I was doing a bit of traveling around the beautiful Wisconsin landscape this past weekend (the fall colors are amazing and it was actually warm, too). As I drove by schools, ball fields and open lots, I noticed the lack of any kids playing outdoors, whether it be throwing a football, hitting baseballs or shooting hoops in the driveway.

When I was growing up, the local baseball field always had people playing on it (even if it was just a dad throwing balls to his son), and now when I visit the town again, the field always seems to be empty. I live close to an elementary school, with plenty of neighborhood kids running around - and yet I rarely find a game being played on the expansive school grounds on the weekends (these fields are filled with soccer players in the summer months).

So if these kids aren't playing sports outside, what are they doing? Homework on a Saturday afternoon? I doubt it. Have video games taken up that much attention of kids? Are they all inside watching Texas take on Oklahoma?

And what does this mean for sports cards and other sports memorabilia? If kids aren't playing sports on a leisurely basis, do they care about them at all? And if they don't care about sports, surely they don't card about collecting sports memorabilia.

So where does that leave the future of the hobby? Is soccer going to be the "hit" thing in years to come because that's what sport seems to be growing the most? I would find that hard to believe, but those fields sure aren't filled with playing baseballs and footballs.

Each week in Sports Collectors Digest, Don Fluckinger - who also serves as the guru behind the massive Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards - offers a "Quick Quiz" in which he picks a player and then lists five different collectibles related to that player.

It's up to the reader to choose which item sold for the most on eBay. It's a fun quiz, and it's fun to see what nets the highest bid versus what you guess. Sometimes it's an autographed game-used jersey. Other times it's a parallel autograph card.

The latest installment asks this question:
 
Name the Johnny Pesky item that nailed the highest bid ($361) on eBay:

1.) 1947 Tip Top Bread card
2.) 2005 Topps Retired Certified Auto
3.) Signed Rawlings Big Stick bat
4.) 1952 Topps, Blank Back
5.) 1952 Topps, PSA 7

Well, what do you think? I'll have the answer for you on Monday. Happy sports watching this weekend.

While I am far too old to be trick or treating, I do enjoy handing out the goods at the door when the witching hour calls. And while I could devote this entire blog to kids lack of costume originality these days (if they dress up at all), I'll refrain.

What I also hand out aside from candy are sports cards to the kids. These are usually single cards (not whole packs), but kids don't seem to mind. I ask them what their favorite sport is and then their favorite player. If I have one, I'll give it to them, or I'll let them sift through and pick their own.

And all kinds of cards are popular. From racing cards to WNBA cards, they are all well received, and not once has someone complained I wasn't offering patch cards or autographed cards.  I do slip some of those in, and then the kids are really happy.

Most of the kids that come to the door are on the younger side (not above age 11), and I think it's great to expose them to the hobby. Now that I have been in the area for a few years, kids now come to the door expecting the cards  and a few (though not many) share what they have opened on their own.

So give this a try this Halloween. It's a lot more fun than tossing a Twix mini candy bar in the bag and off they go. With cards, now we'll have something to talk about when they ride their bikes around the neighborhood while I'm walking the dog.

As a member of a publication that caters to consumers, we get a lot of press releases from many different types of companies – manufacturers, dealers, auction houses, new product outlets and many others (and this doesn't even count the lovely spam e-mail that has infiltrated our system in the past few days).

But what astounds me on a frequent basis is just how poorly written some of these press releases are. I mean sometimes the names of the athletes mentioned aren't even spelled right. Now if you were representing someone or offering products based on a certain athlete's playing days, wouldn't you at least get that right? If something is spelled wrong in an athlete's name in the release, I take that to immediately mean that either this company doesn't know what they are doing and hence not that reputable, or they are way too careless – and that's something that will reflect in their business practices and/or products, as well.

And if you do want your products printed in a magazine, it's usually a good idea to know what the magazine actually publishes first. Tuff Stuff's Sports Collectors Monthly doesn't usually cover sports-themed bath toys or the latest batting tee that will make your youngster the next Albert Pujols. Some days it's almost like telemarketers calling here at work, only its college PR people peddling products.

And lastly, proper punctuation is usually a good thing. Missing commas, run-on sentences and the aforementioned misspelled words jump off the page immediately, again lending to a lack of credibility.

I'm not perfect in my grammar, but at least in everything that I write, I run spell-check and at least make sure I have a proper grasp on the english language. Sadly, most companies don't follow the same guidelines.

Having attended both of the Milwaukee Brewers home playoff games (hey, at least they got two games at home before bowing out), I was struck by the fandom displayed. I'll be honest, I've never been to a baseball game where I never sat down at some point. It was like high school football games all over again.

From the first pitch to the end, I was on my feet. even when the Brewers were down to their last out, down by four runs, the crowd was louder than ever with those inflatable Thundersticks. I though that was pretty cool.

But then there were some spots (like the three home runs hit by the Phillies) when one Phillies fan a few rows back was gong wild - rightly so. It would get quiet after the homers cleared the wall and this guy was the only person making noise in the entire section.

And what could you do? Nothing - heck I'd be doing the same thing (but probably not in Philly, I've heard those fans can get downright nasty). And no one gave him any grief back, which was appropriate.  I've been to far too many games when the home team is getting pelted and decide to turn on the opposing team's fans to vent their frustration. It runs to an ugly scene of gestures and foul language that no one should be subject to, much less the kids in attendance.

The worst, of course, at Miller Park is when the Cubs are in town. Fans go at it worse than the players on the field, and it makes for an uncomfortable atmosphere all the way around.

So I was pleased at the playoff games that Phillies fans didn't rub it in too much, that Brewers fans mostly saved their taunting to "Boos" and that I got to experience something for the first time ever in my Brewers fandom - the playoffs.

Until next time - hopefully not 26 years - I'll hope that fans at Miller Park continue in the same fashion as they did in the playoffs.

We go through a lot of boxes of cards here at Tuff Stuff's Sports Collectors Monthly. Hey, when you prices and picture these items on the Web, in magazines and in books, you have to have the inventory.

The main draws, of course, are rookie cards, autographs, parallels and those thick swatch/patch/memorabilia cards. I really like those patch cards, regardless of their value – great or (more likely) small. I think they are something unique and add to a collection of regular cards.

For instance, in the last few weeks as part of the Bustin' Wax blog (click on the link to the left), we've gotten patch cards featuring pieces of jerseys from Jim Brown, Alan Page, Steve Slaton, Mike Schmidt, Albert Pujols and many, many more. And the quad, six and eight-swatch cards from Upper Deck in the Ballpark Collection were tons of fun to open. How else can you get these pieces of jerseys with out buying one yourself. And I don't care if it's game-worn, event-worn or whatever - I like them.

But do these drawn in collectors? I think they draw in the younger and more novice collectors, but the values of these cards (which isn't all that much in the grand scheme of things) reflects that the big spenders don't bother with these. So what are the serious modern card guys going after? Autos and rookie parallels just don't seem as much fun to me.  

I've been grabbing Robin Yount patch cards here and there over time. Sure, some 1-of-5s have cost a little more, but the average patch card for him is less than $30 at the high end. And I think they look great displayed next to old yearbooks and such.

So if you enjoy patch cards, too, keep visiting the Tuff Stuff forums and this blog - we're giving ours away and I know people will enjoy seeing them. Details to come.

We've opened a lot of boxes of cards the past few weeks, from high-end examples to some more collector-friendly items. Some of the boxes we have opened include:

• Icons Football
• Topps Co-Signers Basketball
• Bowman Sterling Football
• Legends Masterpieces Hockey
• UD Ballpark Collection
• Topps Football
• and more.

So when it comes time for you, the true collectors out there, to pony up for a box of cards - what do you shoot for? I'm looking for sport, high-end vs lower-end and what turns you on to the particular product.

For me, the high-end stuff is always nice to open, but I can't afford to play that game for any length of time. I like the base products that showcase the stars and rookies and can throw me a bone or two with a patch card or auto at least once or twice in the box. I still get a kick out of patch cards, regardless of their value.

We were talking in the office the other day in how affordable patch cards are, and they would make for an attractive display. Perhaps I can expand my Robin Yount collection....

So if you've been paying attention to my ramblings lately, you'll know the Brewers victory on Sunday - coupled with a Mets loss - is the sports highlight of my life. You see, in Wisconsin, there isn't a lot to choose from. I'm not a huge Packers fan, and while I enjoy college hoops, even the Final Four runs of the Wisconsin Badgers and Marquette Golden Eagles don't compare with my devotion to the Crew.

So to be able to sit in the stands on Sunday and watch Ryan Braun's home run fly over the wall and watch Sabathia pitch like a machine (bare-hand grabs of ground balls and all) was the ultimate for me.

Watching the players and fans celebrate on the fields for hours afterward was even better. I don't want to say I'm happy just that they made the playoffs, but it's a great big first step. Now if Ryan Howard can get the flu or something....

Also, don't forget to check out a new feature on the Topps website on Wednesday. In one of their first programs on Topps TV, an initiative by Michael Eisner to make the company more well-rounded, the focus will be on the Sklars brothers and their sports card collecting adventures. It's call Back On Topps.

In the first episode, the Topps brothers discover a card caper in a hair salon, and one of them exclaims, "Sweet mullet of Gaetti!" So, yeah, sports fans will get this more than others, and it should be something fun to watch.

And speaking of Wednesday, the Crew take the field at 3 EST.  
 

In the latest round of exclusive autograph deals, Tony Romo signed with Upper Deck for a memorabilia contract. He joins a long list of athletes who have partnered up with various companies to offer their signatures on items that will only be available through that company.

I have a few thoughts on this. First, if the athlete signs enough that an item will be available to me when I want it, I have no problem with it. However, if I want a Romo signed jersey though UDA (or whomever) and they are not available, then I get perturbed. I know the idea behind these arrangements is not to flood the market, thus keeping values high and the exclusivity as a positive thing. But offering only a handful once or twice a year also defats the purpose of actually getting these in the hands of people.

Also, the prices can get a little extreme. Romo is a good quarterback and all, but paying $370 for an 8x10 signed photo is out of my league. Yes, I know it's a legit autograph in a world that is filled with items of a questionable nature, but that's a little high.

So I invite others' thoughts on this topic. Do you buy from these exclusive deals (how else are you going to get a Tiger Woods signed pieces)? Do you feel the prices make it cost-prohibitive? Do you feel Romo is the new "face" of the NFL?