Kickstart: Who needs a Peloton?

Let's ignore that ad for a Peloton smart bike for the moment. The whole thought behind the smart bike is exercise equipment that connects you virtually to spin classes, which is a lot better than mindlessly spinning on an exercise bike in your basement.

But there are alternatives. Personally, I have a setup that works similar to a Peloton, but uses my own bike, along with a subscription to a library of videos named things like "Do As You're Told" or "Hell Hath No Fury" rather than an energetic leader in a distant location.

Now Fisher Price has something for the toddler set, and priced thousands of dollars less than a Peloton. The interactive, blue tooth enabled plastic and steel Think & Learn Smart Cycle (retail price $124) focuses on games more suited for the tricycle set, such as finding letters and numbers while cycling past dinosaurs.

As D.C. Rainmaker notes in his in-depth review, which mimics the full-length reviews he does on all smart bikes and trainers — but this time features his own daughters' reactions: "For comparison, Wahoo merely has an Android and iOS app that simply records your power output. Or, Fisher Price says: 'Aww, How cute — your app records numbers! Our app teaches you numbers across half a dozen platforms with graphics that somehow rival Zwift.'"

But maybe bicycling isn't your thing, and you're already dreaming of opening day of Major League Baseball, which is far, far, far away from midwinter.

Well chances are, your local ballpark is spending part of the off season investing in new plastic protective systems for visitors.

Kevin Kleps, a reporter at sister publication Crain's Cleveland Business writes that Commissioner Rob Manfred told CNBC on Dec. 11 that all 30 major league team will have expanded netting in place prior to the 2020 season.

Those investments come as netting supplier Sportsfield Specialties Inc., whose Ultra Cross netting is made with ultra-high weight polyethylene fiber, is spending $8 million to expand manufacturing at its Delhi, N.Y. The 60,000-square-foot maufacturing plant will "optimize" production of high growth products incuding netting.

Decisions by legislators in Washington and voters in the United Kingdom last week may signal resolutions to long trade discussions.

First, on Dec. 10, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives reported that they and President Donald Trump's administration have reached agreements on the replacement for NAFTA, the United States, Mexico and Canada trade agreement.

On Dec. 12, voters in the U.K. delivered majority control of Parliament to the Conservative Party, which should clear the way for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to complete the U.K.'s exit from the European Union.

But on the flip side, while the U.S. and China highlighted agreements on Dec. 13 that would halt planned expansions of tariffs on Dec. 15, talks are ongoing on a number of other trade issues between the two countries. Levies on China-made molds that were suspended a year ago still may come back. Mold makers and mold buyers alike are lobbying the issue.