1977 Topps – Alternate Reds

Votto-matic

I’m a few days into this card blogging thing, and just realized that I haven’t posted any cards of the legend himself, Joey Votto. So let’s fix that.

Here are two new custom Votto cards based on the 1977 Topps design. Votto is a great player on the field and an even better guy off the field. He’s everything you want your star player to be.

Also…to honor the fact that Aristides Aquino hit ANOTHER record-breaking homer last night (his 13th in only 100 at bats) I’ve thrown in another Aquino design for the Topps ’77 set. Once I saw this pic of him in that classic throwback uniform, I knew I had to put it on a card. To be honest, this might be my favorite card design so far.

Where were you in ’77?

Here are the rest of the cards I created with the Topps 1977 template. I’ll definitely be making more of these in the future, but right now I’m focusing on making a few of my own custom card designs.

(Also, my sincere apologies go out to Brian O’Grady. Yesterday, I posted a rookie card for him…and then he got sent back to the minors. I’m a jinx.)

The Suarez card below reminds me of a card Topps made in ’76 for Kurt Bevacqua – the league’s bubblegum bubble-blowing champ.

It all started with Pete

Pete freakin’ Rose. What more could I say about the guy than what thousands of others have already said? For me, Rose was my first hero. He was the hardest working player on the field – a guy who took his talent and became a superstar through the sheer force of will.

When I was in first grade, I even got our school to host a “Pete Rose Day.” People wore their Reds hats and t-shirts…and not much else happened.

Years later, Pete Rose managed to add the dreaded asterisk next to all of his accomplishments on the field.

My baseball fandom will always be tied to Pete Rose in some form, though. He was the star of the team that first introduced me to the game. And no matter what has happened over the years, I’ll always have a bit of fondness for the guy. So, when I started making these cards, I knew I had to make some with Pete.

I decided to use my favorite card template (the 1977 Topps design) for these alternate Pete Rose cards.