If you've ever kicked a soccer ball, or ever seen someone else kick a soccer ball, chances are that ball was kicked by an adidas Samba. With over 35 million pairs sold worldwide since it was introduced in 1950, the shoe has become an icon in the soccer world. And in the pop culture world, with athletes and celebs rocking the classic kicks on field and on stage.

But since soccer is only slightly more popular here than Cricket, and still less popular than the national spelling bee, adidas is bringing the iconic Samba to the links.

On March 1st, they'll be releasing the Samba Golf, with the same ...There's more

During the Big Game, Budweiser gave their Clydesdales the night off (finally), and ran a spot that shows the true reason we all play sports: For the love of a crowd of raving, adoring fans.



If you didn't catch this one, Bud took a twist on the (hopefully dead) Flash Mob craze and invaded a rec league hockey game in Ontario with a crowd of "fans" dressed in team jerseys, guys with face paint, and some hot cheerleaders. And, of course, a chicken shooting t-shirts into the stands.

For a bunch of guys used to playing to a smattering of people just trying to get out of the cold, this is as big time as it'll ever get, and they rise to the occasion. No word on if any of the hired cheerleaders are now rec league WAGs.

Does playing scruff-free actually help athletes perform better? Could be, if you believe the results of a study conducted by Philips Norelco and the Elias Sports Bureau.

They tracked the performance of three MLB baseball players, Nick Swisher, Freddy Garcia and Johnny Damon, to see how they performed on the field, with and without facial hair.

Here's what they found:
Swisher: When Swish shaved his scruff, analysis showed improvements in nearly every category, including hits (150 to 137), homers (29 to 28), doubles (35 to 31) and triples (2 to 1) averaged. Swisher is also hitting at a .313 clip and boasts a 1.033 OPS over his last 10 clean-shaven games.

Garcia: Career clean-shaven ERA is almost a full run lower than bearded: 3.60 clean compared to 4.34 when he lets it grow. His wins jump 2 and his losses drop 2 as well, meaning an average clean-shaven year puts him at 13-6. (However, his walk rate jumped when clean shaven. Maybe the facial hair gave him better control...)

Damon: This former owner of one of the all-time great baseball beards might feel that his facial locks may have been his biggest mistake, as ...There's more

Already in the bags of Nike athletes on the PGA Tour, including Stewart Cink, Anthony Kim, Francesco Molinari and Tiger Woods, you can give Dad the same technological advances that gave those pros an almost unfair advantage.

The new Nike VR Pro Wedges, available in Satin Chrome or Brushed Oxide Raw, are created out of a precise forging process that results in a wedge that offers accurate shot-shaping performance. Even from a high handicapper like Dad... How do they do it? Each wedge face features more grooves, resulting in cleaner, more consistent ball flight and spin (while still conforming to the new USGA and R&A rules.)

With more grooves closer together and deeper on the clubface, the VR Pro wedge ensures more control and consistency in all conditions off of the clubface. And just to be sure the club grabs enough of the ball to create that green-stopping spin, a precision laser crosshatch pattern is applied to the area between the grooves. This adds three times the surface texture versus conventionally finished faces, creating more spin in all conditions. And by all conditions, I mean even when Dad is working on a double bogey on the Par-4 14th, and he's over-swinging like John Daly with a driver.
MSRP: $149.99 ($119.99 street price)
NikeGolf.com

Not that you're saying Dad's getting a little thicker around the middle, but those years of backyard grillfests might be starting to show a little more each year. And since he may think "core training" has something to do with using apples on the barbecue, you might want to gift him with the TRX Rip Trainer this year.

A 42-inch commercial-grade bar with a sheathed elastic resistance cord that can anchor to any solid object (so dad can workout anywhere there's a fence, railing, tree, or door), the TRX Rip Trainer focuses on spiral movement patterns with an emphasis on rotation. (Video after the jump.) That's trainer-speak for it'll strengthen Dad's core, increase his power, lessen the risk of him getting injured picking up a bag of charcoal, and will enhance his overall cardiovascular fitness. But don't tell him that. He'll never use it. Maybe just say it'll help improve his ...There's more

Instead of the same old pack of golf balls or #1 Dad mug, this year let dad know you appreciate him passing on his genes by giving him the chance to ride alongside Dale Earnhardt Jr., have cocktails with Richard Branson, or score a guitar signed by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger.

These are just a few of the more than 300 experiences that have hit the auction block over at CharityBuzz with dad in mind. Packages range from a Seth Rogan autographed DVD collection estimated at $100, to the chance to name a Virgin Atlantic A330 Aircraft estimated at $50,000. ("Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the Flying Daddio Backyard BBQ King...")

And besides giving dad a truly unique gift he'll remember forever, all proceeds benefit organizations including the Robin Hood Foundation, New York Foundling, Mercy College, Liberty Hill Foundation, Musician on Call, Citymeals on Wheels, Ten O’Clock Classics, and dozens of others.

And in case the packages above won't get your dad's blood pumping, here are a few more to consider:

• Make dad's acting debut with a walk on role in NBC’s Community
• Be the first to name a Virgin A330 Aircraft
• Ride along with Dale Earnhardt Jr. for three heart-racing laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway
• A private lesson and lunch with PGA Tour Pro ...There's more

Sugar Shane Mosley, the former three time champion (in three different weight classes) will be taking on Manny Pacquiao tomorrow night in the much anticipated WBO Welterweight title fight. (If you're not at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to catch it live, you can see it on CBS/Showtime Sports PPV starting at 9pm EST.)

So how does the 39 year-old Mosely get himself into fighting shape? I had a chance to ask him, and get his top 10 quick tips for doing it in 10 days:

When do you start getting into fighting shape? Or do you train year round?
I stay in fighting shape year around to make sure I'm always prepared for any fight I take on. Of course I have breaks, but for the most part I'm always working, it's a 24-7 job.

What foods are on your "do not eat" list... What do you avoid at all costs?
The food I avoid at all costs is anything with pork in it. To me pork really weighs me down and isn't the best kind of protein for my body.

What’s your favorite food to indulge in when you're not training?
My favorite food that I indulge in when I'm not training is steak and salad. I normally order filet mignon.

What’s the most unusual thing you incorporate into your training?
The most unusual "thing" incorporated in this training camp, is ...There's more

Playoff beards are arguably one of the best traditions in any sport, and it’s almost as fun to look at the players who can’t grow a beard (we’re looking at you, Sidney Crosby during Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup run a couple years ago), but today, the focus is on the guys who could hide a meal in their beard.

Shea Weber, Nashville

We’re finally seeing the full potential of Weber’s beard as the Predators are finally in the second round of the playoffs. Nashville is giving Vancouver all they can handle through the first three games of the series, so we’ll be seeing more of this beard over the next week or so.

Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia

Hartnell’s beard is legendary and if there was a Playoff Beard Hall of Fame, it would be one of the first to go in. It could probably even make playoff NHL betting picks if it wanted to, and the only thing stopping it is ...There's more

Seven years in development, Mizuno’s (maker of every pair of baseball cleats I ever wore), new vision for running shoes hits select retailers across the country May 6th.

Christened the Wave Prophecy, it features two "wave plates" that are stacked and molded together to cushion and stabilize your foot, no matter if you land on your forefoot or midfoot. (As a non-runner, I'm going to go ahead and guess that's running speak, and it's a good thing.) Foam-free and engineered to work in harmony with your foot, each part of that wave is molded and fine tuned at different densities to not only soften the blow of each landing, but provide the unique, dynamic "ride" feeling users get when running in them.

And if that isn't enough science for your wheels, the lab-coated foot-nuts at Mizuno actually studied how your skin moves to identify the biggest area of stretch. (Bar trivia: it's the top of your toes.) Then they came up with Dynamotion fit material that shrinks and expands in harmony with your foot. This mesh fabric technology gives the shoe a "slipper like" feel. Even when you're hitting the wall on your final mile.
$199.99
MizunoUSA.com

The 2011 Masters officially began early this morning, when legends Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, teed off from the first hole at Augusta. And while that's part of the decades long traditions that surround this event, there are some new things making their debut this weekend.

Nike Golf has three technologies that are being put to tournament use by their team of touring pros, including Stewart Cink, Lucas Glover, Paul Casey, Anthony Kim, and yes, even Tiger.

That pic on the upper left shows what was inside the box that arrived at my house last week, containing two of the new technologies Nike developed, both of which are limited edition.

First is their new Lunar Control shoe. Launched in January, and designed in collaboration with Paul Casey, the Lunar ($190), is made to combine stability and comfort with its familiar saddle design fused with innovative materials and construction technologies you'll find in Nike running shoes, like Lunarlon Foam for comfort and cushioning, and Nike Flywire for support that won't give out over time. And the Power Channel in the forefoot gives you more flexibility and greater natural motion through that swing you've been working on.

And for The Masters, Nike is offering the Lunar Control in a (very) limited edition, complete with a green and black sole. Watch for Paul Casey, Anthony Kim, Carl Pettersson, Francesco Molinari and Charl Schwartzel to be sporting them around Augusta's ridiculously manicured greens this weekend.

Next is the introduction of Nike's newest radical golf ball technology, the 20XI. Gone is the widely used rubber core, in favor of a new resin. Why resin? Because, according the tech wizards at The Oven, Nike Golf's R&D facility, resin is a "highly neutralized polymer that’s faster and lighter material engineered to produce longer distance and more controlled shots."

How much better is the resin ball? ...There's more