1979 Burger King Phillies #13 Pete Rose

I originally posted this over three years ago:

I think (maybe) the first baseball card I remember seeing was the 1979 Burger King Pete Rose card. This card was a huge deal at the time, because it was Pete's first card as a Phillie. This is before traded sets and late releases, and Pete's regular 1979 Topps card featured him still as a Red. (Pete had signed with the Phillies via free agency following the 1978 season). A kid in our neighborhood (Bobby Wickward?) had been lucky enough to get the card, and between jumping curbs with our bikes and playing in Corson Park, he'd let us see it. It was entrenched firmly in Bobby's no-trade pile, although I tried valiantly to trade for it.

I found out earlier today that Bobby had left us.  Even though I probably hadn't spoken to him in 15 to 20 years, I have nothing but happy memories of Bobby.  He was funny, he was cool and he always made me feel like one of the guys, even though I was younger than him and the other guys we rode bikes with from the neighborhood.  I have vivid memories of riding with him up and down Sassafrass Street and sitting with him in old Mrs. Newman's living room eating stale cookies after we got off the bus.  I wish I could have told him how much of a huge impression he made on me at such a young age.