1977 Topps Baseball #450 - Pete Rose

• Pete!!!!!
• Pete Rose's cards were probably the ones I looked forward to the most in the 1970s. He was my favorite player, and it took a long time for me to forgive the Reds for letting him go as a free agent after the 1978 season. Some of the luster of Pete's cards was lost when Topps double printed his card in 1978.
• Pete had a salary dispute with the Reds before the 1977 season. He finally signed just before the season.
• Rose led the NL in games played (162) and in at bats (655). 
• 1977 Stats: .311, 9 HR, 64 RBI, 204 hits in 162 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• July 25 - Had two hits in a 9-8 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Broke Frankie Frisch's record of 2,880 hits for a switch hitter.
• Sept 28 - Had two hits as the Reds beat the San Diego Padres 8-0. Pete got his 200th hit and tied Ty Cobb for the most 200-hit seasons (9). Rose would get his tenth 200-hit season in 1979 to pass Cobb.
• Other card blogs: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1974, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1980, 1982, 1982, 1983, 1983, 1985, 1985, 1986, 1986, 1986, 1986, 1986, 1986, 1986, 1988

1977 Topps Baseball #277 - N.L. Championship

• Here is another card that was highly sought after by our little group of collectors. It shows the classic action pose (except for sliding headfirst) of Pete Rose. His helmet had flown off and his hair was flying all over the place.
• There was no NLCS MVP award in 1976 -- the first one would be given to Dusty Baker in 1977. A strong case could be made for Mr. Rose to be named the MVP in the 1976 NLCS.