"SPECIAL REQUEST" MISSING IN ACTION: 1963 FLEER PETE ROSE

Good day all!

Up on the blog today, by special request, a "missing" 1963 Fleer Pete Rose card to add to the future WTHBALLS second series release I have planned:

Of course this would have been a pre-rookie card along with his (sadly) ugly 1963 Topps counterpart, making this one much more eye-pleasing for Pete Rose fans!

This stud pictured here would win the Rookie of the Year in 1963, three batting titles, an MVP in 1973, be selected as an All-Star at FIVE different positions, and end up the all-time hit leader with his staggering 4256 knocks over his illustrious 24-year career.

Rose also spear-headed the "Big Red Machine" to two straight championships with his relentless play, acting as the spark alongside teammate Joe Morgan to the ferocious juggernaut.

Growing up in the 1970's as a baseball nut, Pete Rose was an almost mythic figure. Even though his Reds steamrolled through "my" Yankees in the 1976 World Series, Rose, along with his all-star teammates, seemed like something made-up, not real.

I guess a part of that could be that the very first Pete Rose baseball card I ever saw, at the age of seven, was his 1976 Topps masterpiece, which had that glare of his, staring down the camera, showing that intensity that created the "Charlie Hustle" legend.

What a player, a Hall of Fame player. But I won't get into THAT here.

The "Player of the Decade" for the 1970's, Rose etched his name into the history of the game many times over.

Really, along with guys like Tom Seaver and Reggie Jackson, you just can't have too many Pete Rose cards from the 1970's in my eyes.

 

SPECIAL: 1970s N.L. PLAYER OF THE DECADE: PETE ROSE

Today on the blog, we have my special "1970s National League Player of the Decade" card for Pete Rose, which was a special insert in my custom set which was released a couple years back:

On top of my selection as "Charlie Hustle" as the player of the decade for the Senior League, he was honored by the Sporting News as the overall "Player of the Decade" by the time the wild-70s were done.

In a decade where we had future powerhouse Hall of Famers like Johnny Bench, Tom Seaver, and Joe Morgan, Rose was the guy who came out in front of them all when it came time for me to select someone who would represent the go-go '70's.
In the ten years spanning 1970-1979, he was on two world champion teams, four pennant winners, had six 200-hit seasons, and lead his league in no less than 13 offensive categories!
And that's not all: in NINE of those years he received Most Valuable Player consideration, taking home the award in 1973.

For me, the man was a machine in the 1970s, and truly a sparkplug and celebrity that was the whole package when it came to becoming an American Icon.

Rest in Peace Mr. Rose...

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: PETE ROSE

Up on the blog today, we finally go and add Pete Rose to my upcoming custom mega-set, "Classic Baseball", a multi-series set that should see the light of day later this year:

This stud pictured here would win the Rookie of the Year in 1963, three batting titles, an MVP in 1973, be selected as an All-Star at FIVE different positions, and end up the all-time hit leader with his staggering 4256 knocks over his illustrious 24-year career.

At the time this card would have been pulled from packs in the mid-1970s, Rose spear-headed the "Big Red Machine" to two straight championships with his relentless play.

Growing up in the 1970's as a baseball nut, Pete Rose was an almost mythic figure. Even though his Reds steamrolled through "my" Yankees in the 1976 World Series, Rose, along with his all-star teammates, seemed like something made-up, not real.

I guess a part of that could be that the very first Pete Rose baseball card I ever saw, at the age of seven, was his 1976 Topps masterpiece, which had that glare of his, staring down the camera, showing that intensity that created the "Charlie Hustle" legend.

What a player, a Hall of Fame player. But I won't get into THAT here.

The "Player of the Decade" for the 1970's, Rose etched his name into the history of the game many times over.

Really, along with guys like Tom Seaver and Reggie Jackson, you just can't have too many Pete Rose cards from the 1970's in my eyes.

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. SECOND BASEMAN PETE ROSE

Today's blog post has my pick for the National league second baseman of the 1960s, and I went with "Charlie Hustle", Pete Rose:

By the time the 1960s came to an end, Rose had two batting titles under is belt, a Rookie of the Year Award in 1963, four 200-hit seasons and four All-Star nods.

Now I do realize that Rose played only four years at the position before switching over to the outfield by the end of the decade, but really, besides Bill Mazeroski, there was a sort of revolving door of second base all-stars throughout the 60's like Felix Milan, Ron Hunt, Frank Bolling, even a young Joe Morgan for a year.
So I went with Rose and his Rookie of the Year, two 200-hit seasons, and two top-10 M.V.P. finishes in 1965 and 1966 before he made the position switch.

The man was great no matter where he played!

 

1960S "IN-ACTION": 1969 PETE ROSE

The next card profiled here on the blog from my recent custom "1960s In-Action" set is my 1969 card for the all-time hit king, Pete Rose:

Great evening shot of the young rose, who was the reigning N.L. batting champ when this card would have come out.

Rose was was also about to take home his second straight batting title, hitting .348 after a league-leading .335 in 1968.

He would also reach 200+ hits for the fourth of what would end up being a record ten such seasons, with 218 in 1969.

Those numbers got him a fourth place finish in the MVP race at season's end, along with a Gold Glove for his work in the outfield after coming up as a second baseman.

Growing up in the 1970's as a baseball nut, Pete Rose was an almost mythic figure. Even though his Reds steamrolled through "my" Yankees in the 1976 World Series, Rose, along with his all-star teammates, seemed like something made-up, not real.

I guess a part of that could be that the very first Pete Rose baseball card I ever saw, at the age of seven, was his 1976 Topps masterpiece, which had that glare of his, staring down the camera, showing that intensity that created the "Charlie Hustle" legend.

What a player, a Hall of Fame player. But I won't get into THAT here.

The "Player of the Decade" for the 1970's, Rose etched his name into the history of the game many times over.

Really, along with guys like Tom Seaver and Reggie Jackson, you just can't have too many Pete Rose cards from the 1970's in my eyes.

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: PETE ROSE

Up on the blog today, the next "mini gum pack" card from my recently produced custom card set, the great Pete Rose:

 

Again, just a really fun set to produce with special packaging!

This stud pictured here would win the Rookie of the Year in 1963, three batting titles, an MVP in 1973, be selected as an All-Star at FIVE different positions, and end up the all-time hit leader with his staggering 4256 knocks over his illustrious 24-year career.

At the time this card would have been pulled from packs in the mid-1970s, Rose spear-headed the "Big Red Machine" to two straight championships with his relentless play.

Growing up in the 1970's as a baseball nut, Pete Rose was an almost mythic figure. Even though his Reds steamrolled through "my" Yankees in the 1976 World Series, Rose, along with his all-star teammates, seemed like something made-up, not real.

I guess a part of that could be that the very first Pete Rose baseball card I ever saw, at the age of seven, was his 1976 Topps masterpiece, which had that glare of his, staring down the camera, showing that intensity that created the "Charlie Hustle" legend.

What a player, a Hall of Fame player. But I won't get into THAT here.

The "Player of the Decade" for the 1970's, Rose etched his name into the history of the game many times over.

Really, along with guys like Tom Seaver and Reggie Jackson, you just can't have too many Pete Rose cards from the 1970's in my eyes.

1970'S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. OUTFIELDER PETE ROSE

Up on the blog today, my third and final National League outfielder to make my personal "All-Decade" team for the 1970s, and I went with the Sporting News "Player of the Decade" outright, Pete Rose:

Though Rose only played a part of the decade in the outfield, he was definitely going to be a part of my squad here.

In a decade where we had future powerhouse Hall of Famers like Johnny Bench, Tom Seaver, and Reggie Jackson, Rose was the guy who came out in front of them all when it came time for the Sporting News to select someone who would represent the go-go '70's.
In the ten years spanning 1970-1979, he was on two world champion teams, four pennant winners, had six 200-hit seasons, and lead his league in no less than 13 offensive categories!
And that's not all: in NINE of those years he received Most Valuable Player consideration, taking home the award in 1973.

The man excelled no matter what position he played: second, third, outfield, first. That cannot be overlooked.

So my N.L. outfield is built on Greg Luzinski, Lou Brock and Pete Rose.

Of course I gave heavy consideration to George Foster, Dave Parker and Willie Stargell, but for me I figured a well-built line-up would be best served by my three picks to man the outfield grass.

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: PETE ROSE

Time to add "Charlie Hustle", Pete Rose to my on-going 1977 N.L. Centennial sub-set, celebrating the Senior League's 100th anniversary of 1976:

This stud pictured here would win the Rookie of the Year in 1963, three batting titles, an MVP in 1973, be selected as an All-Star at FIVE different positions, and end up the all-time hit leader with his staggering 4256 knocks over his illustrious 24-year career.

At the time this card would have been pulled from packs in 1977, Rose spear-headed the "Big Red Machine" to two straight championships with his relentless play.

Growing up in the 1970's as a baseball nut, Pete Rose was an almost mythic figure. Even though his Reds steamrolled through "my" Yankees in the 1976 World Series, Rose, along with his all-star teammates, seemed like something made-up, not real.

I guess a part of that could be that the very first Pete Rose baseball card I ever saw, at the age of seven, was his 1976 Topps masterpiece, which had that glare of his, staring down the camera, showing that intensity that created the "Charlie Hustle" legend.

What a player, a Hall of Fame player. But I won't get into THAT here.

The "Player of the Decade" for the 1970's, Rose etched his name into the history of the game many times over.

Really, along with guys like Tom Seaver and Reggie Jackson, you just can't have too many Pete Rose cards from the 1970's in my eyes.

 

1960'S DEDICATED ROOKIE: 1963 PETE ROSE

On the blog today, my 1963 "dedicated rookie" for Pete Rose, from my special pack released a couple years back:

This young stud pictured here would go on to win the Rookie of the Year in 1963, three batting titles, an MVP in 1973, be selected as an All-Star at FIVE different positions, and end up the all-time hit leader with his staggering 4256 knocks over his illustrious 24-year career.

Growing up in the 1970's as a baseball nut, Pete Rose was an almost mythic figure. Even though his Reds steamrolled through "my" Yankees in the 1976 World Series, Rose, along with his all-star teammates, seemed like something made-up, not real.

I guess a part of that could be that the very first Pete Rose baseball card I ever saw, at the age of seven, was his 1976 Topps masterpiece, which had that glare of his, staring down the camera, showing that intensity that created the "Charlie Hustle" legend.

What a player, a Hall of Fame player. But I won't get into THAT here.

The "Player of the Decade" for the 1970's, Rose etched his name into the history of the game many times over.

Really, along with guys like Tom Seaver and Reggie Jackson, you just can't have too many Pete Rose cards from the 1970's in my eyes.

1975 ALL-STAR GAME- 1976 HIGHLIGHT CARD

On the blog today, we have my 1976 highlight card for the 1975 Major league All-Star game, held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin:

 

I used a fun image of the great Hank Aaron, who was the "hometown hero" in his first season back in Milwaukee after the Braves moved from there to Atlanta before the 1968 season.

Aaron was back in Milwaukee to close out his extraordinary career with two seasons in 1975 and 1976, and it seemed fitting the game would be held there for one of those years.

Of course, as the custom card I created states, it was "business as usual" with the National League coming out on top yet again, beating the American League 6-3, scoring the decisive three runs in the top of the ninth after a 3-3 tie heading into the final frame.

Catfish Hunter and Rich Gossage were the victims of the N.L.'s ninth-inning heroics, with Hunter opening up the inning, allowing a lead-off single to Reggie Smith and a double to Al Oliver, before "Goose" came in and promptly allowed a two-run single to Bill Madlock, followed by a sacrifice fly to Pete Rose, giving the N.L. the 6-3 lead.

In the bottom of the frame, San Diego Padre ace Randy Jones came in to close it up, sporting a 1-2-3 inning.

It was the N.L.'s fourth straight All-Star win, on their way to eleven in a row before losing in 1983, famous for the Fred Lynn grand slam off Atlee Hammaker.

1970 ALL-STAR- 1971 HIGHLIGHT CARD

Moving on in my new thread celebrating the All-Star games held between 1969 and 1978, we have the now classic 1970 game, of course remembered for Pete Rose and his game-winning take-out of American League catcher Ray Fosse at the plate:

 

Played at the new Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, it was the first All-Star game played at night, and featured starters Jim Palmer going up against Tom Seaver.

The game was scoreless until the sixth inning, when the A.L. put up a run, then added a second run in the top of the seventh before the N.L. got on the board in the bottom of the inning.

In the top of the eighth, the A.L. answered back with two runs, giving them a commanding 4-1 lead and looking at their first All-Star win since 1962.

But in the bottom of the ninth against young Oakland A's pitcher Jim Hunter, the N.L. came back and scored three runs to tie it, helped by a Dick Dietz solo shot, setting up an extra-inning game that would give us an iconic moment in the game's history.

Scoreless to the 12th inning, the N.L. had Pete Rose single with two outs against California Angels' pitcher Clyde Wright, followed by another single by Los Angeles' Billy Grabarkewitz, sending Rose to second.

Up comes the Chicago Cubs' Jim Hickman, who lines a single to center field, sending Rose flying around third straight for the plate.

As we all know by now, the young Indians catcher Fosse was preparing to catch the throw in from centerfield, and just as he caught the throw, Rose comes and barrels into him, causing him to drop the ball, thus giving the N.L. their All-Star win.

Of course Rose has caught a lot of flack ever since then, some saying derailing Fosse's career just for an exhibition game. I tend to agree.

The Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski was actually named the game's MVP, only the second time a winner was chosen from the losing team, based on his four hits.

Clyde Wright took the loss while Claude Osteen got credited with the win.

1970 IN-GAME ACTION: PETE ROSE

Adding to my new 1970 "In-Game Action" thread, we have the great Pete Rose, a Hall of Famer in my book, and smack in the middle of his career-peak when this card would have seen the light of day:

 

Rose was coming off his second straight batting title, hitting .348 after a league-leading .335 in 1968.

He also reached 200+ hits for the fourth of what would end up being a record ten such seasons, with 218 in 1969.

Those numbers got him a fourth place finish in the MVP race at season's end, along with a Gold Glove for his work in the outfield after coming up as a second baseman.

Growing up in the 1970's as a baseball nut, Pete Rose was an almost mythic figure. Even though his Reds steamrolled through "my" Yankees in the 1976 World Series, Rose, along with his all-star teammates, seemed like something made-up, not real.

I guess a part of that could be that the very first Pete Rose baseball card I ever saw, at the age of seven, was his 1976 Topps masterpiece, which had that glare of his, staring down the camera, showing that intensity that created the "Charlie Hustle" legend.

What a player, a Hall of Fame player. But I won't get into THAT here.

The "Player of the Decade" for the 1970's, Rose etched his name into the history of the game many times over.

Really, along with guys like Tom Seaver and Reggie Jackson, you just can't have too many Pete Rose cards from the 1970's in my eyes.

EXPANDED YEARLY LEADER CARDS: 1974 N.L. BATTING

OK now! Today we move on to 1974 with my on-going "expanded league leaders" thread, creating league leader cards for EACH league celebrating the top 3 in a category instead of the combined top players of both leagues on one card.

With that we begin with the National league and the top 3 batters of 1973:

 

 

We start off with the great Pete Rose, who took home the third (and final) batting title of his career in 1973 when he hit .338, a healthy 18 points ahead of the second place batter.

During that season he collected a career-best 230 hits, while scoring 115 runs with 64 runs batted in for the Cincinnati Reds.

Behind him with a very nice .320 batting average is Houston Astros young stud Cesar Cedeno, who matched the same batting average from 1972.

As a matter of fact his 1973 season was almost the mirror-image of his 1972 performance, with him collecting 168 hits and 35 doubles, with 25 homers and 70 RBIs, with 56 stolen bases thrown in for good measure.

Those numbers are almost exactly the same as his 1972 numbers, and indeed that is a very good thing! The man was a budding superstar back then.

Just one point off of Cedeno in 1973 was a little bit of a surprise, none other than Garry Maddox, the "Secretary of Defense", who had a very nice first truly full season in the Big Leagues with his .319 batting average along with 187 hits, 30 doubles, 10 triples and 11 homers, with 76 RBIs and 81 runs scored.

Just two years later he'd find himself East as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, where he'd take home eight Gold Gloves for his stellar defensive play, and be part of some solid teams with others like Greg Luzinski, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and Larry Bowa.

Well there you have it! The top-three batters of the National League in 1973.

Next week, the American League!

ON-CARD ALL-STAR: 1974 PETE ROSE

Time to go an add the great Pete Rose to my "On-card All-Star" thread, where I slap a bug beautiful All-Star banner on a player's base Topps card in the years Topps decided to have a separate All-Star card in their set:

 

For Rose it was business as usual, no matter what position he was playing, as he would get the All-Star nod throughout the first 20 years of his incredible career, whether it was at second base, the outfield, or first.

In 1973 he took home his only MVP Award after winning his third batting title while collecting a career-high 230 hits, scoring 115 runs for the potent Cincinnati Reds team that would soon win two straight championships in 1975 and 1976.

In the ten years spanning 1970-1979, he was on two world champion teams, four pennant winners, had six 200-hit seasons, and led his league in no less than 13 offensive categories!
And that's not all: in NINE of those years he received Most Valuable Player consideration, taking home the award as I stated earlier in 1973.
As a player, the man was incredible.

A Hall of Famer. The all-time hit leader in Major League baseball’s 150+ year history.

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- PETE ROSE

Next in line for a 1971 “Minor League Days” card in my long-running sub-set is the great Pete Rose, a Hall of Famer in my book, who was tearing up D-League pitching in 1961 as a member of the Tampa Tarpons:

The 20-year-old Rose ended up hitting .331 for the Tarpons, with 160 hits in 484 at-bats over 130 games, but what was extraordinary were his 30 triples, along with 20 doubles, 77 runs batted in and 30 stolen bases.
The man was on a mission, and with one more year of Minor League ball in 1962, he was ready to take the Majors by storm in 1963, which would end up with him taking home the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Of course, all he did after that was win three batting titles, an MVP Award in 1973, become a key part of a juggernaut with the “Big Red Machine” Reds of the 1970’s that led to two World Championships, and of course being named the Sporting News “Player of the Decade” for the 1970’s.
In the ten years spanning 1970-1979, he was on two world champion teams, four pennant winners, had six 200-hit seasons, and lead his league in no less than 13 offensive categories!
And that's not all: in NINE of those years he received Most Valuable Player consideration, taking home the award as I stated earlier in 1973.
As a player, the man was incredible. A Hall of Famer. The all-time hit leader in Major League baseball’s 150+ year history.
“Charlie Hustle”!!!

1970 SPECIAL- THE YOUNG PETE ROSE AND ELDER STATESMAN ERNIE BANKS

Came across this image taken during the 1969 season and thought it would make a fun 1970 “special”, a young reigning National League batting champ Pete rose being held at first by the established clear-cut Hall of Famer Ernie Banks:

Just a wonderful images in the sun of these two legends during a game, which always brings a smile to my face when I sit down to put a custom creation together.
With Rose, the future MLB hit king, along with three batting titles and an MVP in 1973, while being a spark plug for one of the great juggernauts the game has ever seen, the “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds of the mid-70s.
With Mr. Banks, you have a two-time MVP who strung together four 40+ home run seasons on his way to 512 blasts over his amazing 19-year career. One of the most well liked players of any generation.
Just a card I wanted to create and add to the 1970 custom stable on the blog.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

 

1974 SPECIAL- PETE ROSE AND JOHNNY BENCH

Time for another “special”, and since I found this sweet image a while back let’s make it a 1974 Pete Rose/Johnny Bench card celebrating their National league dominance at the time this card would have seen the light of day:

Rose was coming off of his third batting title, and first MVP Award in 1973, setting a career high with 230 hits while also scoring over 100 runs for the sixth time in his eleven MLB seasons to that point.
It’s also worth pointing out that it was his sixth 200+ hits seasons in eleven years as well, setting the eventual stage of he taking over the all-time MLB career hits mark some 12 years later when he surpassed the great Ty Cobb.
For Bench, all he did up until this point was take home the 1968 Rookie of the Year Award, the NL MVP Award in both 1970 and 1972, and completely reshape the catcher’s position as we knew it, while STILL only 25 years of age!
At this point in their careers, we didn’t even get to experience the great “Big Red Machine” two-time World Champions of 1975 and 1976 yet! One of the great dynastic teams in the league’s history.
But both would end up setting new standards in MLB history, though Rose screwed it all up with that gambling bug!
Nevertheless, BOTH are Hall of Famers in my eyes! Two of the best ever.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD- 1974 SUB-SET

Today we celebrate two of the decades greatest players, who both happened to have won their only MVP Award in 1973, Pete Rose and Reggie Jackson:

In the long-running “Awards Sub-Set”, I imagine what it would have looked like had Topps included such a set every year in their basic sets, and today’s two cards are doozies, with Rose and Jackson leading two juggernauts in baseball history.
Rose put in one of the finest seasons of his incredible 24-year career, leading the National League in batting at .338 , his third batting title, while also leading the league with a career-high 230 hits, the sixth of his ten career 200-hit seasons.
Over in the American League, Jackson led the Oakland A’s to the second of three straight World Series titles by leading the league in homers (32), RBIs (117 and runs scored (99) while also hitting (at the time) a career-high .293.
While Rose’s Reds fell short in the NL playoffs to the Mets, denying a rematch of the 1972 World Series, they would soon take over the mantle of “Team of the Decade” from Oakland when the “Big Red Machine” took two straight championships of their own in 1975 & 1976.
But they’d have to wait as the A’s would beat the Mets for the title in 1973, then go on to win it again in 1974 by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Two al-time baseball super-stars right here in the prime of their career.

1975 IN ACTION- PETE ROSE

The next super-star to get the 1975 “In Action” treatment is “Charlie Hustle” Pete Rose, who was tearing up the league for a while before this card would have seen the light of day:

Rose already had a Rookie of the Year and MVP Award under his belt as well as three batting titles, and was just about to go on a lead the “Big Red Machine” to consecutive World Series wins in 1975 and 1976.
During the mid-70’s he was baseball royalty, on baseballs most vaunted team, a team that had future Hall of Fame members Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, and Tony Perez.
Of course, he would go on to play another 11 years, retiring as baseball’s all-time hit king as well as the all-time leader in games played, plate appearances and at-bats over his 24-year career.
I'm not even going to get into that "other stuff" since for me, that has no basis on keeping him out of the Hall. Just my opinion, but if Rose isn't in the Hall of Fame representing the 1970's, the "Player of the Decade", then it's all a joke.

FUTURE STARS- PETE ROSE

The next 1978 “Future Stars” card in the thread is of Pete Rose, the Player of the Decade as named by the Sporting News at the end of the wild-70’s:

Nice shot of the young Rose in-action before he became the all-time hit king along with a photo of him playing third at the back-end of his prime years.
“Charlie Hustle” was still kicking-it, with a 44-game hitting streak and no-less than a decade left on his (should-be) Hall of Fame career.
The man was a baseball-machine, only to have his career derailed by gambling problems.
I hope that can all be worked out so he can finally get his rightful spot in Cooperstown, next his former teammates Morgan, Bench and Perez.