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.
