Foreword: San Diego Padres: The First Half-Century
This article was written by Randy Jones
This article was published in San Diego Padres: The First Half Century (2019)
I had missed the first four years of the San Diego Padres major-league existence, joining the club in June 1973. I ended the season 7-6 with a 3.16 ERA. I found out later that I had set a Padres record: the highest winning percentage for a left-handed pitcher in Padres history. That’s when I realized I was at the start of Padres history. Now, 45 years later, I find myself blessed to still be part of the Padres organization. Whether it be talking to the young players on the team or visiting with longtime Padres fans, we share our passion for America’s pastime.
In San Diego Padres: The First Half Century, SABR has captured some of the great players to wear a Padres uniform and also takes the true baseball fan through some of the more memorable dates in their history. Not just dates that we always read about but the ones that truly tell the story of the franchise.
I had the pleasure of knowing every player and manager/exec mentioned in the book and enjoyed reading and reminiscing with the author on their impact to Padres baseball. I remember in 1973, Nate Colbert taking a rookie left-handed pitcher under his wing and teaching him how to be a big-league ballplayer. I always appreciated what he did for me. In the ’70s, Elten Schiller coming up with the Junior Padres Program where kids could get a ticket to nine games for just $1.00. Thought that was one of the greatest marketing ideas I had ever seen in baseball. Talking with Jake Peavy in the spring of 2007, telling him if he could perfect an offspeed pitch he could win a Cy Young Award. SABR has done a great job on the research on all these players.
The events talked about in the first 50 years give a different perspective to Padres baseball lore. There were way too many losing seasons but sometimes this makes the winning seasons even more special memories. I remember 1978 when we finally went over .500, 84-78, and how excited we all were with our achievements. It would be six more seasons before the Padres would win their first championship and trip to a World Series. I personally had retired from the game in 1983 and remember being a little envious of the ’84 team but got a chance to be involved. Miller Beer invited myself and Detroit’s Norm Cash to do the Lite Beer commercial for the World Series. It wasn’t exactly how I’d seen myself in the fall classic but was proud to be a small part.
If you’re a longtime Padres fan or baseball fan, you’ll enjoy the wonderful stories put together by SABR on the first 50 years of the Padres franchise. I’m proud to be in the Padres Hall of Fame and have my number, 35, retired but more proud of the friends I’ve made and people I’ve met with my association with the Padres. Reading these stories has certainly brought many of those memories and I can’t thank SABR enough for writing them.
ENJOY!
RANDY JONES was the 1976 NL Cy Young Award winner with the San Diego Padres. He won 100 career games in 10 big-league seasons with the Padres and New York Mets. Later, he started Randy Jones BBQ, which became a fixture at Padres’ home games.