Set for April 19

April 17, 2015April 18, 2015 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

It’s finally Spring, and that means we’re all about baseball in our house. Whether it’s actually playing ball or watching the game, baseball is truly the heart of our home from Spring until Fall.

Just as Little League is underway for my older son, the Major Leagues are revving up for a fantastic season. And speaking of which, I’m excited to share cool stuff about our favorite MLB team once again. The Mets are currently on their first home field stint of the season, and this Sunday, April 19, marks the first Family Sunday for the 2015 season at Citi Field.

As in years past, the Mets promise a family-friendly outing on Sunday. From games on the mini field to video games out back to the awesome benefits of Mr. Met’s Kid’s Club, Family Sunday at Citi Field is such a great way to spend the day at the ball field.

Mr. Met’s Kid’s Club is a fun way for kids to experience the game. For every Family Sunday at Citi Field that your child attends, they get a stamp on their Kid’s Club lanyard. Perks and incentives are rewarded to the kids, depending on the frequency of visits and which membership you choose. There are both free and paid memberships to the Kid’s Clubs and one major benefit of the Orange Membership includes 10 free tickets and the Blue includes 4 free tickets.

We are thrilled to once again participate in the Met’s social media influencer outreach and are excited to catch our first Family Sunday of the season this weekend when the Amazin’s take on the Marlins. I hear Matt Harvey will be on the mound, and my boys are pumped to see the Dark Knight front and center on Sunday! Let’s Go Mets!

If you’re headed to the game this Sunday, be sure to get the kids and sign up for Mr. Met’s Kid’s Club.

Goodies and Gear: Opening Day

March 31, 2011 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

It’s that time of year again; it’s Opening Day, a day that celebrates the Boys’ of Summer’s reemergence from the offseason and time to play ball again. If your family is anything like ours, reality and kiddie shows are happily swapped for 6 months of America’s Pastime streaming on the tv—that is, when we’re not outside enjoying the outdoors ourselves.

With snow in our forecast, it may not be the most ideal weather for this time of year, but that’s not to say we can’t celebrate Spring and Opening Day with some of the latest and greatest in baseball fun for the kids.

This morning, while I was reading the news online, I was pretty disappointed to read about the decline in kids playing baseball over on WSJ. To be quite honest, despite what the studies show, you’d never know there was a decline from the plethora of great toys and gear that are aimed to share the love of the game.

Here are just a few of my baseball picks in honor of Opening Day:

Melissa and Doug All Star Sports Fill and Spill

Baby can’t throw or catch quite yet, but Melissa and Doug’s All Star Sports Fill and Spill helps to familiarize tiny fingers with ball shapes. Each of the four balls rattle, jingle or crinkle and are suitable for 6 months and up.

Grand Slam Baseball from Step 2

Spotted at Toy Fair last month, Step 2’s Grand Slam Baseball is an electronic auto-pitch machine that encourages hand-eye coordination, not to mention, promotes outdoor play. Geared to the smaller baseball fans, Grand Slam Baseball gets kids fielding balls and a chance to work on their swing.

EA Sweet Spot Baseball Bat

For the bigger kids, EA’s Sweet Spot Bat incorporates a little crowd cheer every time the batter hits or holds the ball in that sweet spot. Ideal for beginners, it features a soft bat, and helps the rookies to refine their accuracy and hand-eye coordination.

SKLZ Sweet Spot Youth Training Bat

Beyond the tee-ball phase, SKLZ makes the top-rated Sweet Spot Youth Training Bat. The training bat features an all-wood barrel and handle, as well as a fiberglass rod, and provides instant feedback and “stings” if hit too far off.
Looking for training tools for entry-level players? SKLZ Hit-A-Way Jr. is something that I’m going to check out for batting practice and hand-eye coordination for our not-quite Tee Ball-aged little guy.

Sports Illustrated Kids: All Access

And to better understand and appreciate America’s Pastime, Sports Illustrated Kids has a new book that delves into the inner sanctum of baseball. Sports Illustrated Kids: All Access grants readers a behind-the-scenes look into cool findings, including favorite stadiums, the story behind the Green Monster and something that I want to know more about: Lousisville Slugger’s journey from big trees to the big leagues.

Go Mets!

And Speaking of behind the scenes look at baseball, did you miss our family’s adventure at Citi Field last season? If you’ve been reading NKT for awhile now, you must already know that we’re Mets fans–in good times and in bad.

It’s always been my husband’s dream to sit in our beloved Mets’ Clubhouse, and thanks to a fun media invite, we had the chance to learn more about the Mets’ new stadium. Be sure to see where our exclusive behind the scenes tour took us at our beloved (and sometimes beleaguered) Mets’ CitiField.

Hooray for a new season! And yes, even for us Mets fans, it’s a brand new ball game!

Junk Ball Features MLB Players

June 30, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The Boys of Summer are in mid-season right now, gearing up for the All Star Game, which is just a few weeks away. Just in time for the All Star Game, Little Kids sent us a sample of their Junk Ball Bat and Ball set.

This year, Junk Ball was granted the MLBPA license for their bat and ball sets which feature some of the hottest MLB players including, Tim Lincecum, Dustin Pedroia, Alex Rodriguez, C.C. Sabathia, Johan Santana and our family’s favorite player, David Wright.

The Junk Ball Bat and Ball set comes with a classic Junk Ball Baseball, Junk Ball Bat and a sheet of stickers that features 6 players, so that kids can customize their own bat. The Bat and Ball set retails for $9.99, (an MLB ball featuring one of the aforementioned players can be purchased separately) making it an extremely affordable outdoor toy that little ones, all the way up to big kids, can enjoy their very own game of ball.

“Junk Ball,” in baseball terminology often refers to a pitch that is difficult to hit due to movement rather than velocity or power, such as a breaking ball or a knuckleball.

And what makes this Junk Ball pretty cool is how it makes throwing “junk balls” so easy. In addition to the diagrams on how to throw a few pitches, Junk Ball balls feature a “Dial a Pitch” that allows anyone to throw curves, sliders, even knuckleballs—-again suitable for the little guys and big guys, including daddies, too!

For our family, there’s nothing more synonymous with summer, outdoors and family time than baseball, whether it’s watching a game at Citi Field, catching a Sunday game on tv or playing our own game of Junk Ball. The kid, dad and I had a great time fielding and hitting the ball around. I personally love the sound of a bat “cracking” and the whizzing of a ball, even if it is a plastic set meant for kids. It’s the love of the game!

If you’re on the market for an alternative to those other plastic baseball sets, be sure to check out Junk Ball’s bat and ball set and get your game on.

A product sample was provided to facilitate this review, but the opinions expressed herein are my own.

An Amazin’ Citi Field Kids Day

March 24, 2010March 24, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Opening Day might be two weeks away, but this past weekend, our family enjoyed an afternoon at the ball field.

On Saturday, together with Vera from INOmommy, Alicia from Today’s Moms, NYC Single Mom and Suzanne of Mom Confessionals, our families were invited to participate in Citi Field’s Kids Day to take in some kiddie activities, as well as enjoy a behind the scenes tour of the Mets’ new stadium. The husband, who is a lifelong Mets fan, was as giddy as a school girl. The kid, well, as usual, he was filled with excitement…and all for good reason.

In line with its community outreach efforts that started last year, Citibank, the namesake and sponsor of the Mets’ new ball field, invited three hundred children from Boys and Girls Clubs of America and local YMCAs to attend the private event. Though players were in Florida for spring training, Citi Field, Citibank and the Mets staff created a “game day” atmosphere for the kids. With all the dancing, endless supply of hot dogs, hamburgers, face painting, balloons, ice cream and baseball fun, to see the pure joy on these kids’ faces throughout the day was priceless.

Children’s laughter filled the Caesar Club all afternoon, which overlooked the parking lot and where beloved Shea used to stand. Our families, along with all the invited kids enjoyed photos with Mr. Met and private tours of Citi Field. After all the tours, the kids held their own dance party to the tunes played by the Radio Disney AM 1560 New York Road Crew who were on hand.

Mets games stream from our tv beginning in April until October, which is both good and bad. Through all the injuries, disappointment and of course, sometimes stellar ball playing, we’re Mets fans through and through. The exclusive tour, (including a peek into the visitor’s clubhouse and learning tidbits like, players often spend their downtime playing Rockband and the Wii), taking photos with Mr. Met, and get this–walking onto the actual field–made for a pretty memorable day at the ballpark.

A huge thanks to Citibank, Citi Field, the Mets organization and of course, my blogging buddies for such a lovely day! Our trip to Citi Field was one of my favorite events that my boys were able to experience as well!

2K Sports Releases MLB 2K10

March 19, 2010March 19, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

It’s not quite official yet, but Spring has sprung in our neck of the woods, and you know what that means…

It’s time to root, root, root for the home team!

Just in time for Spring Training, 2K Sports has released Major League Baseball 2K10. For the MLB video game series’ tenth anniversary, this variation showcases perhaps the best graphics yet. Check out the trailer to see for yourself.

The ongoing battle of pitchers vs. hitters is the highlight of the game, where pitching mechanics and right-stick swing control enhancements convey realistic experiences. MLB 2K10 also boasts a revamped fielding system, new signature animations, as well as a new star player rating system. The game is available for XBox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS and PC and is rated E for Everyone.

The kid and I had the chance to preview 2K Sports’ MLB 2K10 the other week, just before it hit the shelves. During the demo, I was in disbelief how incredible the graphics were; if I didn’t know any better, I could’ve mistaken this new game for a live broadcast of an actual ballgame on tv. The audio adds to the whole realistic experience as well. During our demo, we chose to play using our team, the Mets in their homefield, Citi Field. Having visited the new ballpark for the first time last summer, I was in awe of just how realistic the graphics of MLB 2K10 were to the park. Speaking of Citi, did you know 2K Sports has a cool gaming suite within the Fan Fest area at the ballpark? It’s a must-see and must-do if you make it out to the park.

For the most part, I watched the demo, rather than played MLB 2K10 myself, but I plan on having a more thorough review of the game as soon as we have the chance. There’s quite a few other baseball games that are big for sports gamers, but as a non-sports gamer who reviews a host of games for kids, I think MLB 2K10 is certainly one to check out.

Win it!

Two of lucky NKT readers will have the chance to win a copy of 2KSports MLB 2K10! That’s right, two.

To win a game, let’s make it easy, tell me about your favorite MLB team, players or stadium.

Per usual, share on any social networking site for extra entries. Comment below for all entries.

Check it!

While we’re talking about baseball favorites… together with some fellow bloggers and kids from the NY Boys and Girls Club, our family was invited to participate in Citi Field’s Kid’s Day tomorrow. As diehard Mets fans, we’re over the moon about this cool experience.

Want to see what we’re up to at the ballpark? Be sure to follow me on Twitter and on Facebook to get live updates throughout the day!

If you’re in the NYC area tomorrow, Citibank branches in the five boroughs will host baseball themed activities, including kids’ games, food, face painting, balloons, clowns and characters. Former Met Ed Kranepool will visit the Park Slope Citibank branch from 12:00-1:30pm to sign autographs. Baseball themed refreshments will include hot dogs and cracker jacks.

For the love of the game

April 6, 2009April 6, 2009 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

In our home, Opening Day of baseball reignites the April-October daily regimen of bonding over baseball. America’s past time is loved by so many, so it’s no surprise that these days, the love of the game extends beyond the game itself. From the littlest baseball fan to the aspiring ace, here’s a short lineup of fun gear in honor of opening day:

Topps recently took baseball cards to a new dimension–quite literally–when they unveiled 3-D Live. With a webcam, baseball card collectors can now view a 3-D avatar of players from select 2009 Topps trading cards on their computer screen. Rotate the card, and the figure rotates in full perspective. Augmented reality is a combination of a real image with a virtual one. 3-D baseball cards? Now that’s a brand new ballgame!

09topps450

We grew up in a cul-de-sac, so in our baseball games, we used car bumpers, manhole covers and curbs as bases and we mentally kept score. But for the high tech set, Junk Ball has a pretty cool Ghost Runner Baseball that’s designed to remedy all that guessing. The Ghost Runner electronically keeps track of runners on base and the score. And with lights and sounds, it also tracks innings played, team at bat and the number of outs in each inning. It automatically switches teams after three outs are recorded. Information is entered into Ghost Runner’s electronic home plate with the touch of a button/base.

Learning to love baseball isn’t just a rite of passage reserved for boys anymore! The baseball greats might be rolling over at the thought of a Princess-themed baseball set, but who says girls can’t play too? Little Tikes has a T-ball set in pink that just might hone even the girliest girl’s budding ball skills.

pink3

It’s never too early to start grooming them to play ball. From an early age, tots can learn to perfect their swing to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “Play Ball” with Playskool’s Swing ‘N Score Baseball.

playskool

Baseball and Build-A-Bear

April 6, 2009April 6, 2009 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

In honor of opening day, check out the fun selection of MLB-themed gear Build-A-Bear has to offer. My fave, of course, is Curly Teddy in Mets gear.*

metsbuildabear
Build-A-Bear Workshops has teamed up with MLB once again to offer a families another way to cheer for their favorite baseball teams with Build-A-Bear Workshop Day at various ballparks, in addition to new team-branded merchandise. On Build-A-Bear Workshop Day at the Ballpark, fans will receive exclusive team-branded stuffed animals while supplies last. Each furry friend comes with a free virtual gift redeemable at buildabearville.com, the Build-A-Bear Workshop virtual world.

Check your favorite team’s website for dates and details, but here are a few scheduled Build-A-Bear Workshop Game Day Giveaways:

Pittsburgh Pirates Sunday, May 17 at 1:35 p.m. Sunday, September 20 at 1:35 p.m.	New York Mets Saturday, August 1 at 7:10 p.m.
Kansas City Royals Sunday, May 17 at 1:10 p.m.	St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, August 2 at 1:15 p.m.
Chicago Cubs Saturday, May 30 at 3:10 p.m. Friday, July 24 at 1:20 p.m.	Cincinnati Reds Sunday, August 30 at 1:10 p.m.
San Francisco Giants Saturday, May 30 at 6:05 p.m.

Goodies:
Score your own Curly Teddy or get one for your little baseball fan with this $5 off coupon. Expires April 19, 2009

(Fellow Mets fans: the choking hazard warning to the right of Curly Teddy is referencing small pieces included with the toy–NOT the game 😉 It’s a brand new year, a brand new ballgame…and a brand new stadium!)