By BRIAN COSTA via Wall Street Journal
 
In their quest to avoid injuries, pitchers have tried everything from wrapping their arms in ice to soaking in whirlpools. They’ve had their pitch counts limited, their innings curtailed and their mechanics dissected.

Now, some of them are experimenting with an improbable source of protection: T-shirts.

Mets pitchers Dillon Gee and Bobby Parnell are among a growing number of major leaguers who are wearing Intelliskin posture correction shirts, at least during off-field workouts. Mets reliever Jon Rauch has also ordered one.

The ultra-tight compression shirts, which are described as a “second skin,” are designed to promote proper spinal alignment, which could help prevent shoulder injuries.

“It’s supposed to keep your shoulders back and keep you from slouching,” Parnell said. “It might be a gimmick, but I think it feels good.”

That players are wearing them at all is partly a reflection of Intelliskin. Last month, leading orthopedic surgeon James Andrews released a study that showed the shirts helped pitchers increase velocity and delay fatigue. In a statement released by the company, Andrews touted the potential of the shirts to help prevent injuries and aid in rehabilitation.

But they also speak to the willingness of baseball players to try just about any new gadget that might somehow enhance their performance or durability.

There is a cottage industry of companies selling specialized equipment and workout gear that send free samples to major-league teams. Players who try their products and like them provide the ultimate endorsement. And even players who don’t like a product can still provide valuable feedback to the company.

“We’re like guinea pigs,” Gee said.

Reliever Tim Byrdak said one company sent the Mets batting gloves with heavily padded fingers. They supposedly offer protection in case the player is hit by a pitch. “Nobody liked them,” he said.

In 2008, when Byrdak was in spring training with the Detroit Tigers, there was a company that sent their pitchers mouthpieces to wear on the mound.

“They did a study that showed if you wear this mouthpiece, the way your jaw is, it takes pressure off your head and allows you to stay more focused on what you’re doing,” he said. “I remember the guys that had it tried to pitch with it and…half the time you’d see them just spit it out on the mound.”

Sometimes, even products that have little actual value catch on. When Gee was in the minors, a trainer handed out hologram bracelets one day. Gee tried it on and has worn one ever since. “I don’t even know what it’s supposed to do,” he said.

Tim Brown, who has a background in sports medicine and designed the Intelliskin shirts, said he started selling them about four years ago. They have been endorsed by athletes ranging from basketball players to surfers. But it was the Andrews study that gave the shirts more credibility in baseball.

“It really kind of quantified what we were telling people and what we had observed,” Brown said. “When our bodies are in good posture, everything works better.”

Now, Brown said pitchers on at least 15 teams are wearing the shirts. A member of the Mets’ training staff handed them out to pitchers during spring training. Some, such as Johan Santana, tried one on but were not enticed to use it. But Parnell said he has been working out in the shirt four or five days a week.

Gee started wearing one last week after reading the Andrews study. He wore it during a bullpen session, but said it was uncomfortably tight. He is still intrigued by the potential benefits of the shirt, though, and plans to keep wearing it during workouts.

“All of this stuff to me is mental,” Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen said. “If somebody thinks that magnetic bracelet works, then it’s wonderful. If this T-shirt makes you feel better or gives them that added bit of confidence, then yes, it works.”

Link to article: ‘Second Skin’ Grows on Mets

The 2012 NBA Summer League will take place July 13-22 in Las Vegas at UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavillion. This will mark the 7th season of competition for the league which showcases the top rookies, free agents and select roster players.

The NBA lockout prohibited the Summer League from occurring last year, adding much anticipation to this years event!

For the past seven years HallPass Media in conjunction with VSL Properties has been involved in all aspects of the league including operations, TV, sponsorship sales, online development, partnership activation, staffing, and hospitality during the event.

Join the conversation and stay updated on all Summer League event news:

NBA Summer League Facebook Page
NBA Summer League Twitter Page
NBA Summer League Youtube Page

Press Release Enclosed

–2012 EVENT WILL BE PLAYED AT COX PAVILION AND THOMAS & MACK CENTER–

NEW  YORK, April 10, 2012 – NBA Summer League returns to action this summer July  13-22  at the Thomas & Mack Center and the COX Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Launched  in  2004  as  the  Las  Vegas  Summer League, the inaugural event featured  six  NBA  teams  (Boston  Celtics,  Cleveland Cavaliers,  Denver Nuggets,  Orlando  Magic,  Phoenix  Suns  and Washington Wizards) playing a 13-game  slate. The NBA joined forces with the original event organizers in 2007,  and  the  summer  showcase  has  expanded  exponentially  since  its inception.

During  the  most  recent  competition  in 2010, 22 NBA teams, including 11 playoff  teams,  competed in a 58-game schedule that featured 10 of the top 14  picks  in the 2010 NBA Draft.  Fans that weren’t able to experience the action in person were able to tune into NBA TV or log on to NBA.com and see every  play,  including  Jeremy  Lin’s  breakout performance for the Dallas Mavericks. Matched up against John Wall and the Washington Wizards on July 15,  2010,  Lin  scored  11  of  his 13 points in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks  mounted  a  furious  comeback  after  trailing  from the opening buzzer, to come within six points of victory, before falling, 88-82.

Landry  Fields,  Lin’s  current  backcourt  mate  with the New York Knicks, arrived in Las Vegas two summers ago as an unheralded second-round pick (39th  overall)  in  the  2010  NBA Draft. In five games, Fields averaged 15.6 points  and  4.8  rebounds,  then went on to earn NBA All-Rookie First Team honors, appearing in all 82 games (81 starts) for the Knicks, averaging 9.7
points and 6.4 rebounds.

Exciting  games featuring the NBA’s newest talent have always been a staple at  NBA  Summer  League.  Five of the last six NBA Rookie of the Year award winners  have  joined  their  teams in Las Vegas including: Chris Paul (New Orleans  Hornets,  2005-06), Brandon Roy (Portland Trail Blazers, 2006-07), Kevin  Durant  (Oklahoma City, 2007-08), Tyreke Evans (Sacramento, 2009-10)
and Blake Griffin (L.A. Clippers, 2010-11).

Other  league  highlights include the participation of the Chinese National team  in  2007, which marked the first international team to participate in the  league  and  the NBA Development League Select team’s participation in 2009 and 2010 events.

Tickets  for  the 2012 NBA Summer League will go on sale June 1, at 10 a.m. PDT.   Fans will be able to purchase tickets for the Strip’s hottest summer event  by  calling 702-739-FANS, through UNLVtickets.com or by visiting any UNLV ticket outlet.

A  complete schedule of games and broadcast information will be released at a later date.

IntelliSkin PostureCue™ Apparel was featured on the Today Show this morning! Bobbie’s Buzz offered a closer look at the IntelliSkin’s Sports Bra and posture shirts for men. Check out Bobbie Thomas’ blog post and the clip from this morning’s show below.

Read Bobbie’s post on the Today Show Page: Stand taller with feel-good fashion

Shop Now 

Also featured in the Chicago Tribune

]]> http://www.hallpassnetwork.com/2012/04/hallpass-client-intelliskin-featured-on-the-today-show/feed/ 0 http://www.hallpassnetwork.com/2012/03/lakers-coach-mike-brown-and-pau-gasol-visit-st-jude-hospital/ http://www.hallpassnetwork.com/2012/03/lakers-coach-mike-brown-and-pau-gasol-visit-st-jude-hospital/#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:45:01 +0000 admin http://www.hallpassnetwork.com/?p=4039

Mike Brown, Pau Gasol visit children in hospital

Via Kevin Ding OCRegister.com

After the Lakers’ team plane landed in Memphis on Monday, Coach Mike Brown and forward Pau Gasol headed over to spend some time with the patients and their families at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The visit was just the latest of many for Gasol, who frequently stopped by the hospital as far back as his rookie NBA season in 2001-02 with the Grizzlies. It was just another example of Gasol forging on through rumors and embracing reality with the NBA trade deadline nearing Thursday, and that is the theme of my latest column about Gasol’s season.

The event served as a prelude to Hoops for St. Jude week March 26-30, when NBA players will raise funds for the hospital where no child is denied treatment based on the family’s inability to pay. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall.

One of the highlights of the event was when the children asked Brown and Gasol why Ron Artest changed his name to Metta World Peace. Brown wound up whipping out his cell phone, calling World Peace and letting a patient named KeShaun ask him the question directly — and get the answer that World Peace wanted a name that was more inspiring to people.

View a video of Coach Brown and Gasol at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital : here

Learn more at www.hoopsforstjude.org

HallPass Media handles all brand consulting and digital media responsibilities for IntelliSkin, an innovative line of performance and posture apparel.

BASEBALL PITCHERS WEARING INTELLISKIN SHIRTS IMPROVED PITCH SPEED; DECREASED PAIN, DISCOMFORT AND PERCEIVED EXERTION

Los Angeles, CA (March 7, 2012) –IntelliSkin, a performance enhancing apparel brand, has received overwhelmingly positive study results from renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, it was announced today by Dr. Tim Brown, IntelliSkin creator.

Dr. Andrews is internationally recognized for his skills as an orthopaedic surgeon as well as his scientific and clinical research contributions in knee, shoulder and elbow injury prevention and treatment. He is particularly well known as the orthopaedic surgeon for high profile athletes in all major sports leagues and for his Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

“This was a landmark and well controlled research study with baseball pitchers and the IntelliSkin shirt,” said Dr. James Andrews. “The increase in throwing velocity was an important finding, but even more important was the shirts ability to delay fatigue as the pitch count increased. This product has great potential not only for use as an injury prevention device with overhead athletes, but also for accelerating the rehab process following injury or surgery.”

Dr. Andrews and his team performed a study titled ‘Performance and Fatigue in Baseball Pitchers Using the IntelliSkin Compression Shirt,’ which followed the performance of male baseball pitchers between the ages of 15 and 25, who practiced while wearing the IntelliSkin Foundation shirt. During the testing sessions, pitching performance improved significantly, when wearing the IntelliSkin shirts. Pitchers consistently threw faster and felt less fatigued. Additionally, arm and shoulder pain was significantly reduced while throwing.

The average pitch speed while wearing the IntelliSkin shirts increased by more than one mile per hour for the subjects, an important difference for pitchers seeking even the slightest edge among their peers. This result included increases in pitch speed for a series of pitch counts, up to 60 pitches. Back, neck and elbow pain, which is highly prevalent in pitchers at all levels, decreased for the majority of players while wearing the shirt, even as pitch counts increased. After wearing IntelliSkin, some players felt the shirt ‘kept the heat in,’ and others didn’t experience the usual soreness after pitching sessions.

“I have respected the work of Dr. Andrews for a long time, so this is a tremendous endorsement by one of the leading experts in our field,” said IntelliSkin creator, Dr. Tim Brown. “These objective results continue to support other successful studies we have conducted across a number of sports, and we’re thrilled to continue the positive momentum throughout 2012.” Previous studies have proven that the IntelliSkin shirt improves both posture and alignment.

Miami Marlins ace pitcher Josh Johnson, recently wore the IntelliSkin Foundation shirt during his recovery from a shoulder injury and credits the IntelliSkin shirt for aiding a successful rehabilitation. “During my rehabilitation after surgery and now as part of my daily training, the IntelliSkin shirt helps me with Tall Man Syndrome and improves my posture. The shirt keeps things more aligned and my shoulder in the right spot,” Johnson stated.

Marlins infielder and IntelliSkin ambassador, Greg Dobbs also recently worked with Dr. Brown and the IntelliSkin team during his successful rehab from a back injury, which helped him make the Marlins starting squad in 2011. In addition to the Miami Marlins and Houston Astros, there are currently 10 MLB teams who are utilizing the IntelliSkin for their athletes, trainers, and staff.

IntelliSkin shirts are worn by some of the biggest names in sports and fitness, including 11-time ASP world champion surfer, Kelly Slater; PGA champion Mike Weir; Champions Tour pro John Cook, and Peter Park, Lance Armstrong’s personal trainer. Other brand ambassadors include Olympic Volleyball Gold Medalists Phil Dalhausser and Misty May-Treanor, both on track to compete in the 2012 London Games. In addition, Dr. Brown has treated musicians such as Glenn Frey from the Eagles, and former Guns n’ Roses guitarist Duff McKagan for posture improvement from years of ‘guitar back.’

IntelliSkin products help reduce the likelihood of neck, back or shoulder pain, by supporting proper spinal alignment. Minimize the risk of injury associated with poor posture, stimulate and tone muscles, and improve respiration and oxygen flow to the brain and muscles by wearing IntelliSkin.

For additional information about IntelliSkin and Dr. Tim Brown, please visit www.intelliskin.net or the IntelliSkin Facebook Page

About IntelliSkin

IntelliSkin is a revolutionary performance enhancing apparel brand designed by renowned sports physician, Dr. Tim Brown, to improve the way you look, feel, perform and live. Featuring a unique design that impacts key areas of the spine and shoulders, IntelliSkin conforms to the individual’s back as a second skin and gradually reshapes these areas for improved posture. The product line was developed through Dr. Brown’s extensive sports medicine work with volleyball players, surfers and other elite athletes, but is tailored for everyday individuals looking to improve their overall well-being.

World-class athletes along with respected trainers and physicians, have utilized IntelliSkin in their training, recovery and treatment programs and spoken on behalf of the brand’s benefits. For more information, visit www.intelliskin.net

Media Contacts:

Courtney Merfeld
CMPR
310.426.9900
courtney@cmpr.net

John Swidzinski
CMPR
310.426.9900
john@cmpr.net