Having finished my baseball themed rec-room in all its sporting glory, I tapped a keg and waited for my buddies to stop by for an inaugural test run of the facilities. I thought of everything: big screen, comfortable lounge chairs, fully stocked wet bar, popcorn machine, baseball themed dartboard, and pool table. And here's the rub, everything had a baseball theme, except the pool table.

Luckily, one of my stadium buddies gave me a home run of a gift, the MLB Rival Billiard Set. It's simple, really, two sets of balls with no numbers, no stripes, just the color and logo of two Major League Baseball teams. After a night of just two teams, you know we had to go and order a few more. Now when we watch the game, we can play pool with the same teams!

Sure it may seem strange to play pool with baseball themed balls, but there's nothing better than beating your opponent when your team wins at the same time. Are we baseball geeks? Yes we are and proud of it. Do I smell peanuts?

They were a sad looking lot. The field was worn, players were not as agile as they were in their youth, and it was obvious to anyone who cast a pitiful look upon the once-impressive arena that the time for change had come. So with a heavy heart, I sold my battle-weary foosball table at a garage sale. It was then I started searching for a new team, one with fresh players, a newly painted playing surface and lust for fast-paced action.

I traveled the world via the Internet looking for the perfect replacement that would once again rally my friends and bring screams of enjoyment to my basement. And then, there it was, the Chexx Bubble Hockey Table. No, it was not foosball, but the classic style of hockey we used to play as kids on the cheap tabletop model, crafted in all its adult sized glory. Friends were stunned. Miniature hockey pucks awaited the almighty slapshot while an overhead score box beckoned legendary battles on faux ice. And so in tribute to our fallen comrade that was my foosball table, we embraced our new game and paid homage with hours of quick paced, hard-hitting table hockey. That night we welcomed sleep as champions, with victory in our hearts and the lingering battle scars of slight wrist fatigue reminding us we were heroes.