Before we settle in for today’s NFL playoffs, FCS National Championship game, with some huge early-conference college basketball games thrown in, we’re taking a moment to continue our countdown to San Diego Padres Opening Day 2019, which now sits at 82 days.
To honor the number 82, let’s go back to the ’82 draft, where the Padres used their first-round pick on a right-handed high school pitcher out of Dallas, Texas named Jimmy Jones. Jones pitched for the Padres, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and Montreal Expos during his eight-year pro career, before finishing his playing days with the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball league.