Jeepers creepers, wear some sunglasses and protect those peepers

Bryce Harper covers his bases with both eyeblack and sunglasses

Ever finish up a mid-day game or a doubleheader to find that you came down with a case of itchy, burning eyeballs?

It means your eyes got sunburned.

It’s true. You can get sunburn on your eyes, and if you spend a moderate amount of time outside in the sun (say, playing baseball) your eyes are susceptible to sun damage. While sunburn goes away, repeated sun damage can cause permanent problems. It can cause retinal damage, cataracts and even blindness.

That means there’s no reason not to protect your eyes, especially when you’re out between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when the sun’s rays are the most direct.

When looking for sunglasses, it’s important to get a pair of shades with 99-100% UV protection. Anything less will actually make it worse — the curve on the lens will intensify the sun’s UV rays going into your eyes.

From there, it comes down to your personal style. We carry everything from simple Oakley M-Frames to MAXX HD sunglasses with MLB team logos on the sides.

Every pair of glasses we carry was chosen because they are fitted and designed for athletic wear, so you can be confident they won’t interfere with your play.

Related: Go for the full-Harper look with Rawlings Eye Black.

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Ready to bring the lumber? Check out Easton’s new 2013 Power Brigade

Building the perfect baseball bat is a complicated science. It’s about more than just responsive barrel walls, stiff handles and speed caps.

It’s about producing the tools that emphasize players’ strengths.

The bat doesn’t make the player, but a good bat can make a good player better. If a power hitter finds a bat with the right balance, he’ll get more pop behind his hits and improve his velocity and distance. Same with a contact hitter — find the right bat to get your stick around the ball, and you’ll have better contact, better power and better hit placement.

That’s why Easton’s 2013 Power Brigade is among the best in the game. Their engineers perfected the art of tailoring bats to hitting styles, allowing players to personalize their power.

The 2013 Power Brigade works like this

Speed Series bats are designed for batters that hit for contact.

The center of mass in the bat is balanced closer to the handle, giving each baseball bat in the series an ultra-light swing weight. That allows hitters to get the most speed possible behind their bats, translating into more power.

The XL Series is built for hitters that can already get plenty of speed behind the ball and could benefit by having a larger barrel.

The barrels in the XL Series are expanded, giving hitters a larger sweet spot and more mass behind the ball. That translates into more power and better contact with every swing.

The details

Once you know which series is best for you, it’s time to choose the bat with the right construction. There’s two-piece composites, hybrids and one-piece alloy bats. If you’re not sure which to choose, we produced an easy guide looking at the pros and cons of each construction.

Each bat is also designed with Easton’s Performance Diamond Grip.

Get one at Baseball Express.

Related: Shop our entire selection of Easton baseball gear.

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Save 15% storewide during our Presidents Day weekend sale!

Presidents Day weekend starts today, and we’re celebrating in style!

Now through Tuesday, you can take 15% off all orders at Baseball Express. There is NO minimum order.

Just use the promo code JSBBSP88 at checkout. Shop now.

Related: Browse our selection of closeout baseball equipment.

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Footwear Friday: A closer look at New Balance’s Men’s 4040 Low Metal Baseball Cleats

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We’ve taken an informal poll around the office at Baseball Express HQ, asking some of our equipment experts the most important thing to keep in mind when buying new cleats.

The unanimous answer: Fit.

Without a good fit, even the most advanced cleats become useless. A poor fit will affect your running mechanics, hampering your performance as your cleats literally hurt you more than help you.

Long-term use of poor fitting cleats will cause more than just calluses and blisters. It can lead to Achilles tendinitis and Plantar fasciitis, both of which will require extensive recovery time. With younger athletes, poor fitting footwear can lead to development problems.

By finding well-fitted cleats, you can keep those problems from ever coming up.

New Balance makes that easy with its new Men’s 4040 Low Metal Baseball Cleats. Our selection of 4040s has the traditional sizes (from 7-16), but it also allows players to choose a size based on their foot width (narrow, medium or wide).

That takes the guesswork out of buying cleats. It means the end of buying a size or two too large in order to accommodate wide feet, or sacrificing toe space in order to get fitting shoes for narrow feet.

Every pair of New Balance 4040s comes with a custom, comfortable fit.

The New Balance 4040s also include a resilient engineered elastomer, designed to provide shock absorption. That makes for a responsive, comfortable ride.

They weigh 13.3 ounces apiece, so there will be no wasted energy on the basepaths and in the field, and most importantly, no injuries caused by your cleats.

They’re available in five different color combinations, including Dustin Pedroia’s camo.

Get a pair for $89.99 at Baseball Express.

Related: Shop our entire selection of New Balance baseball cleats and shoes.