Pete Rose Cards...

[jchcollins]

I'm not a Rose collector per se. I think he was obviously amazing on the field, and had a drive and persistence that will be matched by only a small fraction of a percent of players. He wasn't the best or even close to it by virtue of sheer physical talent. Like Cobb, he willed himself to be the player he became. So for that, I admire him.

As for the off-the-field stuff, I think at some point the rule of "not knowing your heroes too well" comes into play. Clearly the guy was no saint. But neither was Mickey Mantle, or a host of others. How far does our judgment extend?

As for the '63 rookie card, I was screwed because '63 is my favorite set of the '60's. My bread and butter since I was a kid in the late 80's has been postwar vintage. 1950's - 1980. Regardless of what I think of Rose, the set is not complete without that card. And regardless, to say it's a not huge card in the vintage hobby is just a falsehood. Rose's notorious status at this point makes it an iconic card even if the guy was mostly bad.

So - (horrible timing) this past weekend - I finally picked up the '63 Gonzalez / McMullen / Rose / Weis in an SGC 4 to add to my set. I've owned the card before, but as this was the first time I have really gotten serious on the set building end of things, this one is for keeps. I hope that Pete one way or another is finally at peace now from his turbulent life. Regardless of what you think of him, he was significant.