The NuMetrex Heart Sensing Sports Bra was launched by Textronics in December 2005, and was named 2006 Sports Product of the Year by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. The garment features electronic sensing technology that is actually integrated right into the knit of the fabric, which picks up the heart's electrical pulse and radios it to a wrist watch via a tiny transmitter in the bra. It offers a new level of comfort and convenience for women wishing to monitor their heart rate while they exercise.

Textronics is currently working to expand the NuMetrex clothing collection to include a heart rate sensing shirt for men which will be released to market this fall. Also in development is a larger size heart rate sensing sports bras for women targeted for release in early 2007.

"I screamed and something went off in my head," says Duffy, 37, a pension analyst. "Immediately it was this huge headache, like my head was on fire."

Being the diehard fan that he is, Duffy stayed through overtime to watch the end of the game. By the next morning, though, he knew something was really wrong.

"I was very discombobulated," Duffy says, and he had a lingering headache.

A call to his doctor led to a prompt trip to the emergency room, where he was put through a battery of tests, including a spinal tap, MRI and angiogram.

Blood in the spinal fluid was a tell-tale sign that Duffy had burst a blood vessel in his brain during his outburst at the game. He spent four days in the hospital for observation and additional tests. Then he was discharged with strict doctor's orders. "Going forward, they told me not to scream," he says.

The players ingest the pill, which transmits their body temperature to a handheld device for about 24 hours or so, after which it’s eliminated from the body. All the hardware involved here ain’t cheap — teams fork over $2,500 apiece for a few data recorders, plus an optional $4,000 handheld that serves as a central monitor for all the players. The bright side is it makes that iPaq hx4700 seem like a steal.