KEN KARRSON: Bringing you some news that barely is

Whoever first uttered the "no news is good news" phrase obviously wasn't employed by a media company.

To those of us who are, such an occurrence is the worst possible news. Of course, many informational outlets seem to thrive on presenting bad news as lead-story material, which would create quite the dichotomy.

The number of news sources available to consumers today is myriad, and the need to satiate all those readers, viewers or listeners can be taxing on the providers. Often, that means relaxing the requirements for what constitutes actual news or, at the very least, seeking out the unusual as a time or space filler.

In an attempt to show a full scope of hobby happenings, I offer some of the following items:

* Getting squirrelly: According to a brief article on the Cardboard Connection website, the most popular 2012 baseball card at the moment is one featuring not a Cub or Tiger, but a rodent.

The Rally Squirrel, which became an unofficial mascot of the St. Louis Cardinals last fall during their National League divisional series against Philadelphia, is included in Topps' newest set and -- pardon the pun -- some collectors are going nuts over him.

Three copies of the Rally Squirrel card were recently up for auction on eBay, and one of them commanded more than 30 bids in a few hours and was selling for more than $600. That's certainly not peanuts.

* Steal of the day: From Sports Collectors Daily comes the sad tale of a 62-year-old Ohio man whose trusting nature cost him plenty.

This gentleman's car trunk was packed with more than $6,000 worth of cards, jerseys and autographs, which he had transported from a show in Cleveland. For some unknown reason, he left the trunk open while walking his dog.

Maybe he figured everything was safe because it was mid-afternoon, but all that meant was his stuff was easier for a bad guy to see. The man's wife told police she saw someone walk up the driveway and enter the garage, but then "lost track of the man."

A police dog was unable to pick up any scent, so the investigation continues. Maybe the Rally Squirrel would have helped.

* Some boys (and girls) named Sioux: Although not really a memorabilia-related story, this entry was too bizarre to ignore. When the NCAA first directed 18 schools that bore American Indian-inspired nicknames to change their monikers and logos, the University of North Dakota dragged its feet.

While it has finally dropped the Fighting Sioux nickname, university officials said a new one won't be adopted until January 2015. Supporters of the old tag aren't going away quietly, however -- as reported on thestar.com, Fighting Sioux fans believe they can collect enough signatures to force a statewide referendum on whether or not the former nickname should be brought back.

Glad to see the folks in North Dakota have their political priorities in order.

This column is solely the writer's opinion. Reach him at kenneth.karrson@nwi.com.