Hits A Little Differently

As a collector who entered the sports card collecting hobby in the early 80's... I'm getting to the age where guys I pulled out of packs of cards are starting to get up there in age.  Unfortunately... it means that every now and then I hear the sad news about an athlete from my childhood passing away.

Last week was a rough one as two guys I admire for the contributions they made on the field/court died on the same day.

Monday afternoon I saw the news about Pete Rose pop up on ESPN.  Although I really only got a chance to see him play towards the end of his playing career, it was when he was chasing and breaking Cobb's all-time hits record.

1986 Leaf #260

He wasn't only the MLB Hit King... he was also one of the most popular athletes in our hobby.  I didn't really have my fingers on the hobby pulse back then, but the card collecting kids in my neighborhood sought his cards.

When he broke the Cobb's record at the end of the 1985 season, I only owned a handful of his cards.  Most notably... this one:

1982 Fleer #640

This card has stood out to me since 1982.  Back then, I just thought it was a cool father-son photo.  Later on this card took on a different vibe as there was a chance that Pete Jr. might end up having an MLB career himself.

Here's another 80's card of Rose that I really like:

1986 Fleer Future Hall of Famer #1

I never pulled a copy myself from a pack, but I did eventually add the complete set of six cards to my collection.  Out of the six guys on the checklist, five of them were first ballot hall of famers.  Part of this card's allure is Fleer all but guaranteeing collectors that Rose would be inducted one day.

I'll wrap up the Charlie Hustle portion of this post with five cool cards of him sitting in the collection:

Let's start off with an oldie, but goodie...

1970 Kellogg's #2

Outside of the cards sitting in my Topps sets, I only own a handful of vintage Pete Rose cards.  This one is my favorite.  I absolutely love the 1970 Kellogg's design.

Pete Rose's signature will never be considered rare.  He's right up there with Bob Feller in regards to baseball players with the most autographs floating around out there.  But that's not a bad thing.  It means you add his signature to your collection without breaking the bank.

Five years ago, I added this card to my collection for $21 ($17.50 + $3.50 shipping):

1982 Donruss #1

A few months earlier, I added this autograph to my collection:

1969 Topps #424

This card has some sentimental value to me, because it was purchased right after my mom passed away.  

Not sure how deep I covered it, but I was devastated emotionally at the time.  She was one of my best friends and was the main person who got me into the hobby.  Ironically... the hobby helped me deal with her death.

I know most of you aren't fans of slabbed cards, so let's wrap things up and transition back to 80's oddballs...

1986 Meadow Gold Milk Carton

I don't remember seeing these back in the 80's, but I did find this milk carton at a card show a few years ago for two bucks:

I'm such a sucker for food issue cards.  By the way... does anyone else kinda see Tom Brady in the Rose caricature on that milk carton?

Rounding out the Roses is this color matched box bottom:

1986 Topps Box Bottom #N

It's not quite as cool as Night Owl's O-Pee-Chee version, but it's pretty darn cool.

Rest in peace Mr. Rose!  I'll always admire how you played the game.  You remind me of my father... who always believed in giving his employers his best effort.  And like my mother, you definitely played a role in me becoming a card collector.  Thank you for that.

Eight hours before I heard about Pete, I heard about Dikembe Mutombo.  This one hit me a little differently, because he's only six years older than me. 

1991-92 Upper Deck #3

When he was a twenty-five year old rookie for the Denver Nuggets, I was a nineteen year old college student opening packs of 1991-92 Upper Deck basketball in hopes of pulling his slick looking rookie card.  Not having any prior knowledge of his brain tumor, the news of him passing away wasn't only sad... it was shocking. 

Rest in peace Mr. Mutombo!  I'm so happy that you played during the peak of my NBA fandom.  You will forever be remembered for blocking shots... and wagging your finger.

That's it for today.  Gonna try and hammer out a post highlighting my past three trips to the flea market before following the Seahawks, Packers, and Padres a little later in the afternoon.

Happy Sunday and sayonara!