1978 Topps Baseball #318 - Tom Griffin

• Well I'm back after a VERY long hiatus. I moved from Arizona to Utah to accept a new teaching job. It was a big move for me since I had lived in Arizona all of my life. At the time we had a foster son that we were in the process of adopting. He wasn't allowed to leave Arizona until he was adopted, so my wife stayed with him in Arizona while I went to Utah with our daughter. My daughter and I stayed with an uncle until we could find a rental home. I figured it would only be a short time so I didn't bring some things with me (including my 1978 cards and my scanner). What was supposed to be a month turned into four months, but the adoption finally happened in late October. Unfortunately we had trouble finding a suitable rental so we stayed with the uncle for a couple more months. We now have a rental but in the meantime the house in Arizona was burglarized. The thieves didn't get much, but they got the TV and my scanner. Luckily they didn't take any of my cards. I'll start posting again with some cards I had already had scanned into my computer and I'll pick up the other cards later.
• Killer gum stain on the back of this card.
• Tom Griffin didn't pitch for the San Diego Padres in 1978. He became a free agent after the 1977 season and signed with the California Angels.
• Tom was mostly used as a relief pitcher in 1978. He was in the Cleveland rotation for a few turns in June, but he was 0-3 in that role. Griffin had several breaks during the season as he battled injuries. He had five breaks of 10 or more days, including a 24 day hiatus in May. Tom pitched in only one game in September.
• Griffin was released after the 1978 season. He pitched for the San Francisco Giants for three years and finished up with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1982.
• 1978 Stats: 3-4, 4.02 ERA in 24 games (4 starts)
• 1978 Highlights:
• July 24 - Allowed no runs in 2 2/3 innings and earned the victory as the Angels beat the Cleveland Indians 5-4 in 16 innings.