eagle eye
06-17-2014, 09:59 PM
On just about every sports related show on radio and TV today remembered one of the best hitters in the history of baseball who passed away yesterday at the all-too-young age of 54 from cancer. The cancer was in the salivary gland in his mouth and Gwynn said himself in the days before his death, "baseball was the death of me". This is a direct reference to his use of smokeless tobacco throughout his career. He is said to have tried to give it up but he wasn't ever able to. He even snuck out of his house at night to go buy a can of Skoal at a local convenience store. His wife even threatened to leave him but he just could stop dipping.
I would suggest you go to Wikipedia and the many rememberances of Gwynn to that came out today. It's really true that as good a player Gwynn was he was a better person. The stories are many and I've enjoyed hearing and reading about them all day.
If anything positive comes of Gwynn's premature death then I hope it's that it brings a greater awareness of the dangers of smokeless tobacco. It's a nasty habit as anyone who has stumbled across a dipper's spit cup can attest. If this causes lives to be saved then I'm sure Gwynn would be the first to be okay with what happened to him.
Our prayers for his family. Gwynn was married to Alicia Gwynn, and was the father of rhythm-and-blues singer Anisha Nicole and major league outfielder Tony Gwynn, Jr., whose major league debut (with the Milwaukee Brewers) and first major league hit on July 19, 2006 came 24 years to the day of his father's first major league hit—each Gwynn hit a double.[119] Gwynn also had three granddaughters. His brother, Chris, was also a major league outfielder.[120] Both Chris and Tony, Jr. played with the Padres during their careers. Until Gwynn's death he split time between homes in Poway, California and Fishers, Indiana.
I would suggest you go to Wikipedia and the many rememberances of Gwynn to that came out today. It's really true that as good a player Gwynn was he was a better person. The stories are many and I've enjoyed hearing and reading about them all day.
If anything positive comes of Gwynn's premature death then I hope it's that it brings a greater awareness of the dangers of smokeless tobacco. It's a nasty habit as anyone who has stumbled across a dipper's spit cup can attest. If this causes lives to be saved then I'm sure Gwynn would be the first to be okay with what happened to him.
Our prayers for his family. Gwynn was married to Alicia Gwynn, and was the father of rhythm-and-blues singer Anisha Nicole and major league outfielder Tony Gwynn, Jr., whose major league debut (with the Milwaukee Brewers) and first major league hit on July 19, 2006 came 24 years to the day of his father's first major league hit—each Gwynn hit a double.[119] Gwynn also had three granddaughters. His brother, Chris, was also a major league outfielder.[120] Both Chris and Tony, Jr. played with the Padres during their careers. Until Gwynn's death he split time between homes in Poway, California and Fishers, Indiana.