#17 - Mike Scott

What a card: Life was about to change for Mike Scott in 1985. That year, he met up with pitching coach Roger Craig, who taught the struggling pitcher the split-fingered fastball, a pitch that was all the rage at the time. Scott would use it to become a 20-game winner and 300-strikeout pitcher.

My observation the front: Scott has that hair that half the boys in my graduating class -- including me -- had in the '80s. It's a wonder we didn't all fly away.

More opinion from me: Scott might be most famous these days as one of the greatest pitching cheats in major league history. He was constantly accused of scuffing the ball, especially during the 1986 NLCS when the Mets could not hit him at all. Scott, years later, admitted to scuffing balls periodically. Personally, I thought it was wonderful. Scott was absolutely dominating, and there is nothing that howls louder than a New York fan. It was beautiful.

Something you might know: The Mets traded Scott to the Astros for Danny Heep on Dec. 10, 1982, a trade that did not go their way at all. That probably caused some howls from Mets fans, too.

Something you might not know: Scott is one of six pitchers who has thrown a no-hitter after he left the Mets. (The others are Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, David Cone and Hideo Nomo). No pitcher has ever thrown a no-hitter for the Mets.

My observation on the back: Scott's pitching totals are pretty pathetic at this point. He would go on to become the third winningest pitcher in Astros history.

The blog wants to speak now: I've updated the Ballgames, Music and News categories. I should have the first Other Cards entry up on the weekend.