TONY GWYNN JR. PLAYING FOR THE PADRES
SAN DIEGO -
It's been almost three weeks since Tony Gwynn Jr. got the call of a lifetime, from his hall of fame father, telling him he was coming home. The younger Gwynn has now settled into the padres outfield - batting .298 and both father and son couldn't be happier with the results.
"The first 3-4 days, I was kind of in awe," Gwynn Jr. said. "Excited about it and in disbelief. "
The awe and disbelief have worn off. But not the excitement of playing back in the city where he grew up and where his dad built a Hall of Fame career.
"He looks good in a Padre uniform," Gwynn Sr. said after watching his son take batting practice at Petco Park. "It's a lot of fun for me, i don't know about anybody else. He's done alright. He's held his own so far so i'm really proud of him."
The elder Gwynn has taken in a couple of batting practice sessions at Petco Park. It's a place where Gwynn Sr. never played, but would seem perfectly taylored to Junior's speed-based, slap-hitting style.
"It's a big park, the gaps are huge," Gwynn Jr. said. "If i keep the ball on a line or on the ground, I can have some good things happen."
So now the son plays in the shadow of his father, literally. Tony Gwynn Sr.'s statue stands large in Park at the Park just a short pop fly from where Tony Jr. plays outfield. Then there's Tony Gwynn way, which leads right up to the ballpark.
"It sounds kind of funny, but it's nothing new for me," Gwynn Jr. said. "I played in a stadium called 'Tony Gwynn Stadium' (at SDSU). I drive on that street for about a block everyday and it's pretty cool. You get to see your dad's name up there and it takes you back to all the good times he had here and hopefully I can add on to it."
Tony Sr. would love to see that happen. Mostly so his family can stay all together.
"It's up to him to take advantage of it," Gwynn Sr. said. "Hopefully he will. Hopefully he can be here a long time and hopefully I can see my grandbabies everyday for a long time, that would be great."
Spoken like a proud papa.
"The first 3-4 days, I was kind of in awe," Gwynn Jr. said. "Excited about it and in disbelief. "
The awe and disbelief have worn off. But not the excitement of playing back in the city where he grew up and where his dad built a Hall of Fame career.
"He looks good in a Padre uniform," Gwynn Sr. said after watching his son take batting practice at Petco Park. "It's a lot of fun for me, i don't know about anybody else. He's done alright. He's held his own so far so i'm really proud of him."
The elder Gwynn has taken in a couple of batting practice sessions at Petco Park. It's a place where Gwynn Sr. never played, but would seem perfectly taylored to Junior's speed-based, slap-hitting style.
"It's a big park, the gaps are huge," Gwynn Jr. said. "If i keep the ball on a line or on the ground, I can have some good things happen."
So now the son plays in the shadow of his father, literally. Tony Gwynn Sr.'s statue stands large in Park at the Park just a short pop fly from where Tony Jr. plays outfield. Then there's Tony Gwynn way, which leads right up to the ballpark.
"It sounds kind of funny, but it's nothing new for me," Gwynn Jr. said. "I played in a stadium called 'Tony Gwynn Stadium' (at SDSU). I drive on that street for about a block everyday and it's pretty cool. You get to see your dad's name up there and it takes you back to all the good times he had here and hopefully I can add on to it."
Tony Sr. would love to see that happen. Mostly so his family can stay all together.
"It's up to him to take advantage of it," Gwynn Sr. said. "Hopefully he will. Hopefully he can be here a long time and hopefully I can see my grandbabies everyday for a long time, that would be great."
Spoken like a proud papa.
