1976 Topps #184 - Bill Greif

• Bill Greif had a lifetime record of 31-67. It seems rare for a pitcher who has that many decisions to have twice as many losses as wins. Bill pitched for some pretty awful San Diego teams in the early to mid seventies.

• Bill was drafted by the Houston Astros in 1968 and spent a few years in the minors. He was brought up to the Astros at the end of the 1971 season and was 1-1 with a 5.06 ERA in seven games. After the season Grief was traded with Darrell Thomas and Mark Schaeffer.to the San Diego Padres for Dave Roberts. The 1972 season was a tough one for Greif -- he was 5-16 with a 5.60 ERA in 34 games (22 starts).

• The 1973 season was Bill's best. He was only 10-17, but he had a 3.21 ERA in 36 games (31 starts). Greif was 9-19 with a 4.66 ERA in 1974 and led the NL in hit batsmen with 14.

• In 1975 Greif was moved to the bullpen. He had a 4-6 record with a 3.88 ERA and nine saves in 59 appearances. Bill moved back to the Padre starting rotation in 1976 and struggled. He averaged fewer than five innings a start and was 1-3 with an 8.06 ERA in five starts. Greif was mercifully traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Luis Melendez on May 19. He made 47 relief appearances for the Cards and was 1-5 with six saves.

• After the 1976 season Greif was traded to the Montreal Expos in a multi-player deal. Bill didn't pitch at all in 1977 -- he was released during spring training. Greif tried to pitch in the minors for AAA Tidewater (Mets) in 1978 but hung 'em up after appearing in three games.

• After his playing career Bill was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from the University of Texas with a BA in Psychology and has also earned a Masters in Education with a major in Counseling and Guidance from Texas State University. Greif went into real estate and currently makes his living from real estate investments. He was the co-founder of Cancer Connection in Texas.