The Padres' Dave Staton and Blink 182

In 1994 a band called Blink out of suburban San Diego began to make its mark on the music scene. By 1999, with songs featured in the film American Pie, the band would experience main stream success -- only by that time the world knew this poppy, punk-rock band by the name Blink 182.

Let's go back to 1994 . . .

When Blink began to realize success with their release of Cheshire Cat they appeared on the music industry's radar and consequently received a threat of legal action from an Irish techno band already using the name Blink. The fellas from Rancho Bernardo acquiesced, added the numbers 182, and the rest as they say is history. But is it?

What on earth does the 182 signify. Back in the day I initially thought it was a reference to an 80's film called Turk 182 starring a young Timothy Hutton. The lead character, due to personal circumstances, turned into quite the iconoclast and ultimately began tagging using an esoteric slogan: Turk 182. It also sounded cool. But I never received corroboration and I eventually moved off of this theory.

Originating from the retirement community of Rancho Bernardo it was also theorized that Blink 182 arrived with their name using the alphabet. If you take the18th letter of the alphabet (R) and the 2nd letter (B) and place them next to one another (182) it signifies their origins in RB, the notorious neighborhood of blue hairs.

It has even been suggested that 182 is the number of times Al Pacino used the "f" word in the film Scarface.

As a band however, Blink 182 are on record stating that the numbers have no special meaning at all. But this is patently untrue. As any keen observer will tell you, big things were happening in San Diego, California during 1994 . . . and in the blink of an eye (no pun intended) it all ended.

On the field at Jack Murphy Stadium the San Diego Padres were on their way to a disastrous last place finish in the NL West during a strike shortened season. It was a year in which Tony Gwynn chased the majesty of .400 and a young player named Dave Staton attempted to make his mark in San Diego. While the young first baseman out of Cal State Fullerton averaged a HR nearly once every 15 at-bats it wasn't enough for Dave Staton to keep his job.

As Staton's career ended in a blink the young musicians out of Rancho Bernardo memorialized Dave Staton by adding the numbers 182 to a band name that would become synonymous with mainstream pop punk.

The year is now 2012 and Blink 182 is recording music again after a hiatus that saw their individual parts creating under new names. And what of former Padre Dave Staton, you ask? Well he too is getting his due . . .