1976 SSPC Tom House

 

The card, in brief: Simple, classic pitcher pose. You can see lots of fans starting to fill the Shea Stadium sets behind him. Wonder if it will be a full House. You can see the ballboy's stool hanging from the fence in the background. (The Mets didn't switch to ball girls until 1982.)

The player, in brief: Tom House pitched eight years in the major leagues for Atlanta, Boston and Seattle from 1971 to 1978, going 29-23 with 33 saves. His best season came with the Braves in 1974, when he went 6-2 with 11 saves and a 1.93 ERA, yet his most famous moment that season came when, sitting in the Braves bullpen, he caught Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run.

Post career, in brief: Since his retirement, he earned a Masters and PhD in sports psychology and became one of the most successful pitching coaches in the country, most famously working with Nolan Ryan in Texas. He answered my questions about baseball cards in 2010.

My collection: I have ten of his cards, from 1969 to 1979. I would be interested in trading for 1976 Star Market Boston Red Sox #NNO.