I respect the player, but the man is💩. I lost all respect for him when I tried to talk to him at the first card show he did after getting out of jail. He never even looked at me, he just turned to his handler and made sure the count was right of the autographed items I was getting him to sign.

Love him or hate him, this autographed ceramic ‘card’ captures a beautiful image of Charles Edward Hustle…

2021 Leaf Art Of Sport Enshrined Exhibit, Pete Rose #2/2 ⭐
On December 5, 1978, Pete Rose signed a four-year, $3.2 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. The deal temporarily made Rose the highest-paid athlete in team sports.

In 5 years with the Phillies (1979-1983), Pete was a 4X All-Star and helped the Phillies to 2 N.L. Pennants and the Phillies first World Series Championship in 1980. 

1987 Topps Tiffany Pete Rose

Something we’ll probably never see again in baseball is the true player/manager — and Pete Rose was the last of that rare breed.

Back in the mid-80s, Rose wasn’t just chasing hits… he was running the Reds from the dugout and still stepping into the batter’s box. It feels almost mythical today. With the size of coaching staffs, analytics teams, and the intensity of the modern game, the idea of a player managing while still lacing up just doesn’t seem possible anymore.

Cards tied to moments or roles we’ll never see again just feel special — and Rose closing the book on the player/manager era further solidifies his mark on baseball history, no matter how everything ended.

1970 Kellogg's #2, Pete Rose ⭐
1970 Topps #580, Pete Rose ⭐
1970 Topps #458, Pete Rose All-Star ⭐
In 1970, Pete Rose was on top of the baseball world.
That year, he was at the height of his popularity and performance:

• He won the National League batting title with a .348 average, one of his best seasons at the plate.

• He helped lead the Cincinnati Reds to the National League pennant, as the team’s fiery sparkplug and emotional leader at the start of the “Big Red Machine” era.

• In the 1970 All-Star Game, he famously scored the winning run by colliding with catcher Ray Fosse at home plate — one of baseball’s most iconic and controversial moments.

• He finished 7th in NL MVP voting, further cementing his status as one of the game’s elite hitters and fiercest competitors.

By 1970, Rose was more than a baseball star, he'd become a national symbol of hustle, intensity, and winning.