What I thought about this card then: I do recall having this card and trading it away in that deal for some '75 minis. I didn't think much about the card front, but I did have thoughts on the back. More on that in a bit.
What I think about this card now: This card basically symbolizes my card-collecting philosophy. I referred to it in my first blog bat-around post.
Also, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that guy in the background is on his cell phone.
Other stuff: Tom Griffin delivered an eye-popping rookie season in 1969, striking out exactly 200 batters in 31 games started and leading the league in strikeouts per game (9.6). He didn't come close to matching those figures the rest of his career, but did manage to pitch 14 years for the Astros, Padres, Angels, Giants and Pirates.
My guess (in my very brief bit of research I didn't turn up much) is he suffered some sort of injury in 1971 as he pitched in only 10 games and was 0-6. The next two years he worked as a reliever before returning to a starter role in 1974. The end of his career was dominated by relief roles.
Griffin had a strong year at the plate in 1974, hitting .294 in 68 at-bats with two homers and eight RBIs.
Other blog stuff: Tomorrow, I will begin featuring the MVPs subset from the '75 set. I don't plan to do anything different with these cards in terms of the subjects I cover. But if anyone has anything they'd like to see with these MVP cards, I'd be more than happy to take suggestions.
