The Five Best Father’s Day Gifts—Sports Edition

Dads are spectacularly difficult to buy gifts for, at least mine are, and I've got two (a dad and a stepdad), so I have extra experience with this. If your father has a hobby or an interest, seize on it and look for something in that genre. Here are a few ideas for those whose dads love sports, armchair or otherwise.

1. Tickets to the game. Go together. Drink beer. Throw peanut shells on the ground. Curse the batters. Or the pitchers. Or the outfielders. Or the whole lot of 'em. Hold your glove in the air in the fruitless hope of catching a fly ball that is headed nowhere near your seat. Fun times.

2. If your dad’s got the paralyzing dread of stadium traffic that afflicts
mine, you could go the couch potato route and get him the new Xbox 360 version of Major League Baseball 2K8, released in March (also available for Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2 and 3, and Sony PSP). For lower-tech guys, maybe Bull Durhamor Field of Dreams DVDs (a bonus for Mom, if she’s a Kevin Costner fan) or the book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, a great read by best-selling author Michael Lewis, about how Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane used careful analysis of stats to put together a spectacular winning record despite a relatively low payroll.

3. Cool golf stuff. Useful gadgets (along with an alarming array of crap) abound: The laser putter is a lightweight clip-on (which attaches to most putters) that provides instant feedback to help improve your golf score. I am a fan of anything Swiss Army, and the Victorinox Swiss Army Golf Tool is a great addition to the avid golfer’s pocket. It comes in low-key black as well as the classic red.

4. I know people who plan their whole vacations around the quality of nearby golf courses; if your father is one of these, opt for a solid guide to the top golf courses—either the Zagat's (2007/08) or the one by Golf Digest. Throw in some personalized golf balls and you’ve got yourself a theme gift.

5. A tennis ball machine. These are great for the tennis enthusiast who wants practice and/or exercise but doesn’t always have a partner available when he’s free. These models are portable; the most affordable, the Tennis Twist Ball Machine, holds 28 balls and lobs one every 5 seconds. Because the range can be adjusted, you can practice in the driveway or even in the basement. The more deluxe model, still portable, holds 125 balls and boasts a plethora of optional accessories. And of course there's one that's even higher end: it's more powerful (shoots balls up to 85 mph, ouch) and adjustable (will delay the shooting to let you get to your side of the net), plus it has a remote control. I have to confess that my family would only spend this much for a very special occasion, like maybe a 250th birthday. But maybe y'all are dividing the gift fifteen ways? Don’t forget the big bucket o' balls.