Tony Gwynn Remembered As 1 Of Baseball's Greats
The Associated Press
Reaction to the death of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. The former San Diego Padres outfielder died Monday of cancer at 54.
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"Major League Baseball today mourns the tragic loss of Tony Gwynn, the greatest Padre ever and one of the most accomplished hitters that our game has ever known, whose all-around excellence on the field was surpassed by his exuberant personality and genial disposition in life." — Commissioner Bud Selig.
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"Our city is a little darker today without him but immeasurably better because of him." — San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer.
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"Tony Gwynn was the best pure hitter I ever faced!" — Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux on Twitter. Gwynn faced Maddux 107 times, batted .415 and never struck out.
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"He was also one of the few players I'd go out and watch him take batting practice just to see the swing and to see the results. It's a big loss to baseball." — Phillies manager and Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg.
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"More than just Mr. Padre, Tony was Mr. San Diego. He cared deeply about our city and had a profound impact on our community. He forever will be remembered not only for his tremendous on-field accomplishments, but also for his infectious laugh, warm, outgoing personality and huge heart." — San Diego Padres.
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"A lot of times when people are really good at something they can have an arrogance, like they're better than the rest of the world, but the way he treated people was unlike any other. Whether you were a freshman or a senior, he treated you like a regular person. He did that to the people who were nagging him to get autographs from the stands every single game we went to. He was great to everybody." — Cleveland Indians pitcher Justin Masterson, who played for Gwynn at San Diego State.
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"The baseball world is going to miss one of the greats, and the world itself is going to miss one of the great men of mankind. He cared so much for other people. He had a work ethic unlike anybody else, and had a childlike demeanor of playing the game just because he loved it so much." — former teammate Tim Flannery, who now coaches for the San Francisco Giants.
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"He was such a great ambassador to the game. He just always did such a great job of making himself available to the fans. He was not just a great teammate, but he was a great friend that we're all going to miss." — former teammate and manager Bruce Bochy, who now manages the San Francisco Giants.
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"Tony Gwynn once waited for me 40 minutes after a game when I was a rookie to talk hitting and that (talk) helped me for my whole career!!! The best pure hitter in my generation and even better man and that will be what's missed most his character will surpass all his statistics." — former major league outfielder Juan Pierre on Twitter.
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"Growing up in San Diego, I was inspired by Tony's passion for excellence, and I was honored to have played against him as a major leaguer." — Major League Baseball Players' Association executive director and former major leaguer Tony Clark.
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"Tony was an icon and one of San Diego's greatest sports legends. He was beloved by so many for his passion for life, his generosity and, of course, his laugh." — San Diego Chargers President Dean Spanos. The team canceled its "Thank You San Diego" event on Monday out of respect for Gwynn.
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"God blessed him with an eye, hand-eye coordination, to hit the ball anytime he wanted to, anywhere he wanted to. In a big situation he always got that big hit." — Detroit Tigers outfielder Torii Hunter.
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"A great ballplayer, adversary & human being." — former major league star Tim Raines on Twitter.
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"Today's era, with all the defensive shifts, he would kill it if they tried to shift on him. This guy could manipulate the baseball like no one I ever saw." Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers, also a former GM with San Diego.
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"He was in a league of his own, hitting-wise." — Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost.
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