Growing up, I didn't dislike winter as much as I used to. Perhaps I need to bust out the sled more often to get some enjoyment from feet of snow and endless days of sub-freezing temperatures.

But there's another reason I used to like winter as a kid – it meant it was soon time to enjoy the winter tours the Milwaukee Brewers players and coaches used to embark on throughout Wisconsin. Being a Brewers fan growing up, the season would conceivably end by the end of July, though actual play stopped the first week of October. So when the January winter tour started up, it help appease my growing baseball appetite.

For those of you not familiar with a winter tour, it basically consisted of three of four coaches and players visiting various cities throughout Wisconsin, offering free autographs and general baseball discussion. It was meant to drum up ticket sales and fuzzy feelings among the team and fans, which was needed with the Brewers lousy record for years at the time.

One event I remember was a winter tour stop in Appleton, Wis., at the home of the Single A Seattle Mariners farm system (though not related, the place offered a local link to baseball, I guess).

One of the guests there was Fernando Vina, who would later play for the St. Louis Cardinals, among other teams. We struck what I thought at the time was a good conversation with me, as he promised to get me and my friends some tickets in the future.

So the next game we went to, we got there early and scrambled down the dugout. When Vina came out, we shouted, "Hey Vina, the 'Appleton Boys' are here." He gave us one of those knowing nods and was our favorite players before he switched teams.

No, we never got tickets, but it remains a fond memory of ours all these years later. And thus brings me to the point of winter tours – they bond younger fans to teams even more, leading to more tickets sales and more importantly, a fan for life.

The Brewers don't hold winter tours any more, citing some nonsense about not wanting to cart it's multi-million-dollar players around Wisconsin in winter weather. So they hold one event in Milwaukee in January, thus putting their fans at risk on the road instead.

I haven't attended one of these Fan Fests yet, but the images of large crowds, pay-to-get autographs and travel time don't really appeal to me.

And trust me, even with the Brewers recent success (OK, just 2008), I don't think they can afford to ignore the average fan just yet.

Do any other teams continue with the winter tours? Any memories of your own from them?