Who is the man: Pete Rose was at the traditional peak of his career in 1971, coming off yet another above .300 performance and an appearance in the postseason (where he had a rather mediocre NLCS and World Series).
Can ya dig it: I'm just now noticing Rose's habit of crossing the "T" in his first name with the back end of the second "E." I suppose that's pretty normal, but I would cross the "T" before I even wrote the "E." (Yes, I think of things like this).
Right on: The "outfield" designation seems odd to me as someone who was introduced to Rose when he was a third baseman in the mid-1970s. But Rose played the outfield almost exclusively in the late '60s and early '70s.
You see this cat Rose is a bad mother: Two of Rose's most famous on-field baseball plays are bowling over catcher Ray Fosse during the 1970 All-Star Game, and sliding hard into shortstop Bud Harrelson, prompting a bench-clearing brawl in the 1973 NLCS. He was one determined bad-ass on the bases.
Shut your mouth: Rose's nickname "Charlie Hustle" was a derisive slam by the Yankees' Whitey Ford. But Rose turned it into a compliment.
No one understands him but his woman: Rose and his girlfriend, Kiana Kim, are due to be the stars of a reality show featuring their family that's supposed to air on TLC later this year. Oooh, I can't wait.
(A word about the back): " ... scored winning run in '70 All-Star game." Topps makes it sound so exciting.
This, and the Nolan Ryan card from 1975, are the two cards I was the most excited to get in trades as a kid. Conning these cards off unsuspecting classmates was quite the rush. Unfortunately, Pete Rose gambled his way out of baseball and never reached the HOF, making this card far less valuable than it should have been.
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