1976 SSPC Tommy John

 RIP Chet Lemon, who shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2011.

The card, in brief: All of the card photos were taken at Shea Stadium during the 1975 season. John was out with his famous injury that year, but I guess at least sometimes he traveled and suited up with the team.

Playing career, in brief:  Tommy John pitched for 26 seasons in the major leagues, winning 288 games. A four-time all-star, he was twice a runner-up in the Cy Young Award voting. He was coming off of two straight seasons where he won the NL winning percentage title when he missed '75 with the arm injury that required revolutionary surgery. He continued to pitch at an elite level when he returned, winning 20+ games three of the next five seasons. He was still an effective pitcher well into his 40s; he was the ace of the Yankees staff in 1987 at the age of 44.

Post-playing career, in brief: After his career he spent some time as a broadcaster and a coach. He has also put his name on products as varied as joint cream and wine, and he is the chair of a foundation dedicated to suicide prevention. He shared his favorite card with this blog in 2013. 

My collection: I have 70 of his cards, from 1964 to 1989. I would be interested in trading for 1978 SSPC #75 and 1989 Classic #40.