Mr. Padre has left the stadium. The sad news that Tony Gwynn
finally succumbed to salivary gland cancer this week has reminded the baseball
world what a remarkable man he was. Beyond being one of the best players to
ever play the game, he was a devoted family man and active participant in more
than two-dozen organizations including the Police Athletic League, the Sickle
Cell Anemia Foundation and Padres Scholars. Tony Gwynn was everywhere, all the
time, helping whoever needed help and always with a smile on his face. He was
the quintessential role model sports hero.
To baseball fans Tony Gwynn was one of the best pure hitters
who ever lived and had the nicknames to prove it; The Sultan of Singles, The
Master of Mechanics and Captain Video. His relentless work ethic and
consistency produced results that are usually only found in cheesy Hollywood
sports movies. The short list of ridiculously impressive numbers:
- Played 20 years for one team, the San Diego Padres
- 15 time All-Star
- 3,141 hits
- .338 lifetime batting average
- Hit over .300 for 19 consecutive seasons
- 8 batting titles
- Struck out only 423 times total in 20 years (!)
I could go on but I think you get the point. He was awesome. When the experts talk about the
science of hitting a baseball they talk about three guys -Tony Gwynn, Honus Wagner and Ted
Williams. That’s some rarified air there.
From all accounts, Tony Gwynn was a great player and, more
importantly, an even better person. That he died at the relatively young age of
54 makes this story even sadder. However, to his legions of fans, Tony will live on
through fond memories and his good works. But mostly he’ll be remembered for lending
a helping hand as a smiling hero. RIP Mr. Padre.
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| Baseball Hall of Fame Legends Autographed Photo |
This rare and one of a kind 20x30 Photograph has been personally hand
signed by Al Kaline, Andre Dawson, Bill Mazeroski, Bruce Sutter, BrooksRobinson, Billy Williams, Bob Gibson, Carl Yastrzemski, Cal Ripken, Jr., DaveWinfield, Dennis Eckersley, Don Sutton, Eddie Murray, Ernie Banks, FergieJenkins, Frank Robinson, Gary Carter, Juan Marichal, Lou Brock, Mike Schmidt,
Nolan Ryan, Orlando Cepeda, Ozzie Smith, Paul Molitor, Phil Niekro, Yogi Berra,
Willie Mays, Willie McCovery, Whitey Herzog, Wade Boggs, Tony Perez, TonyGwynn, Tom Seaver, Tommy Lasorda, Steve Carlton, Stan Musial, Sandy Koufax,
Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson, Robin Yount, Rod Carew, Ryne Sandberg, JohnnyBench, Joe Morgan, Jim Rice, Jim Palmer, Hank Aaron, Goose Gossage, GeorgeBrett, and Gaylord Perry
