Why this card is awesome: Because it's pretty sweet that they gave Rose card #475, one of the 31 best numbers in the set. (Of course, they also gave Glenn Hubbard one of them.) It's not often you see a manager on such a nice card number.
Cool stat: Since 1956, Rose has the 3rd-most games with at least 3 hits and 3 runs scored. Amazingly, #1 is A-rod, who presumably will add a bunch to his total before he retires.
Pete Rose and the Hall of Fame...hmmm. We could have a pretty long discussion about that one, I think. The only thing I'll say is this: he clearly belongs in the HOF based on his on-field accomplishments, and clearly belongs out of the HOF for breaking one of the most well-known rules in baseball. If over the last 15 years he had shown any sort of contrition at all--such as actually apologizing--he'd either be in already, or have a clear path to getting in. But instead, he lied and lied for years about it, and when he finally admitted it, he sold autographed baseballs and books to make cash instead of apologizing. What a monumental ass.
3 comments:
I love this card because it's the "before" image: confident, poised, expected to win. But 1988 was the hinge on which Rose's career turned. He was suspended for a month for shoving an ump (a serious blow to his rep). Before the 1989 season began, he was under investigation for gambling on baseball and the house of cards began to shake.
His 1989 Topps card is the "after" image: looking over his shoulder, a disgusted look on his face; it's almost as if he knows he's a marked man.
The contrast of the two cards tells the story of what happened in the interim. How serendipitous for Topps.
Nice of fearless leader Rose to set an example and wear a mesh trucker hat.
Quick question that a quick Google lookup didn't reveal the answer to -- when Rose was a player-manager, did he have two separate cards in the set?
Yes he did have two cards. I know he did in the 1986 set and the 1987 set. I would guess he probably did in the 1985 set as well.
Yeah I just checked.
Here is his 1985 player card.
Here is his manager card.
Post a Comment