Pete Rose and Dikembe Mutombo.

We both recently lost them, Rose at age 83, and Mutombo at age 58.

Depending upon your age, they were easily two of the more recognized stars of their sport. I certainly have written enough about Rose here and received some mixed reactions.

With Rose, it was his all-time hits (and of course, hustle), and with Mutombo it was his all-time blocked shots.

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column — reminiscing about sports and pop culture, I’ll take a look at some of baseball’s all-time hit leaders and basketball all-time shot blockers. In addition, I’ll look at some “hits” and “blocks” in the game and pop culture.

Also, what MLB player in the 70s was as possibly dominant as his son in the 2000s? What 70s group spent 27 weeks at the top of charts? What Canadian-born wrestler used the “atomic drop” as his prime move? And what former Phillies pitcher twirled a five-inning, no-hitter as an Expo?

Those 70s Hits ... Along with Rose (4,256 career hits), some of the great hitters that I remember from the late 1960s and early 70s were (with their totals) great singles hitter in Rod Carew (3,053), Lou Brock (3,023), Al Oliver (2,743) and George Brett (3,154) to name a few.

Then there were power hitters Hank Aaron (3,771), Frank Robinson (2,941), Tony Perez (2,732), Carl Yazstremski (3,419), Ted Simmons (2,472; he would be the catcher always hitting over .300), Willie Davis (2,561), Billy Williams (2,711), Steve Garvey (2,599) and Roberto Clemente (3,000).

It was a special time seeing all of these future or one prospective Hall of Famers. All of them were great hitters who also had their share of power. Garvey should be in the Hall.

More Rose ... In his career, Rose led the league in hits seven times, and also won three batting titles (.335 in 1968, .348 in 1969 and .330 in 1973). Rose’s highest hit total was 230 in 1973. Many people forget that he did win consecutive batting titles.

More Hits ... There were other players who made their marks with their bats.

One of the most productive and most traveled players in the 70s was Bobby Bonds, who spent time with the Giants, Yankees, Angels, Rangers, White Sox and Indians. In his prime, Bonds was the complete package. In 1973 with the Giants, Bonds hit .283 with 131 runs, 182 hits, 34 doubles, 96 RBIs, 87 walks and 43 stolen bases. His overall career was overshadowed by his son.

There was also Reggie Smith, one of the more consistent hitters during that time span, along with Carew, Joe Morgan and Reggie Jackson. Don’t forget about the Reds’ and Mets’ George Foster, who could hit for average and power.

In the mid-to-late 70s, Boston’s Jim Rice was one of the more better all-around hitters for average and power. Rice and Fred Lynn were one of the league’s best duos during the time.

We Heard These Hits ... In the 70s, the Bee Gees were the top-selling band with hits that topped No. 1 for 27 weeks. Surprisingly, Rod Stewart also had a string of chart toppers, spending 17 weeks there, and rising star Elton John made a major splash in our lives, as he spent 15 there.

What song was No. 1 for a record 10 weeks? It was Debbie Boone’s “ You Light Up My Life” in 1977. The Bee Gees’ “ Night Fever,” and Stewart’s “Tonight’s the Night,” — a very underrated song — also had eight weeks at the top. Andy Gibb’s “Shadow Dancing” was good for seven weeks.

I always thought Three Dog Night’s classic “Joy to the World,” would be at the top or near it, but it stayed for only six weeks.

Take that ... Mutombo ranks second all-time in the NBA with 3,289 blocks behind Hakeem Olajuwon, who had 3,830. Abdul-Jabbar is third with 3,189.

Some others you may remember are former Hawk Wayne Monte (“Tree”) Rollins (ninth, 2,542), former Jazz member 7-4 Mark Eaton (fourth, 3,064) as well as former Sixers Shawn Bradley (15th, 2,119) and Manue Bol (2,086, 16th), who ironically are behind each other and were both inept overall players. I never thought Eaton had that many even though he was stationary in the middle and didn’t have much offense.

Moses Malone is 28th with 1,733, and he didn’t seem like a consistent shot blocker.

In the ABA, Artis Gilmore was the all-time leader with 1,431, followed by ex-Sixer Caldwell Jones (780), ex-Net Billy “The Big Bopper” Paultz (751), Dr. J (648), and famous leaper Darnell Hillman (505).

Block It Up ... When I think of famous “blocks” in sports, two that immediately come to mind are Rose barreling over Indians’ catcher Ray Fosse, who had the plate blocked in the 1970 All-Star Game. Fosse’s career was never the same.

There also was Green Bay’s Jerry Kramer’s block over Dallas’ Jethro Pugh that allowed Bart Starr to sneak over the goal line with the winning touchdown in the 1967 NFL Championship Game or the “Ice Bowl” that had temperatures at 13-below zero in Green Bay.

There are more, and you can let me know of some. As far as players, do you remember former Sixers’ forward John Block? He was a key player on the Sixers’ 9-73 team in the 1972-73 season.

Another Classic Game ... When it comes to blocks, you probably had a set of Lincoln Logs, which date back to 1916. There also were Playskool blocks that also were quite popular.

I never had a set of Lincoln Logs, but I knew they were very popular, and you could build a number of things with them.

WWWF/WWF Wrap ... Each week, I’ll recall a former wrestler from our days.

Do you remember Pat Patterson? He was the first man to hold the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Patterson initially was introduced as a villain with legendary manager Lou Albano, but he eventually broke away and reverted to the other side.

The Canada native also was the WWF North American and Intercontinental champion. Through his years in the WWF and WWE, Patterson had some classic battles with Bob Backlund and Sgt. Slaughter.

Patterson spent most of his time in the NWA, where he was a multiple tag-team champion. He later was instrumental in helping to create Vince McMahon’s “Royal Rumble.”

Noted for his “atomic drop,” Patterson accumulated an overall record of 1,047-819 with 166 draws from 1958-85.

On this date ... In 1976, the MLB expansion draft was held with Seattle choosing outfielder Ruppert Jones and Toronto selecting infielder Bob Bailor. Remember that?

Memory Lane ... Each week, I’ll look back at a former player, coach, manager or media personality from our yesterday.

Do you remember Phillies pitcher David Palmer? He was signed as a free agent in December 1987 after stays with the Expos and Braves. In his lone season with the Phillies in 1988, Palmer went 7-9 with a 4.47 ERA in 22 starts.

He was released after the season and spent his final year with the Tigers. Palmer is best remembered for his five-inning, rain-shortened no-hitter as an Expo against the Cardinals in 1984. Over his 10-year career, Palmer went 64-59 with a 3.78 ERA.

Your thoughts? They are always welcomed at tnpsorts@tnonline.com