Posted on 06/16/2014 10:58:40 AM PDT by kingattax
Tony Gwynn, the left-handed right fielder who starred at San Diego State and then for the San Diego Padres, passed away Monday morning after a four-year fight with salivary-gland cancer.
Gwynn's death comes a day after he received a contract extension to coach the San Diego State Aztecs baseball team. The fifty-four-year-old San Diego legend had been on medical leave.
The bowling-ball shaped hitting machine batted .338 in twenty major league seasons, all with the Padres. He finished with 3,141 hits. In addition to his eight batting titles, Mr. Padre also collected seven Gold Gloves patrolling right field.
The fifteen-time All-Star won induction into the Hall of Fame in 2007 on his first year of eligibility with 97.6 percent of the vote. Like the late Junior Seau, Gwynn played as a beloved San Diego staple as popular for his amiable personality as his on-field accomplishments.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Oral cancer.....wonder if “Chew” was the cause.
This is terrible and sad news for such a talented and upstanding person (and to be so young). My condolences to his family and friends.
He lived in my community — always had time to say hello, sign an autograph, chat with fans. Never turned anyone down or brushed anyone aside. A prince of a human being.
It certainly did not help and yes, before people rip for being insensitive at the death of one of my favorite ball players, this San Diego native does believe in honesty. Tony had a long addiction to chewing tobacco.
“He lived in my community — always had time to say hello, sign an autograph, chat with fans. Never turned anyone down or brushed anyone aside. A prince of a human being.”
Love to hear this about professional ball players. Their genuine humility is what makes them giants among men. I wish more people would appreciate that.
He was on par with the great Ted Williams.
I remember him always having a dip in his mouth..my hubby has the same addiction, he quit smoking cold turkey but then picked up tobacco instead :(
He knows how bad it is..drives me crazy but I can only nag so much.
Gwynn, who spent his entire 20-year Hall of Fame career roaming right field for the San Diego Padres, underwent multiple surgeries to remove cancerous tumors from his mouth over the past four years, blaming a smokeless tobacco habit. He took a leave of absence from his job as San Diego State’s baseball coach in March to undergo further treatment.
In 2010, doctors diagnosed Gwynn with a malignant tumor in his cheek, more than a decade after a non-malignant tumor was removed from his parotid gland. Salivary-gland cancer recurred in 2012 and required a lengthy surgery. It came back again this year and prompted his leave from San Diego State, which nevertheless last week rewarded him with a one-year contract extension, an homage to somebody whose infectious laugh, humor and kindness affected so many around him, his family chief of all.
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