Why baseball cards?

Today my beautiful wife made a great post on her blog about why she loves wrapping paper and presenting a perfectly wrapped gift. That got my thinking about why it is that I enjoy baseball cards. Like many people, my fascination with baseball cards began as a child. I remember playing Little League, rooting for the Pirates, playing catch with my dad and comparing/trading cards with my brother. Back then we used to collect Ken Griffey Jr. cards. I'll never forget how awesome it was to snag a 1989 Upper Deck Griffey Jr. rookie card. Also a 1989 Donruss Jr. Rookie! I also looked for Pirates cards - Andy Van Slyke, Jay Bell, Bobby Bonilla, R.J. Reynolds, Mike "Spanky" LaValliere, Barry Bonds, Chico Lind, Doug Drabek and he who must not be named - the evil, stinking Sid Bream. Anyway, I collected cards all through my younger years and then I forgot about it for a long time. Two or three years ago, I discovered a new Topps set called Turkey Red. I took one look at a box of those cards and had to have them. Since then I've slowly gotten back into collecting and have rediscovered the joy of baseball cards. What's your story? Anyone?