Back in the late 1980s, I collected baseball cards just like millions of other kids. That’s around the same time that popularity of baseball card collecting skyrocketed and the producers of cards—and Major League Baseball—ruined the hobby, never to recover.

Taking advantage of collector—and even investor—interest, the companies tried to make as much money as possible and increased supply to meet demand. By the early 1990s, there were too many brands of baseball cards producing too many variations and too many prints of each. Card collecting became a chore rather than a fun and exciting exciting. (Plus, like millions of other kids, I was simply getting older and less interested.) Looking to make money on baseball card appreciation, fewer cards were handled and more cards were kept in pristine condition, ensuring that no cards would ever be “rare” in top condition.

Recent;y, I had heard that Major League Baseball finally realized that they had helped ruin the card collecting hobby (with additional help from the public distaste with the sport for a time). They recently cut back the number of baseball card producers to just Topps and Upper Deck. Perhaps, due to limiting the production of baseball cards and the resurgence of the sport, card collecting and trading would become popular again.

As I tried to complete team sets of Mets cards for myself and my girlfriend, not for investment but just because we’re fans of the team, I discovered that not much has changed. It’s true that there are only two companies producing baseball cards, but there are so many variations and sets that keeping track of everything would still be a chore. For example, Topps sells factory-sealed sets for each team. The team sets contain only about 15 cards, but these cards are slightly different from the cards you would find if you looked through the traditional random baseball card packs sold in delis and convenience stores looking for the cards you want.

Here is what it would take the be a true collector presently. If you’re an enthusiast looking to complete just a 2008 collection for one team, not only do you need all the cards from Series 1 and Series 2 featuring players from that team, but you’d need a second 55-card “special edition” team set that includes cards for the managers, coaches, and mascot. You would also need cards from the “Opening Day” series, the “Chrome” series, the “Co-signers” series, the “Finest” series, the “Milestones” series, and the “Heritage” series. Don’t forget that Topps also owns the Bowman brand, so you would need to find the “Bowman” series as well.

Even for kids who spend their parents’ money with reckless abandon, it’s simply too expensive to properly be a child interested in being successful at collecting cards in the traditional manner. You might as well just give up now. I certainly understand why millions of kids have left card trading and collecting behind.

Here’s how to make card collecting popular (and perhaps even profitable) again. Lower the price of baseball cards. Reduce the number of cards in a complete set to fewer than 1,000 for the year. Don’t print as many. Keep investors away. Convince kids that the cards should be traded, handled, and even abused, not placed in pristine holders to be kept in mint condition forever.

Almost always, exorbitant salaries come with serious responsibilities and high levels of stress. It’s important for your psyche to be able to take a moment a blow off steam.

On Saturday, I was at Shea Stadium to watch interleague baseball between The New York Mets and The Texas Rangers. I purchased tickets a few months ago for this game and six others as part of a seven-game package honoring the last season of play at Shea Stadium.

The weather was horrible but we headed to the stadium, anyway. Thunderstorms and rain persisted, and an hour and a half after the game was scheduled to start, the team finally announced that the game would be postponed and our tickets would need to be exchanged for any other game this season. By the time the game was called, the players on the Mets were likely long gone, back to their clubhouse or perhaps on their way home for the night.

The Rangers however had a chance to blow off some steam. With the tarp covering the baseball infield, a few decided that the pouring rain created the perfect opportunity for a little “Slip ‘N Slide.” I never thought I’d ever hear so many Mets fans chanting, “Let’s go Rangers!”

Here’s what it looked like.

Don’t forget that despite your contracts worth millions, you are still kids, no matter what your age. Act like it once in a while.

Yesterday, I received five USB flash drives containing the TaxCut software, and I intend on giving each one of these away to Consumerism Commentary readers. Last year, I didn’t receive these flash drives until April 11, a little too late for tax filing purposes. Also, last year’s drives were only 256 MB. The drives I received yesterday have four times the capacity. Even if you’ve already filed your taxes or are using other software, you can still win one of these 1 GB flash drives and erase the data. You can then put music, photos, or any other kinds of computer files on these USB drives.

I’ve never used TaxCut before, so I can’t vouch for the software’s quality. Over the last few years I’ve been using TaxAct, and before that, TurboTaxOnline. TaxCut is a popular product, and I’d suggest reading the CNET Review for pros and cons.

If you’re interested in being selected to win a USB flash drive containing TaxCut Premium Federal + State + e-file, leave a comment below on this post. The comment could be an interesting anecdote about your own tax situation or someone else’s, it could be a joke, or it could be anything else. There are two catches. I’ll only send a drive to a United States address, and you’ll need to include a real email address so I can contact you if you win.

This probably goes without saying, but we’ll only take one submission per person and IP address.

If you don’t own a notebook computer but you still want to write term papers or browse the web from Starbucks, apparently the staff doesn’t mind. Recently, one Starbucks location in New York City was invaded by a few individuals who brought old Windows PCs, monitors included, to do some “work” and film the event for posterity.

It was the latest mission from Improv Everywhere, a group of undercover “agents” who create “scenes of chaos and joy everywhere” (but mainly in New York).

Some Starbucks customers believed these were public computers and stood behind the “agents” waiting for their turn to use the machines.

The Starbucks staff never gave us any trouble at all. In fact, it didn’t seem like it occurred to them that the three computer users might have known each other. One employee walked by me and laughed. I asked him what was going on and he pointed at the three computer users and declared, “They mean BUSINESS…” The manager told me that it must be “midterms” and that they were probably students from FIT, a college across the street… he didn’t put together that we were all part of a prank.

The Improv Everywhere report includes photos and videos of the “mission.”

Mobile Desktop [Improv Everywhere]

I have sent an email to five winners of Quicken Premier 2008, provided to me for giving away to Consumerism Commentary readers by Intuit. If you entered the contest, check your email to see if you are a winner. Were you selected? If so, be sure to respond to the email by 8:00 PM Eastern time on Thursday, September 20. If I don’t hear back from those selected first, I will pick new winners.

I’m giving away all five copies of Quicken Premier 2008 to commenters who respond to this post, and I’ll be choosing the winners in a little over 24 hours. Click on that link and leave a comment at the bottom of the page in order to be considered in the drawing.

Once in a while, my friends get together to play Texas Hold ‘Em. It’s not the typical poker situation that you might see in movies. There are no smoke-filled rooms, not a lot of alcohol, and the buy-in for tournament-style play is only $5. Due to some luck, because I certainly don’t have the fine-honed skills, I walked away with $35.

I’ll be using my winnings to pick up a Wii game for my girlfriend who is having a difficult time with her under-performing fourth-graders this year.

School’s back in session, work’s ramping up again, and it’s almost time to let go of summer and fully embrace fall. But that shouldn’t mean your romantic life falls by the wayside. From what I’m seeing in the weather reports, it’s supposed to be a nice warm weekend across the U.S., the perfect opportunity to get outdoors and have a really memorable, fantastic date to carry you through the colder months.

The best part? All of these ideas can be done for $30 or less, proving that frugal can still be fun.

1. Private Wine and Cheese Bicycle Tour

If you don’t already have bicycles, chances are there’s a friend or family member not using theirs this weekend who’s willing to let you borrow. You can get a nice bottle of wine for under $10, a crusty loaf of bread for under $5, and cheese, grapes, and perhaps even some olives for the remaining $15. Pack it all up in a backpack with a corkscrew, a knife and some plastic glasses, and you’ve got all the makings of a fantastic day out.

Find a nice, quiet place to cycle—a local park, a scenic area, or even an official bike path. I suggest avoiding cycling near traffic because of the noise factor. You can look up routes near you at your preferred level of challenge at Bikely.com or just use your favorite search engine. As long as there’s a nice place to stop and enjoy your feast, you’re all set. You may want to pack a light blanket to relax on.

2. Canoe for Two

A quick Google search shows a bevy of rental outlets across the U.S. who will rent a canoe or even sometimes a 1 or 2-person kayak starting as low as $8 an hour:

• Canoe on the Red Cedar River on the MSU campus in MI for $8 an hour
• Canoe in Princeton, NJ for $13 (first hour), $6 each additional hour
• Canoe in Boston on the Charles River for $15 an hour
• Canoe in Rochester, NY for $16 an hour.
• Canoe in Newport Beach, CA or Collinsville, CT for $20 an hour
• Canoe in Machias, ME for $20 a day

• Canoe a state park in VA for $20 a trip

  Pack some sandwiches and fruit in waterproof bags for lunch and you can make a day of it, even if you only spend an hour on the water. There’s lots of opportunity to relax and take in the scenery for free. Make it a double or triple date and you may even qualify for a group discount!

  3. The Secluded Beach Getaway

  Coastal beach getaways can be prohibitively pricey, but there’s a frugal and possibly more romantic alternative: the lake or recreational/state park “beach”. One such area I’ve personally been to is Penn State Forest in the famous New Jersey Pine Barrens. There’s no entrance fee whatsoever, so for the price of gas and lunch, locals can find a haven in the wilderness with a sandy beach area, picnic tables and the clear, blue swimmable waters of Lake Oswego. You can even get your fill of free wild blueberries, when in season. Bring some chairs or a blanket and swim and sun till dark without fear of a parking ticket.

  Spruce Run is another of my NJ favorites—for a $10 entrance fee per car, you can hang out on the beach and watch the colorful sailboats go by, cook out on the provided charcoal grills, or take a dip in the reservoir.

  There are lots of public lakes and reservoirs across the country with such amenities, usually for an entrance fee of $10 or less. Here’s a great list of day-use parks in Oregon, most of which are free to enter. Google “state parks” or “reservoirs” in your state and you’re likely to find at least a few special retreats. Share your favorites in the comments—I’d love to discover some more great spots.

  4. Hammock Time

  So you’re not really up for cycling or paddling, but still want to enjoy the great outdoors with your date? Find a hammock (or borrow someone else’s) and create your own retreat for two.

  Dick’s Sporting Goods has a nice 2-person hammock for $29, and OpenTip has one for even less, though you may have luck at your local Wal-Mart or even a yard sale. All you need is some music, lemonade and a relaxed attitude.

  5. Pick-Your-Own Date

  Apples are just coming into season where I live, but there’s still a wide choice of fruits and vegetables ripe for the picking. For $30 or less, you can get a nice harvest, plus end up with food for the week. PickYourOwn.org offers a terrific state-by-state listing of farms and their seasonal bounties.

  After strolling through the fields, head home and have a little Iron Chef-style dinner for two, seeing what kinds of creative dishes you and your date can create with your newly-acquired produce. You might work together on your creations or choose to enjoy a little friendly competition. Who knows—maybe you’ll even invent a great eggplant dessert.