TONY GWYNN: A BELOVED MAN APART

                  I am so sorry to hear of the passing of a San Diego legend in Tony Gwynn. He was my very favorite baseball player in MLB and was certainly my favorite Padre ever to play the game. He played the game with integrity, grace, consistency and enthusiasm and was a true role model. His play, as well as his personality, was why he was one of my heroes. He played every game the same way, regardless if the Padres were in first place, or in last place: With all his heart, and you could always count that trademark Tony Gwynn line drive base hit ever single game. His friendly demeanor and great personality was what set Tony apart from all the others.
                 He was the kind of guy to say "Gosh Darn It" with a little smile, instead of throwing his bat and screaming the F-word,  if he rarely either popped up or struck out. He was always friendly and gracious in his interviews and would engage with his fans with his trademark voice and smile before the games. But what I loved about Tony Gwynn the most, was his lack of ego. A lot of San Diegans probably have similar stories of their brushes with Tony Gwynn out in public that brings a smile to their face, and mine was one I will never forget.
                 I had the very cool experience meeting Tony for the first time myself back in 1994 and got to see how he treats his fans out of uniform and off the field in the general public first hand. LIke Tony, one of my favorite fast food places was Popeye's Fried chicken up on Aero Drive.  I happened to pull up to the Popeye's parking lot just as a nice dark blue BMW eased into the slot next to me. I looked over and saw a guy who smiled at me as if I was an old friend, and I smiled back and after about 2 seconds immediately recognized him and exclaimed to myself, "TONY...BUDDY!" We both got out of the car, and I introduced myself and shook his hand, and we both had a great conversation. 
                All I remember from that pleasant sunny afternoon was his friendly trademark smile, and how he made a complete stranger in me, feel like I was a fellow player in the clubhouse or life long friend. He was so friendly, and he acted like he had all the time in the world to engage with a fan, and it was something I never forgot. He was as friendly to me as his classy interviews we all loved to see in the post game reports. I have met my fair share of ego maniac jerks during my brother's 8 years in the NFL, who made me feel foolish for introducing myself, as some of them  treated me like I was a piece of doggy doo-doo on their shoe. But it always seems that the TRULY great ones, like Barry Sanders and Tony Gwynn, ironically, are the ones with the least amount of ego. 
               Mr. Gwynn was a true example of what is good about sports, and my condolences to all that knew him on a much more personal level as associates or players, and especially to his family...What an amazing man he was and what a class act and ambassador for all of professional sports on and off the diamond. He truly was a diamond in the rough and a true San Diego Son: #19 was a Beloved Man Apart.