I'm collecting stories/interviews, and images this afternoon
from the site of a memorial to Tony Gwynn at Petco Park
in San Diego. A candlelight vigil is planned for this evening.

He was an eight time national league player of the year.
One of the finest players to ever get on the ball field.
Even Ted Williams looked up to him.

He died of cancer...lots of folks tried to get him to
stop chewing tobacco to no avail. He really let himself go
after retiring. He gained weight etc...he looked bad for only
fifty-four years old.

He coached baseball at San Diego State up until this past March,
but it was evident that his heart just wasn't in it after the first year.

The novelty of being just a working stiff like the rest of us wore off.
Nonetheless, he was a total class act. Tony Gwynn R.I.P.

News Link

Sad news...great player, and great guy by all accounts I've heard.

One of my favorite players of all time. Truly....a pure and talented hitter. His defense was not too bad either.....not to mention....he was also a humble gentleman of the game.

RIP...Tony Gwynn

Right on about the defense...many gold gloves, and one if the best hitters of his day.

There are so many mourners, hundreds of cameras
and live tv feeds going on from all over, so it's hard
to get a human free shot of the statue, but here is another one.


Tony Gwynn, his daughter Anisha and his son Tony who now plays
for the Phillies. This was taken before digital imaging in 1992,
but I knew it was a keeper. First time in a digital format.
I'd sure like to get this to his son Tony in Philadelphia if
anyone knows a way?

Too young

Tony never got a chance to play at Petco Park.
He is still the all time assists leader in basketball at SDSU.

Tony Gwynn left his five golden gloves to the
San Diego Padres for all fans to enjoy.

He also left all of the memorabilia from his
3000 career hits run. The gloves, bats, cleats,
jerseys, helmets, wine bottles, pins, etc...

The items were out in the open at the dog park
adjacent to the ball field. I'd never thought
that I would actually ever get to see an actual
'Golden Glove', but five?

Here are a few pics of the memorabilia as they
were making their way into the ball park.







24K Gold Pins from the 3000 hits

Tonight was San Diego's last moment to grieve for Tony.
In attendance were Steve Garvey, Joe Torre, Tony La Russa,
Trevor Hoffman, Reggie Jackson, the baseball commissioner,
along with a host of players from around the league.

If you never met Tony, his presence was more than baseball.
When he spoke to you, he made it seem like you were the most
important person in the world. He wouldn't get distracted by
folks walking behind you and waving to him etc...He gave his
complete attention.

He never liked big ceremonies or to talk about stats. He would
always preach about doing the right thing and strong work ethics!

This is my last post on Tony's passing. I created this
thread as a historical marker for myself, Tony's fans
in the present, and future historians of the game.

I hope some of you found this thread interesting and hopefully
learned something about this generation's best baseball player.
He never cheated and that was very rare during his time!

The Detroit fans gave Anthony Gwynn Jr a very warm welcome
after burying Tony.Link.

R.I.P. Anthony Keith Gwynn

I had never seen Reggie Jackson in person.
It was a surreal evening for me on many levels.

The timer ran out before I could include these shots.
Please forgive me.

Reggie Jackson


Steve Garvey, Trevor Hoffman is seated in front of him.


Tony's daughter Anisha


Kid looking at Tony's Golden Glove Awards

Great Norman Rockwell moment in that last photo Devious. Thanks.

Great stuff. Thanks Devious!

One of the great players of the greatest game. Thanks, Devious.

(On a side note: Devious, your love for San Diego really shines through here at the Café. We appreciate that.)

Thanks men...

@Stoneunhinged,
I have been to several places in Europe and Hawaii in search
of a new place to hang my hat. Sometimes the homes I found
were out of my range, the seller wouldn't come down enough,
or something about the neighborhood didn't quite fit.

It's not so bad being stuck in San Diego for now.
I'm quite fond of the area indeed.

Unquestionably one of the best hitters ever. RIP