Now that the college football season has officially -- and some might say blessedly -- come to an end, Erie's football-loving sports fans turn to the NFL playoffs. But, without a "local" team (meaning Browns, Bills or Steelers) in the hunt, even the playoffs don't offer their usual allure.

Erie Times-News Sports Managing Editor Matt Martin was telling me that his department plans to go to the next-best option: baseball. That's right, major league and minor league baseball in January.

"The thinking," Matt said, "is that the winter caravans of the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates and Erie SeaWolves will meet with local fans during about a 10-day stretch."

As a longtime Indians fan, I've long enjoyed the Tribe's annual visit to Erie in late January. Usually, three or four players will be joined by a coach and one of the team's broadcasters, and they meet fans in an informal setting. The Indians have held court every year since 1987 before large crowds at the Barber National Institute.

The players are friendly and talkative, and most seem eager to talk about baseball with the fans. You couldn't ask for a better "hot stove" arrangement.

Over the past two decades, Indians players such as Joe Carter, Jim Thome, Kenny Lofton, Albert Belle, Charles Nagy, Sandy Alomar Jr., Carlos Baerga, Manny Ramirez, Omar Vizquel, Travis Hafner, C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee and many others have come to Erie.

One year, the folks at the Barber Institute handed out baseball shirts emblazoned with the name of the organization. As luck would have it, the Indians advanced to the World Series the following October, and when Thome peeled off his uniform jersey after the game, he was wearing his Barber shirt. The the name of the center was seen by dozens of sportwriters from across the country.

George Vescey, of the New York Times, asked Thome the significance of the shirt, and the affable first baseman went on at length about the good work "those wonderful folks at the Barber Center do."

The Barber National Institute cares for children and adults who have developmental disabilities.

The next morning, Vescey devoted his entire column to Thome and his annual appearances at the Erie center. That one shirt produced a million dollars worth of publicity for the Barber Institute.

The fans are winners, too, because many are able to talk to the players one-on-one. They can ask for themselves about the use of steroids in the game, or anything else that's on their mind. It's informal, as I say, and players will usually give blunt, direct answers.

Several years ago, when a teenage fan asked why Cleveland re-acquired slugger Juan Gonzalez, one of the coaches replied, "Darned if I know. Juan's been on the juice for years and I doubt that he'll be able to play with the steroids." Gonzalez came to bat exactly one time for Cleveland that season.

The caravans are always interesting, as million-dollar players connect with their fans, face-to-face. The conversation is frank and interesting, and I can't wait for the players to arrive. Matt Martin is right: it's almost as good as having a football team in the playoffs.

-- Kevin Cuneo