I know his legacy has been irreparably tainted, but I'll never forget the thrill I'd get whenever I pulled a Pete Rose card from a pack of baseball cards. My original Pete Rose cards from 1981, 1982 and 1983 are all dinged and dog-eared from repeated viewings. Pre-Bob Dernier, he occupied the first page of my Phillies binder, and his cards always seemed a little harder to obtain than the other Phillies' players. No one wanted to trade their Pete Rose cards.Being the first card in the 1981 Fleer set, this card took a serious beating, and I've since upgraded the card for my Phillies collection.
(And I've always wondered what Pete was saying when this picture was taken).
I was/still am a big fan of this card. Fleer being new in 1981 and the strike going on, buying cards was what we did all summer. This card was right on the box and damn if no one ever got it. I remember getting mine (finally) the day the strike ended and they played the 1981 All Star Game.
ReplyDeleteYou're right! I forgot this card was pictured on the box. That was a great summer - Topps, Fleer, Donruss, Topps Stickers, and all readily available at the Wawa.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget the Topps Sratch Offs. The strike didn't seem to drag as long as we had these bad boys. We played countless All Star Games with these. George Brett was ruthless - I don't think that there was an out on his card.
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