Checking in with...KB Sports Gallery:

Southern California sports teams have been doing pretty well lately. And just in time for the Orange County Fair, as far as Kyle Branson is concerned. He owns KB Sports Gallery, which has a booth at the Orange County Fair.

This week we thought we’d check in with him.

If you could own one piece of sports memorabilia, what would it be?

Probably a basketball championship ring.

Which athletes move the most merchandise for you?

Our top four sellers right now are probably Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Nolan Ryan, and Vladimir Guerrero. We would sell even more Kobe memorabilia, but he only signs his cards through a company called Upper Deck, and that makes his memorabilia expensive.

There’s been a lot of fallout in the baseball world because of steroid usage. Has that affected your sales at all?

I haven’t noticed anything — except in the case of Barry Bonds. Right now, you can get his card for about $250. If he didn’t take steroids, it would be worth more like $1,000.

Should steroid usage affect whether a player makes it to the Baseball Hall of Fame?

I think it should. And I think it will delay some players from being inducted, and prevent others.

Who are some of the people you have met through your business?

Magic Johnson, John Wooden, Steve Garvey, James Worthy, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Troy Aikman.

Which player is growing fastest in popularity?

I’d go with LeBron James. His stock’s going up because a lot of the other players have already peaked.