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Thread: RIP Tony Gwynn

  1. #1
    Member Camelogue's Avatar
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    RIP Tony Gwynn

    One of my son's favorites and mine.

    Well spoken, arguably the greatest "hitter" post Ted Williams.

    I shed a tear for you today.
    Last edited by Camelogue; 06-16-2014 at 11:33 PM.

  2. #2
    Well, that's a crappy thing to wake up and hear first thing. Ted was a San Diego guy and hung out with Tony for years. I would love to have been a fly on the wall when those guys were talking hitting. One of the great guys and great players. A sad day for baseball.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Camelogue View Post
    One of my son's favorites and mine.

    Well spoke, arguably the greatest "hitter" post Ted Williams.

    I shed a tear for you today.
    By putting the quotes around "hitter" I assume you mean just hitting for average?

  4. #4
    Geriatric Anomaly progeezer's Avatar
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    Tony Gwynn was the absolute antithesis of players like McGwire, Canseco, Bonds, A Rod & (no I won't leave out) Braun.

    A class act from start to finish, and the first outspoken player about applying both the science of kinesiology and mathematics to hitting.

    RIP to one of the best ambassadors the game has ever seen.
    "My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"

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  5. #5
    All Things Must Pass spellbound's Avatar
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    I saw him play. As Mr. Geezer points out, a class act. I will miss him. One of baseball's greats. Rest in peace, Tony.
    We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
    It won't be visible through the air
    And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973

  6. #6
    Member Zonefish's Avatar
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    Tony lived in my town and I occasionally ran into him at Rubios or the supermarket. He is the epitome of a class act on AND off the field. Never to busy to say hello with a smile. He IS what the game is missing now. He will be missed.
    "So it goes."
    -Kurt Vonnegut

  7. #7
    Member Camelogue's Avatar
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    No, quotes were for emphasis on "hitter" Tony was a hitting machine. Chicks may have dug the long ball but I was a huge Tony Gwynn fan. I don't hero worship anyone but Tony was unique and admirable.

    I have had some Jim Leyland moments today. My son wrote of his memory of his encounter with Tony in 1996, when as a 10 year old my son threw out the first pitch at the Pittsburgh/San Diego game. I think he lost part of his childhood today.......

  8. #8
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    A very personable and likable guy from all the interviews I'd seen of him, and from all the personal accounts I've heard today, its a universal sentiment.

    Funny he would die just days after Bob Welch, the only pitcher that consistently struck him out.
    Compact Disk brought high fidelity to the masses and audiophiles will never forgive it for that

  9. #9
    Bummer... A great player and even better human being.
    Be a loyal plastic robot for a world that doesn't care... Frank Zappa

  10. #10
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Just a fantastic, amazing hitter. And I've read more than one player/writer/coach/etc. say that, as good a hitter as he was, he was an even better human being.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  11. #11
    I wonder how good he would have been in he American League. I remember when Dave Johnson went to the Braves from the Orioles and hit 40 home runs.
    NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS!

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Shadow View Post
    I wonder how good he would have been in he American League. I remember when Dave Johnson went to the Braves from the Orioles and hit 40 home runs.
    No doubt if he was on the Orioles, his production would have been severely impacted due to the league-wide conspiracy against them.

  13. #13
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    I'm not a big believer on the techniques and minutia of hitting. I think there is so much evidence of people hitting well one year and horribly the next that a lot of it is simply being in a groove or not.

    That being said, there are a handful of players who I believe are different. Professional hitters that either see or react in different ways than the average player. Tony Gwynn was one of them. Honestly, when he batted I figured he would get a hit every time. Never having pitched, I don't know the pitcher's mindset but I have to believe when Gwynn was at bat they knew they had to be very smart.

    I'm not a believer in the "science" of baseball. I am a believer in the "art" of baseball and Tony Gwynn was a craftsman and his artistry will be missed.
    "The woods would be very silent if the only birds that sang were those who sang best..." - Henry David Thoreau

  14. #14
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Completely disagree with you, gryphs. Baseball is both an art and a science, and Gwynn was a master of both. Yes, there is an element of "groove," but one of the best things to follow in the game is the constant adjustments that are being made by pitcher and hitter. That's not art, that's science.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Bails View Post
    Completely disagree with you, gryphs. Baseball is both an art and a science, and Gwynn was a master of both. Yes, there is an element of "groove," but one of the best things to follow in the game is the constant adjustments that are being made by pitcher and hitter. That's not art, that's science.
    Not to mention that there gerentally *aren't* wide variations in performance among hitters. As they say, most established players "play to the back of their baseball card," and this is validated by just looking at the season stats.

  16. #16
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    Sorry, but I look at baseball the way the average American looks at soccer...a lot of nothing happening. Is that fair? No, but neither is it towards soccer.

    As I said before, there are players who are consistently good hitters, but the majority of them have their averages spike over their careers. A down year for Tony Gwynn is a career year for others.
    "The woods would be very silent if the only birds that sang were those who sang best..." - Henry David Thoreau

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Facelift View Post
    No doubt if he was on the Orioles, his production would have been severely impacted due to the league-wide conspiracy against them.
    "The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"

  18. #18
    Member Vic2012's Avatar
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    I'm not a big baseball fan but I remember Tony Gwynn. Seems like every discussion about him all week on sports talk radio has been about his smokeless tobacco habit, and how it may have cause his death. Well, that was it for me. Tony was 54, I'm 56 and enough is enough. I through away my last can of chew in the garbage on Tuesday. I made no excuses this time, I just stopped and haven't gone back to it. Yeah, it's only been 3-4 days but for me that's a huge victory. The how or why I started that habit isn't important. I just quit cold turkey. Tobacco addiction is like heroine addiction (well, almost).

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    That's cool Vic, congrats.

  20. #20
    VIC! Smart move!!! Good luck!!
    "The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"

  21. #21
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    That's awesome, Vic. Good luck.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  22. #22
    Member Guitarplyrjvb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vic2012 View Post
    Seems like every discussion about him all week on sports talk radio has been about his smokeless tobacco habit, and how it may have cause his death.
    I don't think there's much question that his salivary gland cancer was caused by smokeless tobacco. That's the tragedy: a great guy lost much too young because of a horrible habit. Hopefully, this will change the baseball culture.

    Hope you can kick it, Vic!

  23. #23
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Aaaaannnnddd....the player's union has already come out and said that they have no interest in banning smokeless tobacco.

    Because why would you want to look out for the welfare of your players?
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  24. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Bails View Post
    Aaaaannnnddd....the player's union has already come out and said that they have no interest in banning smokeless tobacco.

    Because why would you want to look out for the welfare of your players?
    Honestly, I don't think it's their place to ban it. They can educate people about it. But, it's ultimately the user's choice. I'm sure sponsorships might have something to do with it, if they have any. So, they could take a stand and end any relationships they might currently have with the tobacco industry (lobbyists).
    "The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"

  25. #25
    Member Vic2012's Avatar
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    I didn't "through" the can away, I throwed it away...... I'm confident I've kicked it. By now I would've caved already.

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