There are precious few things technology hasn't changed, improved or ruined. It started with television eventually evolving to video games, computers and the Internet. Detractors point to them as a probable source of inactivity and lethargy. Of course, I'm not one to speak. If I had to revert back to a typewriter, I'd be on a suicide watch within a week.

One thing to endure virtually untouched while remaining universally popular (at least in the United States) is baseball. Throughout the country, major league baseball games can unite divisive communities like nothing else. And, on weekends, kids traditionally obsessed with video screens can be found on countless ball fields.

America's fixation with baseball is reflected in our passion to collect its memorabilia. We covet everything from player autographs to baseball cards. So, too, with postage stamps saluting the sport. Over the years, baseball-related stamps have not only virtually sold out but also dramatically increased in value. More about that in a moment.

Last week, the newest (and arguably oldest) baseball stamp went on sale. It features a circa-1880 "trade card" image of a player in a vintage uniform with the playing field in the background. On the 42-cent stamp are the words, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." The image ideally reflects the game when it was in its infancy.

Technically, the stamp isn't honoring the game but the song. This year is the 100th anniversary of the song "Take Me Out To The Ballgame." That may seem insignificant until you consider that more people know the lyrics to that than "The Star Spangled Banner."

The song was created on a New York City train in 1908, when singer/songwriter Jack Norworth spotted a sign about a game to be played at the Polo Grounds. He had never attended a major-league ball game but penned words about a fictional lady fan called Katie Casey. It went, "Katie was baseball mad, and when asked by her beau to a show, this was her reply, Take me out to the ball game / Take me out with the crowd …"

The rest is history. The original, handwritten lyrics are in the collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, N.Y. What would that sell for at auction? The value is understandably incalculable.

So, what chance might this new stamp have to increase in value? There's no guarantee, but other baseball-related stamps have soared. The 20-cent Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth stamps of the 1980s have a value 300 percent higher than others issued at the same time. Full sheets of some baseball-related stamps sell for well over $100. Dealers have attributed of that to companies buying the stamps for inclusion in framed collector editions. So, will this stamp skyrocket as well? That's history that's yet to come.

The new stamp is currently on sale at post offices nationwide. Special First Day of Issue cancels can be obtained by affixing the stamp to a self-addressed envelope and sending that inside of a separate mailing envelope to: Take Me Out to the Ball Game Stamp, Postmaster, Special Cancel, P.O. Box 92282, Washington, D.C. 20090-2282.

The envelopes will be returned through regular mail. There's no charge for the postmark, but all orders MUST be postmarked by Sept. 16, 2008.

Editor's Note: A JPEG visual of the new "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" stamp has been sent with this column.

To find out more about Peter Rexford and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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