Joseph Queri, Jr., the VP of real estate for Dick’s Sporting Goods from 1999 to 2005 who plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering in Feb. 2011, was sentenced to 41 months in prison yesterday in Utica, NY.

The Eager Beavertons made their latest technical innovation available today for consumer pre-orders, ahead of a Feb. 22 availability date, following a splashy media launch for the product in New York.

The three were among the most socially connected outdoor brands in 2011 as tabulated by Outdoor magazine. The North Face (1,497,218) had the most Facebook fans, Life is Good (69,887) had the most Twitter followers and Patagonia (more than 4.2 million channel views) was the most viewed on YouTube.

The trade group National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) points to the steadily rising number of federal background checks over the last decade as a sign of health for the $4 billion firearms and ammunition industry that has a $28 billion annual impact on the U.S. economy.

Through Nov. 30, U.S. golf apparel dollar sales were 9.1% higher than they were during the same 2010 period with on-course dollar volume up 8.0% and off-course sales increasing 12.9%.

Sun Capital-controlled Watts did not return calls seeking comment about the apparent abandoned store-within-a-store merchandising strategy for golf specialists.

The publication highlights 23 shoes in its 2012 Spring Shoe Guide in its March issue, awarding five models after rigorous testing. The issue is slated to hit newsstands on Jan. 31.

The national co-operative is one of only five companies to appear on the annual list every year since its 1998 inception by Fortune magazine.

The Indianapolis retailer will be active in its hometown during Super Bowl week (Jan. 27-Feb. 5) as the Circle City hosts Super Bowl XLVI.

The founder of the water bottle that opens at both ends, David Mayer, and former NBA star and bicyclist Bill Walton, who supports the new product, will appear on the season premiere of ABC’s “Shark Tank” tomorrow night.