Art by Tim Carroll

*****SOLD - Private Collector*****

Even if you wanted to dwell on the political side of Pete Rose's legacy, you can't deny that he was the type of player you'd want your son to mimic.  Other than being the man that had more base hits than any other player in history, Rose was known for his effort on every single pitch of every single play.  The term "110%" could have easily been coined after watching him play.  Former Yankee great Whitey Ford watched Rose sprint to first base after taking a walk.  Ford called him...."Charlie Hustle."  The nickname stuck.  Pete ended his career as Major League Baseball's all-time leader in hits, games played, and at-bats.  While he was Rookie of the Year in 1963, the Topps company had him pictured on a rookie card with 3 other players:  Pedro Gonzalez, Ken McMullen, and Al Weis.  In 1964, Topps gave the young star a card all by himself, and dubbed him one of their annual "All-Star Rookies".  I had a great time re-creating this one for Patrick in West Virginia - this Rose's new owner. 

For this one I needed:

(9) 1985 Topps Commons

(244) 1987 Topps Commons

(731) 1988 Topps Commons

(118) 1989 Topps Commons

(19) 1991 Fleer Commons

 

1,121 TOTAL CARDS

 

13 Glue Sticks

 

39.25 Hours of Time

 

And this is the Rose that bloomed...........

 

 

 

 

A little closer:

 

 

 

 

Now for some detail:

 

 

The letters of the word "REDS" was spelled out with names of Phillies, A's, and Brewers players in 1988 Topps:

 

 

 

I primarily used 1985 Topps Checklists (with some 1988 Topps All-Star cards) to create the All-Star Rookie trophy:

 

 

 

 

Now the hat:

 

 

 

 

And the face:

 

 

 

 

(I see Dave Dravecky, Jose Oquendo, Dwayne Murphy, Gary Varsho.............that's so fun)

 

 

Now the uniform (Pinstripes courtesy of the backs of 1989 Topps Lance Johnson and Lenny Dykstra):

 

 

 

And one final view:

 

 

 

I know I say it at the end of every one of these, but I can't express to you how much fun I have with them.  Each one is a journey.  I can look over at each portion (ie. Rose's hat) and remember the exact issues, if any, that I was facing with that section.  I can even remember some of the conversations I had with my 6-year old son as I was making each "Card Art" piece in my portfolio.  "Who was Pete Rose, Dad?"  And then I'd take him to YouTube, and explain some of the incredible things Rose did during his career.  It isn't just with this one - it is with all of them. 

Thanks again to Patrick in West Virginia for commissioning this piece - I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I did making it.