Tony Gwynn

[StewartGilliganGriffin]

Hall Of Fame Baseball player Tony Gwynn passed away early Monday morning of cancer at the age of 54. It was cancer of the cheek and he blamed chewing tobacco. He was quite simply one of the best hitters in the history of the game. RIP Tony Gwynn. A true class act. Here is the full story if you're interested. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11...go-padres-died

[lulubaines]

Oral cancer is so devestating. RIP Tony.

[duchessmary]

He was a class act may he R.I.P. So young.

[cindyt]

RIP.

[Paulination]

In the span of a couple of years we have lost our NFL icon (JR Seau) and now our baseball icon in Tony Gwynn. Both relatively young and certainly young enough that I have had the pleasure of spending time with personally on the field during my time as a sports photographer and writer.

When I first started doing sports photography I quickly realized there was a bevvy of unwritten rules you had to figure out when on the field or else you would never last. During NFL games it was always "TV comes first" so you never got in their way or argued a perceived slight when they would rudely yank the wires that got caught around your legs almost knocking you down.

In baseball, it was Tony Gwynn and his favorite spot to stretch. In Qualcomm stadium (Jack Murphy at the time) there is a long tunnel that connects the home dugout to the locker room. At the bottom of the tunnel, just inside on the wall you could see these "fanning" marks, almost like a snow angel on the wall. The photographers liked to line this wall with all of their bags, except where these marks were. The first time I saw this, I knew there must be a reason for this gap in equipment so I just kind of watched. Not long before the game started I hear the jovial, unmistakeable laugh of Tony Gwynn echoing down the hall as he starts declaring "make room for stretching".

Tony then goes to where the gap is, lies on his back with his legs going up the wall and starts fanning them, hence the mark. Every game he did this same routine.

One day, a guy I never saw before put all his stuff in the gap underneath the marks on the wall. Trying to help the guy out I said "I wouldn't put your gear there, that's Tony's spot" He says whatever and tells me to mind my own business. I was secretly glad he did because I was curious as to what will happen.

Soon after I hear the familiar "make room for stretching" and when Tony gets to his spot and sees the gear he look dumbfounded. "What the heck, who's is this, who put there gear in my spot?" (loudly). The guy comes running in and Tony says "son, this is my spot to stretch, never put your stuff in this spot. Didn't your boss tell you about my spot?"
The photography looked mortified as he couldn't move his gear fast enough. Tony laughs and puts his arm around the guy and says "look, don't worry about it, we've all got a job to do just observe a little better that's all"

If you have ever met a superstar athlete you will know how rare that kind of interaction is.

For some reason that is my most enduring memory of him.

[duchessmary]

^don't forget, Jerry Coleman too.

[Cynful]

In the span of a couple of years we have lost our NFL icon (JR Seau) and now our baseball icon in Tony Gwynn. Both relatively young and certainly young enough that I have had the pleasure of spending time with personally on the field during my time as a sports photographer and writer.

When I first started doing sports photography I quickly realized there was a bevvy of unwritten rules you had to figure out when on the field or else you would never last. During NFL games it was always "TV comes first" so you never got in their way or argued a perceived slight when they would rudely yank the wires that got caught around your legs almost knocking you down.

In baseball, it was Tony Gwynn and his favorite spot to stretch. In Qualcomm stadium (Jack Murphy at the time) there is a long tunnel that connects the home dugout to the locker room. At the bottom of the tunnel, just inside on the wall you could see these "fanning" marks, almost like a snow angel on the wall. The photographers liked to line this wall with all of their bags, except where these marks were. The first time I saw this, I knew there must be a reason for this gap in equipment so I just kind of watched. Not long before the game started I hear the jovial, unmistakeable laugh of Tony Gwynn echoing down the hall as he starts declaring "make room for stretching".

Tony then goes to where the gap is, lies on his back with his legs going up the wall and starts fanning them, hence the mark. Every game he did this same routine.

One day, a guy I never saw before put all his stuff in the gap underneath the marks on the wall. Trying to help the guy out I said "I wouldn't put your gear there, that's Tony's spot" He says whatever and tells me to mind my own business. I was secretly glad he did because I was curious as to what will happen.

Soon after I hear the familiar "make room for stretching" and when Tony gets to his spot and sees the gear he look dumbfounded. "What the heck, who's is this, who put there gear in my spot?" (loudly). The guy comes running in and Tony says "son, this is my spot to stretch, never put your stuff in this spot. Didn't your boss tell you about my spot?"
The photography looked mortified as he couldn't move his gear fast enough. Tony laughs and puts his arm around the guy and says "look, don't worry about it, we've all got a job to do just observe a little better that's all"

If you have ever met a superstar athlete you will know how rare that kind of interaction is.

For some reason that is my most enduring memory of him.

What a fabulous story and a fantastic memory to have Pauli- thank you so much for sharing it.

Tony was a true class act....what a wonderful man....he will truly be missed....RIP.

[cash]

chewing tobacco - not good

[Upset]

I'm gonna unimaginatively re-post what I put on my Facebook page:

I just looked up Tony Gwynn's stats from the strike-shortened 1994 season. He had 165 hits in 419 at bats, for an average of .394. If just 3 of the outs he made that season had been hits, his average would have been. 401. What a great hitter he was. RIP.

[MichaelG0612]

and another piece of my childhood is gone.

[theotherlondon]

Sad to hear about his death.

From what I have read about him in the last
few days he seemed to be a very nice man in
and away from baseball.