Gamertell

Forget about steroids or any other performance-enhancing substances. The way to improve your baseball game is by playing the Nintendo Wii.

San Diego Padres pitcher Heath Bell considered himself to be in pretty good shape, after all, he’s a professional athlete. But when he stepped onto the Wii Fit Balance Board, the game informed him his Mii was obese. Bell told the Wall Street Journal he wasn’t in it to lose weight. Instead, he said, “I wanted to make my character smaller.”

He lost 25 pounds in five months and, as an added bonus, Bell said the game helped improve his balance as well. He’s among the league’s save leaders now and made the first All-Star Game of his three-year career in 2009. Among his favorite activities in Wii Fit are yoga, soccer and the hula hoop, in which he boasts a high score of 311. Bell said he originally bought the game for his kids but found himself sneaking onto it after they went to bed.

Athletes are very quick to pick up on what competitors are doing, so a run on game stores in Major League Baseball cities could be on the way.

Read [Wall Street Journal] via [GamePolitics] Also Read [Gamertell]