Long, lazy summer afternoons. Screaming fans. Hot dogs. Souvenirs. The thrill of victory (or the agony of defeat). What does it all mean?

Baseball season is back in swing!

My love for baseball started with my dad. He started collecting baseball cards when he was a kid and never stopped. We used to sort through them at the kitchen table and Dad would quiz me on the player's and their team's stats. It was how we killed time between the World Series and Spring Training.

I passed on the tradition, not just to my kids, but to my siblings' kids. While my kids can be persuaded to participate, my youngest nephew took to baseball like a fish takes to water. I started taking him to games a couple of years ago and this year I helped him start his own trading card collection with a set of signed, unsearched Major League Baseball cards. The set was full of surprises and we had a great time sorting through them. And when it comes to memorizing the players' stats, well, he's almost as good as I was at his age.

As much as I enjoy collecting, the best thing about baseball is sitting in the stands on a warm summer day, smelling roasted peanuts and hot dogs, and hearing those famous first words: "Play Ball!"