Il Divo For Life

shushu · Geregistreerd op: 27 Feb 2019 Berichten: 346

SAN DIEGO -- Tony Gwynns sweet swing was matched only by his incandescent smile. The Hall of Famer was saluted at Petco Park on Thursday night in a ceremony that would have made "Mr. Padre" light up. Though, that wasnt something Gwynn had trouble doing. "It was so engaging," former teammate Steve Garvey said of Gwynns grin. "There are a few guys in sports that have it. You always think of Magic (Johnson), and Tony was baseballs Magic as far as that smile was concerned." Gwynn, a Hall of Famer who spent his entire 20-year career with the Padres, died on June 16 from oral cancer, a disease he attributed to years of chewing tobacco. He was 54. The 15-time All Star averaged .338 over a career in which he had 3,141 hits and won eight NL batting titles. A two-sport star at San Diego State before getting selected by the Padres in the third round of the 1981 draft, he was beloved for his achievements on the field and his humility on and off it. Gwynn never hid his affection for San Diego, embracing his "Mr. Padre" nickname and declining to leave San Diego as a free agent on numerous occasions. After retiring from the Padres following the 2001 season, Gwynn became SDSUs baseball coach. Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson and ex-Padre Trevor Hoffman were among the speakers who addressed the crowd of about 20,000 from a stage erected in right field, just in front of the No. 19 carved into the outfield grass. A podium was placed between three No. 19 Gwynn jerseys, two from the Padres World Series appearances in 1984 and 1998 and one from San Diego State. The left-field scoreboard showed a collage of pictures that ranged from Gwynn tipping his hat to the crowd and to him clutching his Hall of Fame plaque. And, of course, one displaying that warm smile. "We all know Tony was a great player, a great Hall of Famer," Jackson said. "That is known when he got 97 per cent of the vote -- that puts him in the top four or five. ... "He was a genuine man, a quality man, a 100 per cent family man. A great son, a great husband, a great father, a great friend and a great teammate. He was an example of what we all want to live and emulate as a person." Thursdays tribute, which started when 19 white doves were released, was open to the public following the private service Gwynns family held Saturday at SDSU. Gwynns fans, many wearing his brown-and-yellow No. 19 jersey, were given a chance to pay their respects to someone they felt they knew. He was an anchor of not only the Padres two World Series teams, but in the community as well. After leaving the Padres, he coached at SDSU, was a member of the Padres broadcasting team and remained active in various charities. A stream of people walked past Gwynns statue in the adjacent Park at the Park, with a line snaking past memorabilia of his storied career. Gwynn, whose No. 19 is retired by the Padres, batted at least .300 in 19 straight seasons. In 1994, he was hitting .394 in August when the season ended prematurely because of the baseball strike; in 1995, he struck out only 15 times in 577 plate appearances. But it was the way Gwynn carried himself that endeared him to countless fans. And not just those in San Diego. Gwynn has been honoured around baseball since his death. Tony Gwynn Jr., his son, was given a standing ovation Tuesday in Philadelphia in his first at-bat with the Phillies since taking a leave following his fathers death. "Even though he was on the other team you still had to admire the way he went about his business," said Joe Torre, an executive vice-president for Major League Baseball and former Yankees manager. "Unfortunately we dont have many, maybe any -- maybe Derek Jeter -- that conduct themselves in a similar fashion. "Honestly, what you saw is what you got: he was a good hitter and never tried to show anybody up." Gwynn became and stayed a star in San Diego. He never thought it would shine brighter elsewhere. "Im a Padre, a San Diego Padre," Gwynn once said. "And Im proud of it." Near the end of the tribute Hoffman, in a halting voice, talked straight to Gwynn, his former Padres teammate. "Thank you for representing San Diego," Hoffman said, "with such class." Brandon Belt Jersey .com) - Rakeem Christmas scored 21 points, B. Tony Watson Jersey . You can watch coverage on TSN, TSN2 and CTV beginning today at 3pm et/Noon pt. The championships will feature approximately 250 of Canadas best figure skaters in senior, junior and novice as they vie for spots on the national team, international assignments and will act as the final step in the 2014 Olympic qualification process. http://www.cheapsanfranciscogiantsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-alen-hanson-jersey . The international synchronized skating competition takes place from January 31 - February 1, 2014, and features 39 teams from 10 countries, in senior, junior, and novice. Hunter Pence Jersey . LOUIS -- The St. Bruce Bochy Jersey .Inter Milan and Napoli also advanced to ensure there will be at least three Italian clubs in the last 32 of Europes secondary competition.Spurs victory, secured by Benjamin Stamboulis 49th-minute winner, was overshadowed by a succession of pitch invasions that forced the referee to halt the game after 41 minutes.BALTIMORE - Steve Lombardozzi tripled and scored on a single by David Lough in the 12th inning, giving the Baltimore Orioles a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night. Toronto trailed 1-0 with two outs in the ninth when Colby Rasmus hit a solo homer off Tommy Hunter on a 1-2 pitch. After nearly going around on a check swing one pitch earlier, Rasmus drove a 98 mph fastball into the right-field seats. In the 12th, Lombardozzi hit a one-out drive to centre off Todd Redmond (0-1) before Lough sliced an opposite-field liner to left. As soon as Lombardozzi crossed the plate, the Orioles sprinted from the dugout to embrace Lough, who scored Baltimores other run five innings earlier. Zach Britton (2-0) got the win with two hitless innings of relief. It was the second straight low-scoring affair between two AL East foes known for their offensive prowess. On Friday night, Toronto scored two unearned runs in a 2-0 victory In this one, neither starter allowed a run and neither got a victory for the effort. Bud Norris gave up five hits and three walks over seven innings for Baltimore and was poised to earn his first win of the season before Rasmus connected in the ninth. Drew Hutchison handcuffed the Orioles on four hits over six innings, walking two and striking out five. After Hutchison left, the Orioles struck in the seventh against right-hander Neil Wagner. Lough singled with two outs before rookie Jonathan Schoop, the No. 9 hitter, lined a 3-2 pitch into the alley in right-centre for an RBI double. Evan Meek protected the lead in the eighth, but Hunter gave it away for his firsst blown save in four tries this season.dddddddddddd The game featured the first replay challenge at Camden Yards. In the fourth inning, Lombardozzi reached on a grounder when umpire Chris Conroy ruled that a throw from Hutchison pulled first baseman Edwin Encarnacion off the bag. Toronto manager John Gibbons challenged the call, and after a delay of 2 minutes, 38 seconds, the decision stood. Lough followed by hitting into an inning-ending double play. Both teams threatened in the third. Toronto put runners at the corners with one out before Maicer Izturis hit a short flyball and Jose Bautista struck out. In the bottom half, Hutchison struck out Chris Davis and Adam Jones after giving up successive one-out singles to Nick Markakis and Nelson Cruz. NOTES: Ubaldo Jimenez (0-2, 6.75 ERA) seeks his first win with the Orioles on Sunday. Mark Buehrle (2-0, 0.64) will pitch for Toronto, which is 0-3 in series finales. ... Toronto SS Jose Reyes (hamstring) ran the bases, said he felt "very good" and expects to start a rehabilitation assignment with Class-A Dunedin on Monday. If all goes well, he could join the Blue Jays next Friday in Cleveland. Also, closer Casey Janssen (oblique) will pitch in Dunedin on Monday or Tuesday, Gibbons said. ... Orioles SS J.J. Hardy returned from a five-game absence with back spasms. ... Torontos Melky Cabrera has hit in 12 straight games, tied with Vernon Wells (2006) for the longest streak in franchise history to start a season. ... It was the first time this season that a Blue Jays starter was not involved in the decision. ' ' '