MLB Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn Passes at 54

The baseball world mourns the passing of Hall of Famer and great hitter Tony Gwynn at the young age of 54. Gwynn played 20 season with the San Diego Padres and passed Monday June 16th due to complications with cancer.

Tony Gwynn was one of the greatest hitters in Major League Baseball history banging out over 3,100 hits in his career and did it all with just one team. He was not only a great player but also a pretty cool guy who would take the time to talk baseball with anyone.

I got to meet the slugger in 1988 when the Padres came to St. Louis to take on the Cards. I was dating a bartender who worked at the Adam’s Mark downtown at the time, that is where the visiting teams would stay when they came into to town.

She called me after the game that night and told me the Padres where hanging out so I got down there and got to meet Tony Gwynn. He was a cool guy who loved to talk baseball. I have met other players before and some times they were cool and others they didn’t care but Gwynn was one of the coolest.

He sat and talked baseball with this silly fan for a couple of hours before calling it a night. I never asked for an autograph, I’m sure he would have given me one but I never thought about it. I just thought it was cool that he took the time to talk baseball with me.

It is a sad day for baseball as we lost a true Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn at the young age of 54.