The autograph fees of these current players has definitely changed my collecting focus. I have pretty much capped my "team" projects with the 1977/78 Yankees, and although I'd love to collect the 1998 Yankees team, there is no way I'm going to pay the prices that some of those guys want.
I also won't collect "potential" hall of famers. With the prices they charge and the flooding of the market, I figure they will actually be cheaper around the time they actually get in the hall.
By the way, I guess I'm in the minority in thinking that Tim McCarver's fee doesn't seem that bad