I saw an interesting tidbit Monday about a new online site, Topps Town, where fans can collect and trade sports cards.

There was nothing that mentioned getting a hard piece of bland gum when you jump on, but you'll have to use code cards that are found in one of every two packs of the new series.

Innocence lost — again.

It's bad enough that cards are no longer what they were intended to be, a piece of cardboard of professional athletes with stats and information you used to trade.

Not anymore. Mint condition has nothing to do with the gum, but how good of shape the card is in.

From about fourth grade to early high school (a span from around 1976 to about 1982), baseball card collecting was still pretty enjoyable, just like baseball.

You actually tried to buy as many packs as you could in trying to get all 600-plus baseball cards, including those special ones with strikeout, wins, home runs, RBI and batting average leaders or team roster and you actually checked off the list all the players you got.

After school or on the way home from playing ball, we'd stop by a small store across the street from our elementary school. Everyone would watch over your shoulder to see which players you got.

"Need him ... need him ... got him ... got him ... got him... need him" was a pretty common dialogue, plus someone chiming in that they'll trade you so and so for that card.

There was always those three or four cards that always seemed to be in every pack. I remember one year Danny Ainge, who would go on to greatness as a Boston Celtic, not as a Toronto Blue Jay, was a common card.

Still, there was something great about that time. Cards were still inexpensive, especially that clear three-pack where you could see the six players on the front and back, which helped if you needed someone on your list.

You got those three times the gum — remember at some point Topps was a gum company that threw cards in just so you'd buy the gum — but a couple of decades ago, the gum became obsolete because it was damaging the cards.

You couldn't have any blemishes on the card or it would hurt the value.

Never mind that it is just cardboard, but those days of card collecting — real card-collecting — are gone.

We had some pretty cool things back then. My brothers and I had every Topps set from 1977 to 1982, plus there's one Donruss set and some stray Fleer cards.

My friend Tom's aunt or grandmother worked at Topps and he was able to get us two full uncut sheets (I guess about more than 100 cards per sheet; it's been awhile). Even though the corners bent and frayed, it was still fantastic to look at.

I don't know if I'd want my son collecting cards when he gets older. The prices have skyrocketed. The fun has diminished. I don't know if you'd be able to take it out of its protective pack, lest you kill its value.

Of course, if you did, maybe then you could put some of those "doubles" you had back on your bicycle spokes.