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Padres Press Clips Wednesday, July 13, 2016 Article Source Author Page Myers, Pomeranz deliver for the home town crowd MLB.com Cassavell 2 NL batting title to be named after Gwynn MLB.com Footer 3 Kan Diego: RoyALs power ASG win at Petco MLB.com Cassavell 6 Pomeranza appreciates path to hometown All-Star MLB.com Cassavell 10 Renfroe, Asuaje in Triple-A All-Star Game Padres.com Center 12 Cashner gets matchup with Bumgarner after break MLB.com Wise 14 Baseball aids in education of homeless kids MLB.com Collazo 15 San Diego shines for All-Star game UT San Diego Canepa 17 Myers, Pomeranz delight hometown crowd in ASG UT San Diego Lin 20 MLB renames NL batting title trophy after Gwynn UT San Diego Sanders 23 ‘Big Papi’ Ortiz leaves big imprint on San Diego UT San Diego Miller 25 Many great players, not a great all-star game UT San Diego Acee 29 Padres’ Pomeranz drawing trade interest from Rangers UT San Diego Lin 32 The evolution of Drew Pomeranz NBC San Diego Togerson 34 Batting title awards named to honor Tony Gwynn, Rod Carew CBS Sports Snyder 36 MLB batting titles named after Tony Gwynn, Rod Carew USA Today Boeck 37 National League batting crown is renamed the Tony Gwynn Award Times of San Diego Enberg 38 Mr. Padre’s All-Star Game: Tony Gwynn’s impact USA Today Nightengale 39 resonates in San Diego John Smoltz sums up Tony Gwynn’s dominance with one great stat Yahoo! Sports Cwik 45 Stephen Strasburg’s Father-Son bond with Tony Gwynn Bleacher Report Miller 46 made him an MLB All-Star

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Myers, Pomeranz deliver for hometown crowd By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com

SAN DIEGO -- Wil Myers heard the 40,000-plus fans at Petco Park erupt when his name was announced during

introductions Tuesday night.

He felt the full weight of the entire city of San Diego pulling for him -- along with left-handerDrew Pomeranz -- in

the 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard.

And then, after starting his night 0-for-2, Myers delivered.

The Padres first baseman laced a rocket two-out double to right-center field in the top of the fifth inning, sending

the fans into a frenzy. It marked the first extra-base hit by a Padre at an All-Star Game since Ken Caminiti did so in

1996.

"That first at-bat I was extremely nervous, probably more nervous than I ever have been in any at-bat," Myers said

after the American League had wrapped up a 4-2 victory. "Just to hear the crowd, obviously [it was] on national

television. But I was able to calm down there for those last two at-bats and was lucky enough just to get a hit."

You could call it luck. Or you could call it a 99-mph missile from one of the game's hottest hitters. Myers

received the start as the NL's designated hitter and became the first Padre to bat cleanup in an All-Star

Game since Fred McGriff did so in 1992 -- the last Midsummer Classic to be played in San Diego.

Myers, of course, surged his way into the All-Star Game with a brilliant June in which he took home the

National League Player of the Month Award and set a club record with 11 home runs.

Then, he became the first player with an extra-base hit in a home All-Star Game at his home ballpark

since Mike Cameron did so in Seattle in 2001.

"It was really cool just to have it here in San Diego," said Myers. "Just to experience the crowd first-hand,

it was an awesome experience. One I'll never forget."

Myers was fortunate enough to share the moment with Pomeranz, who pitched a scoreless fourth inning,

allowing only a seeing-eye single to Boston's Jackie Bradley Jr.

"The fans were just going crazy since we're here in our home city, especially when they announced both

of us," Pomeranz said. "It was pretty awesome. It's pretty special to have your first one anywhere, but

even more so here."

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NL batting title to be named after Gwynn

By Alyson Footer / MLB.com

SAN DIEGO -- The American League and National League batting titles have been renamed after two of

the greatest hitters in Major League Baseball history.

In a goosebumps-inducing moment before the AL's 4-2 win over the NL in Tuesday night's All-Star

Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park, MLB announced that the NL batting title will be named

after Tony Gwynn and that the AL crown will be named after Rod Carew.

Commissioner Rob Manfred stood at a podium with the newly minted replica trophies, and he was joined

on the field by Carew and his family and Gwynn's wife and children. This moment induced the loudest

applause from the fans of all of the memorable moments during the pregame ceremony.

"The player with the highest batting average in the American League will now be known as the Rod

Carew American League batting champion," Padres Hall of Fame announcer Dick Enberg said. "The

player with the highest batting average in the National League will be forever known as the Tony Gwynn

National League batting champion.

"Oh, my! Commissioner Manfred has given both families a beautiful replica of these new awards. Fans,

let's hear it one more time for two of the greatest hitters in the history of baseball, Rod Carew and Tony

Gwynn."

Carew, a seven-time AL batting champion, won the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 1967 and appeared

in 18 consecutive All-Star Games. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in '91.

Gwynn, who passed away in 2014, played his entire 20-year career with the Padres, compiling

3,141 hits and a lifetime batting average of .338. The 15-time All-Star was inducted into the

National Baseball Hall of Fame in '07.

"Rod is one of the most highly decorated players in American League history, who made 18

straight All-Star appearances in his Hall of Fame career," Manfred said. "Tony is considered one

of the greatest hitters in the history of the National League, and there is no better place to honor

him than in San Diego. Major League Baseball is pleased to recognize their extraordinary

careers by naming our batting crowns in their honor."

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The announcement prompted the Petco Park crowd into frenzied chants of "Tony! Tony!"

Though most of the pregame festivities were joyous, there was some controversy during the

Canadian anthem. "Oh, Canada" was performed by The Tenors, a group from Victoria, British

Columbia, and a member of the quartet, Remigio Pereira, altered the lyrics to include the phrase

"All Lives Matter." Additionally, Pereira held up a small sign containing the controversial three-

word phrase.

The political statement caused a stir on social media and prompted the group to send out a

tweet condemning the action:

"The Tenors are deeply sorry for the disrespectful and misguided lack of judgment by one

member of the group acting as a 'lone wolf' today during the singing of the Canadian national

anthem at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in San Diego.

"The other members of the group are shocked and embarrassed by the actions of Remigio

Pereira, who changed the lyrics of our treasured anthem and used this coveted platform to

serve his own political views.

"Our sincere apologies and regrets go out to everybody who witnessed this shameful act, to our

fellow Canadians, to Major League Baseball, to our friends, families, fans and to all those

affected.

"The actions of one member of this group were extremely selfish, and he will not be performing

with the Tenors until further notice."

The U.S. national anthem was performed by international pop star Rachel Platten, most known

for her smash hit, "Fight Song."

Tuesday's pregame events in San Diego also paid homage to Padres history and to the city's

strong military presence. The ceremony began with 275 Marines from the 3rd Marine Aircraft

Wing marching on the field holding the American flag. Two-hundred members of the U.S. Navy

from the USS Theodore Roosevelt circled the field in recognition of the Navy tradition of

"manning the rails" as a ship comes back to port.

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The Joint Services Color Guard completed the trifecta, lining the outfield near the other military

arms.

Following introductions of the AL and NL reserves, the starters assembled along the baselines,

accompanied by young fans from local San Diego community groups. The kids were paired with

one player each and wore T-shirts bearing the names and uniform numbers of their respective

All-Stars.

Following the Carew and Gwynn trophy announcement, the familiar first notes of AC/DC's "Hells

Bells" played over the loudspeaker, while the Petco Park scoreboard lit up with "Trevor Time."

This was a familiar scene during Trevor Hoffman's tenure with the Padres, during which he

established himself as the greatest closer in club history and one of the best in baseball history.

Hoffman emerged from the bullpen and took the long walk to the mound to deliver the game

ball, pointing and waving to all parts of the ballpark along the way. He also joined the crowd in

clapping to the beat of "Hells Bells," his signature song the Padres played each time he

emerged from the bullpen to close out a game.

Six U.S. Air Force Thunderbird Flight Team aircrafts completed the flyover in a winged

formation, and the ceremony ended with 2015-16 Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Youth

of the Year Whitney Stewart yelling "Play Ball!"

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Kan Diego: RoyALs power ASG win at Petco MVP Hosmer, Perez homer in 2nd for Junior Circuit's 4th straight victory

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com

SAN DIEGO -- A festive Tuesday night in San Diego's East Village quickly became a Royal affair,

as Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez powered the American League to a 4-2 victory in the 2016 All-Star

Game presented by MasterCard.

Hosmer and Perez both homered in a three-run second inning, sending Red Sox icon David Ortiz off

with a victory in his final All-Star Game. Hosmer tacked on an RBI single an inning later and became the

first Royal since Bo Jackson in 1989 to take home MVP honors.

"This whole week, this whole San Diego All-Star Game has been unbelievable," Hosmer said. "It's a

dream come true, and it kind of felt like my first big league homer right there. It was special."

• Catalyst Hosmer captures All-Star Game MVP

The Indians' Corey Kluber pitched a perfect second to pick up the win for the Junior Circuit, which has

now won four straight, and he also became the first Tribe pitcher to win an All-Star Game since now-

Mets hurler Bartolo Colon in 1998.

The Cubs' Kris Bryant put the National League ahead in the first, launching a solo shot off the

scoreboard beyond the left-field first deck. Miami's Marcell Ozuna would tack on an RBI single in the

fourth, but the AL bullpen didn't falter after that.

The game's most dramatic moment came in the top of the eighth, when Astros righty Will

Harris punched out the Cardinals' Aledmys Diaz with the bases loaded. Harris' heroics kept the

AL in front by two, before Baltimore's Zach Britton worked a smooth ninth to record the save.

"It's baseball; we face All-Stars all the time," Harris said. "It's no different. You just want to do

your job, and now the game counts for so much. With home-field advantage, there's a little bit

extra on the line which makes it that much more fun."

Of course, the win means an AL club will have home-field advantage in the World Series

(something the reigning-champion Royals would know a thing or two about). Six of the last

seven title winners have done so with the benefit of home field -- and nine of 13 overall, since

the rule was implemented in 2003.

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"We don't know who is going to be representing the American League, but we know how much

that home-field advantage helped us," said Hosmer. " ... We're glad that we could secure it for

the American League. It's something we all set out to accomplish before the game started."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Peace out, Papi: Playing in his final Midsummer Classic, 10-time All-Star Ortiz smacked a rocket

to first base in the top of the first, but it was picked deftly by the NL's Anthony Rizzo. That was

the only official at-bat of the night for Ortiz. He walked in the third and was removed for a pinch-

runner to a rousing ovation from fans and players alike. Ortiz, who is batting .332 and leads the

Majors in on-base percentage and slugging, plans to retire after the season. More >

"It's something that I'll never forget, when you see all your boys," Ortiz said of being greeted by

his teammates as he left the field. "Pretty much everybody in this dugout has been related to me

one way or another."

Bryant's back in town: While playing college ball at the University of San Diego, Bryant became

a bit of a local legend with tales of his prodigious power. Evidently, nothing's changed. Bryant

launched the first pitch he saw from AL starter Chris Sale out to left at 111 mph -- the second

hardest-hit ball against Sale in 2016. More >

"It was a good couple days for me," said Bryant, who pointed out that he's still 0-for-6 with six

strikeouts against the White Sox ace during the regular season. "I got to see some people that I

haven't seen in a while, had a couple of them here at the game and was able to hit the home

run. It was a special moment. I really wanted to just enjoy it and take it all in, and I think I

accomplished my goal."

Can't get Trout out: Mike Trout's first-inning single increased his All-Star Game hitting streak to

five -- and he's recorded a hit in his first at-bat on all five occasions. Dave Winfield, Joe Morgan

and Mickey Mantle hold the all-time record with hits in seven straight. Trout, who finished 1-for-

3, is now 6-for-13 with four extra-base hits all-time in the Midsummer Classic.More >

"I'm enjoying it more; I know what I'm going to do," Trout said of his fifth All-Star experience.

"The guys in there do a good job keeping me in the right line, where I'm going at the right time,

and I just try to enjoy every minute of it. This time it went so fast."

Royal reunion: Along with Hosmer and Perez, NL starter Johnny Cueto was also a driving force

behind the Royals' 2015 World Series run. But on Tuesday, Hosmer and Perez got to face

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Cueto as All-Star opponents. The current Royals certainly got the better of their former

teammate. Hosmer smacked an opposite-field solo blast into the first row, before Perez

launched a go-ahead two-run shot, two batters later, putting the AL on top, 3-1. More >

"I felt like a proud papa there in the second inning after those two guys gave us the lead, and I

was really excited," said Royals skipper Ned Yost, who was managing the AL. "It's been a long

time since I've been that proud of two players in a moment like that."

Will thrills: Yankees left-hander Andrew Miller loaded the bases with two down in the eighth,

prompting Yost to call upon Harris, a first-time All-Star, in the game's pivotal moment. Harris ran

the count full on Diaz, before painting the outside corner with strike three to escape the threat.

"That's everything you can want when you come to an All-Star Game," Diaz said. "Bases loaded

and a chance to hit. I tried to do my best, and he threw me a good pitch on 3-2, and he got me."

Hometown heroes: Fan-favorite Wil Myers roped a two-out double in the fifth, making him the

first player to record an extra-base hit in a hometown All-Star Game since Mariners outfielder

Mike Cameron did so in 2001. He's also the first Padre with an extra-base hit at the Midsummer

Classic since Ken Caminiti in 1996. One inning earlier, southpaw Drew Pomeranz tossed a

scoreless fourth and left to a standing ovation.

"The fans were just going crazy since we're here in our home city," Pomeranz said. "Especially

when they announced both of us. It was pretty awesome. It's pretty special to have your first one

anywhere, but even more so here."

QUOTABLE

"When I'm in the clubhouse in the All-Star Game, I get really impressed, to be honest with you,

with the talent that MLB has. At the same time, those kids, they come back to you and embrace

you. It's an unbelievable experience." – Ortiz

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

• Despite the loss, the NL still holds a one-game lead in the all-time series, which now sits at 43-

42-2. In fact, the two teams have been so close over the years that the NL holds a one-run

edge, 360-359. But the American League has been noticeably dominant of late, having won 22

of the past 29.

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REPLAY FOR RECORD BOOKS

Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy led off the fifth inning by bouncing a slow chopper

that was bobbled by Jose Altuve at second base. Altuve recovered and fired to first, where

Murphy was initially ruled out. But NL manager Terry Collins initiated the first replay review in

All-Star Game history, and the call was promptly overturned.

HONORING MR. PADRE

In a goosebumps-inducing ceremony before the game, Major League Baseball announced that

it would name the NL batting title after legendary Padre Tony Gwynn, and its AL crown after

Rod Carew. That was followed by a video tribute on the Petco Park scoreboard honoring Mr.

Padre and leaving no dry eyes among the 42,386 in attendance.

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Pomeranz appreciates path to hometown All-Star By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com

SAN DIEGO -- It took three and a half months, but Drew Pomeranz finally found himself entering a

game from the Petco Park bullpen Tuesday night.

Of course, Pomeranz did so as an All-Star starting pitcher -- an important distinction, given his arrival

this offseason.

The 27-year-old left-hander has continually validated his manager's faith in him as a starter. He tossed a

scoreless fourth inning in the American League's 4-2 victory in the Alll-Star Game presented by

MasterCard at Petco Park.

Pomeranz entered Padres camp on course to be a reliever -- as he had been for most of the past three

seasons with Oakland and Colorado. Pomeranz, however, viewed himself as a starter -- largely because

his surgically repaired shoulder was feeling stronger than ever and because he had added a cutter to his

repertoire, a much-needed third weapon.

So when Pomeranz was given his throwing schedule this spring, he noticed he wasn't on the same

progression as the club's presumed starters. He sought out pitching coach Darren Balsley, and from there,

the two arranged a meeting with manager Andy Green.

"I sat down with them and I told them how I felt, that I had been working on a third pitch and everything

feels good and the shoulder feels great," Pomeranz said. "I'd like a chance. [Green] appreciated me

coming to him."

Pomeranz said he spent the moments leading up to that meeting rehashing his talking points in

his mind.

Was initiating the meeting himself a bold move? Perhaps.

"But that's what you've got to do," Pomeranz said. "You've got to go after what you want."

In this case, Pomeranz wanted a job in the starting rotation. He went after it -- and got it -- with

his performance during Spring Training. Then he made sure it was his for keeps.

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Pomeranz sits tied for third in the Majors in ERA at 2.47, and opponents are batting just .184

against him -- first in the National League. His dominance was rewarded when he became just

the second Padres pitcher to appear in an All-Star Game in San Diego, joining Rollie Fingers in

1978.

"The fans were just going crazy since we're here in our home city, especially when they

announced both of us," said Pomeranz, who joined Wil Myers as hometown reps. "It was pretty

awesome. It's pretty special to have your first one anywhere, but even more so here."

Now, Pomeranz, who is under team control through the 2018 season, has become the subject

of trade speculation. That's nothing new. After being selected by Cleveland in the first round of

the 2010 Draft, Pomeranz was dealt to Colorado during his first full professional season. He's

been traded twice since then, including this past December to the Padres.

"It really doesn't matter if I worry about it or not," Pomeranz said. "Whatever's going to happen is

going to happen. I learned that very quickly, getting traded my first year in pro ball. Just when

you think you're settled somewhere, it seems to happen."

Still, Pomeranz has finally found an organization in which he's fully comfortable. For the first

time in his career, he's been given free rein to consistently pitch deep into games. And he's

been encouraged to throw his filthy curveball as frequently as possible.

"I would love to win," Pomeranz said. "I like it here, and I would love to win here. But I'm just

trying to get better every time out there, and try and repeat what I did in the first half."

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Renfroe, Asuaje in Triple-A All-Star Game PCL, IL stars set to clash in Charlotte, N.C.

By Bill Center / San Diego Padres

Three days after playing in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in San Diego, Padres prospects Hunter

Renfroe and Carlos Asuaje were in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday representing the Pacific Coast League

in the Triple-A All-Star Game.

Renfroe and Asuaje were two of three members of the El Paso Chihuahuas selected for the PCL All-Star

team. But infielder Casey McElroy is on the PCL disabled list with a hamstring strain and won't play.

Renfroe, 24, was the Padres' first-round pick (13th overall) in the 2013 Draft. He is hitting .335 for El

Paso with 27 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs, 76 RBIs and 68 runs scored in 84 games. He leads the

PCL in home runs, RBIs, hits (119), extra-base hits (52) and runs scored; ranks second in slugging

percentage (.611); and is third in batting average and OPS (.973).

Asuaje, 24, is hitting .323 with 17 doubles, seven triples, five home runs, 45 RBIs and 65 runs scored in

82 games. He ranks second in the PCL in runs scored and hits (106), tied for fourth in triples and seventh

in batting average. He was part of the package the Padres received from Boston last winter in the trade

that sent closer Craig Kimbrel to the Red Sox.

Asuaje was 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in the Futures Game. Renfroe was 0-for-2 with a walk.

Since last Thursday, Renfroe and Asuaje have flown from El Paso to Salt Lake City to San Diego to

Charlotte.

AROUND THE FARM

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (53-37) -- The Pacific Coast League is off for its All-Star break.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (8-10, 30-58) -- The Texas League was off Tuesday for the Major League

All-Star Game.

CLASS A ADVANCED LAKE ELSINORE (10-9, 42-47) -- The California League was off Tuesday

for the Major League All-Star Game.

CLASS A FORT WAYNE (8-11, 44-45) -- The Midwest League was off Tuesday for the Major League

All-Star Game.

SHORT SEASON CLASS A TRI-CITY (14-11) -- The Northwest League was off Tuesday for the

Major League All-Star Game.

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ARIZONA ROOKIE PADRES (9-8) -- The Arizona Rookie League was off Sunday for the Major

League All-Star Game.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE PADRES (12-20) -- Blue Jays 8, PADRES 6: Starting LHP Omar

Fernandez (0.90 earned run average) allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits over six innings. RHP

Adonis Santana (1-4, 8.03 ERA) allowed three runs on a hit and three walks in two-thirds of an inning.

LHP Eduardo Solano (2.81) allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks with two

strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings. 1B Elvis Sabala (.195) hit a two-run homer in three at-bats. 2B Eguy Rosario

(.337) was 2-for-5 with a run scored. RF Yordi Francisco (.221) was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs

scored. C Janigson Villalobos (.255) was 2-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored.

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Cashner gets matchup with Bumgarner after break By Justin Wise / MLB.com

Madison Bumgarner and the National League West-leading San Francisco Giants begin the second half of

their season at Petco Park against the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said starting pitching is a big reason why the club has the most wins in the

Majors midway through the season. And Bumgarner, who ended the first half with a one-hit shutout vs.

the D-backs, will look to continue the group's effectiveness in his third start against the Padres this year.

He pitched a complete game and struck out 11 batters in his last appearance at San Diego on May 17.

The Padres will counter with right-hander Andrew Cashner. Cashner will make the start because Padres

ace Drew Pomeranz is participating in the All-Star Game. Cashner, who returned from the disabled list

(neck) July 3, allowed eight earned runs and four homers to the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last start

before the All-Star break Friday.

"This year's been tough for him in the sense that he's got all the potential in the world," said Padres

manager Andy Green. "It's just a matter of putting him in there, giving him the opportunity to show what

he can do and hopefully move past those struggles."

Things to know

• The Giants are 9-0 against the Padres this year and have won six consecutive series against teams in the

NL West.

• The Giants will open the second half of the season on an eight-game road trip. Matt Cain (hamstring)

and Joe Panik (concussion) could return from the disabled list and join the team when it is in Boston for a

two-game series starting July 19.

• Cashner has experienced a rocky return to the Padres roster after spending most of June on the DL.

Cashner allowed one earned run and struck out six batters in six innings against the New York Yankees

on July 3, before surrendering a season-high eight earned runs to the Dodgers in 2 2/3 innings Friday.

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Baseball aids in education of homeless kids By Carlos Collazo / MLB.com

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres and Major League Baseball commemorated a state-of-the-art career academy

called Launch Pointe, at the Monarch School in downtown San Diego Tuesday morning.

Monarch has served San Diego County since 1988 and offers comprehensive educational programs to 450

K-12 students affected by homelessness.

Launch Pointe is a 7,000-square-foot addition on the second floor of Monarch's building, and is designed

to serve as a technical career center for students to develop a pathway for future success in growing

employment sectors in San Diego.

"We're gathered in what many may consider the classroom of the future," said Erin Spiewak, president

and CEO of the Monarch School. "This is a place where learning is flexible, it's innovative, it meets the

challenges of a 21st century economy.

"Because of the investment of Major League Baseball and the San Diego Padres, our students will have

their classroom of the future today."

Launch Pointe at the Monarch School was the final project of MLB's legacy initiative, which will leave

behind more than $5 million to local and national charities as a result of the All-Star Game presented by

MasterCard.

For students like Antonio, who will benefit from Launch Pointe when the school year starts in a few

months, the benefit can't be measured in dollars.

"I have been at Monarch for three years, and I have been able to accomplish so much more than I thought

possible thanks to the support of people like you, my teachers and staff," he said.

Antonio is looking forward to taking Launch Pointe's coding class, as he is interested in becoming a video

game designer once he's done with school.

"Growing up, I loved playing video games," he said. "I've always been fascinated about how video games

work and what was the technology behind it -- from how the character moves, to how he jumped, to how

the mechanics work."

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A second potential career for Antonio is a geologist -- "I love shiny rocks," he said. Regardless of what

specific plan Antonio, and students like him have, though, Launch Pointe is intended to help further

education and brighten futures.

"This space is going to allow our students to explore opportunities in new career pathways," Spiewak

said. "Gain skills such as critical thinking and problem solving, as well as creativity and collaboration.

"It's putting our students on a path towards self-sufficiency."

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Canepa: San Diego shines for All-Star Game The real All-Star was not a wealthy baseball player By Nick Canepa | 12:08 a.m. July 13, 2016

The real All-Star was not a wealthy baseball player. The star shining brightest in

America was our city, providing a midsummer night's dream.

San Diego never has been better. It was bright, stunning, entrepreneurial, industrious,

orderly, controlled, looking like a million, smoothly handing a major event as if it

were flipping flapjacks. It was a fun zone.

In the word of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred: "Phenomenal."The All-Star GaShare

We now have set a standard for other baseball towns to follow. Best of luck. Can't say

anyone else has such a lovely stage or is better equipped. The All-Star Game no longer

is a little gathering for players to exchange hardball stories. Tuesday night's affair at

dolled-up Petco Park merely was a game within several days of games.

It took a long time for Major League Baseball's thinkers to realize not all pots of gold

are at end of rainbows, but they finally followed the money. And so baseball's All-Star

Game has become a minor league Super Bowl without portfolio.

Knowing its World Series never can be a Super Bowl - it has no knowledge where the

games will be played until the 11th hour - MLB has taken extensive notes from the

NFL's big week, which basically runs from Thursday through Sunday. And the All-Star

Game got great help from Padres brass, who 18 months ago secured the event and

spent tens of millions to beautify and enhance Petco Park.

The party was not spontaneous. The vintage was allowed to mature.

Here, there have been continuous activities since last Friday leading up to Tuesday

night's game. Not even the NFL can have a Home Run Derby, a gimmick which for

many is a better watch than the game itself (the gangplank will have to get a mile long

for me to get on board with that). And the MLB's highly attended and successful five-

day FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center is baseball's version of the NFL

Experience (and actually started a half-year earlier).

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San Diego's third go-round as All-Star host has been terrific (hope you enjoyed it,

because my grandchildren will long be parents before we get another). We can do this

stuff, as the NFL well knows from our three Super Bowls. All we need is a place to put

it, and Petco Park, with its proximity to the Convention Center and Gaslamp Quarter

and other attractions, worked perfectly.

Boston's Peter Gammons, the great, hardened baseball writer, tweeted this out the

other day: "Just a thought: All-Star Game in San Diego every year? Never remember

bigger pre-weekend crowds than today. You can't walk Harbor Dr. or Fifth."

Peter wasn't alone.

Fox broadcaster and Hall of Famer John Smoltz: "I'd like San Diego be in the rotation

every three years."

Events such as this should tell us, tell voters: We can be better and bigger than we

think, which is small.

We didn't outdo ourselves. When we do what we can do, we're better than most.

The game itself (won by the American League, which ridiculously means its pennant

winner will get World Series home-field advantage) was what it was supposed to be,

an exhibition featuring the greatest ballplayers on the planet.

What it was for the most part, with the exception of a few oldies, was a showcase for

the young. Twenty-seven of the players were 26 years old or younger, and 30 made

the All-Star Game for the first time.

"This stuff is unbelievable," said Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who

just turned 26 and made his first All-Star Game appearance. "I think a lot of us can

appreciate now how something so small can make such a big difference.

"I'm excited to be here, excited to be here with my teammates, excited to be here for

David Ortiz's last All-Star Game."

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Probably the most revered player here was David "Big Papi" Ortiz, Boston's 40-year-

old designated hitter, who is having a marvelous season in this, his final year as a

player without a glove. He likes being respected by the youngsters.

"You see the future of the game telling you they like the way you do things," Ortiz said.

It's a rite of passage, and while many players obviously don't mind seeing a nemesis

retire, there's something about the tug of the game, how it's difficult to let go.

"I don't know if I want him to go; he means so much to the game," said Toronto third

baseman Josh Donaldson, whose Blue Jays are in the same American League East

division as Boston. "Even though he's an opponent of mine, I respect his game.

"The hardest thing is to let it go when you've been doing it so long. But, if he retires,

I'm not going to be super-upset. I'm not going to try and convince him to stay. It's not

my job."

Not long ago, when the game belonged to the young, the young wasn't good enough. It

is now. We're witnessing the greatest influx of baseball talent of the past half-century,

and just about all of it was on display here Tuesday night.

How can you not enjoy Bryce Harper, the Washington Nationals' young lion, who

wears a "Make Baseball Great Again" cap and openly dislikes the designated hitter,

the All-Star Game deciding home-field advantage and the defensive shift?

Now that, folks, is an All-Star in an All-Star city.

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Myers, Pomeranz delight hometown crowd in ASG By Dennis Lin | 9:14 p.m. July 12, 2016

Wil Myers may someday cement himself as a franchise cornerstone, a multi-time All-

Star and a sweet-swinging, home-run-mashing figure to lead an organization out of

the doldrums, but the Padres first baseman harbors no illusions about his place in San

Diego.

Tuesday afternoon, Myers was traveling through the city's streets, amid a red-carpet

parade, when he stopped to give a television interview. The host introduced him as

"Mr. Padre." Myers quickly corrected him.

Tuesday night, the Padres representative reflected on an education that began with a

trade two Decembers ago.

"Seeing what he means to this city, I know that I am not the Padre," Myers said. "That

is definitely for Tony Gwynn. What he’s meant to this organization and this city is

pretty incredible."

In a showcase event, that city had showered Myers and Padres left-hander Drew

Pomeranz with adulation. No one will ever reach Gwynn's revered status, but there

was this: For the first time since 1998, San Diego had sent a position player and a

starting pitcher to the Midsummer Classic.Share

After Myers and Pomeranz received the two loudest roars during pregame

introductions — "Packed house cheering for their own, it was pretty cool to hear that,"

Chicago Cubs third baseman and USD alum Kris Bryant commented — the first-time

All-Stars delighted the hometown crowd in the American League's 4-2 victory at Petco

Park.

Myers, batting cleanup and serving as the National League's designated hitter, went 1-

for-3, doubling in his final at-bat.

Pomeranz, who waited until Saturday to find out he'd been named to the game,

entered in the fourth and pitched around a one-out single to post a scoreless inning.

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"It’s pretty special to have your first (All-Star Game) anywhere," Pomeranz said, "but

even more so here."

Both familiar and different, the grandness of the stage was not lost on the duo.

"That first at-bat," Myers said, "I was extremely nervous, probably more nervous than

I ever have been in any at-bat."

"Somebody left the phone off the hook in the dugout," Pomeranz said, "so it rang for

like a half-inning. It was the moment I was trying to figure out if I was supposed to get

up or sit down, so I was kind of freaking out for a little bit."

The jitters eventually gave way to elation. Myers struck out swinging in his first

appearance, grounded out in his second and pounced on a 1-0 pitch in his final at-bat.

A low line drive hurtled into right-center. Myers slid headfirst into second base as

Petco rocked.

He had just become the first player to record an extra-base hit in his home ballpark in

an All-Star Game since Mike Cameron doubled at Safeco Field in 2001.

"I was able to calm down for those last two at-bats and lucky enough to get a hit

there," Myers said. "To finish with a hit was great. (NL manager Terry Collins) told me

it was my last at-bat, so I knew I needed to make the most of it.

On the mound in the bottom of the fourth, Pomeranz got Salvador Perez to ground

out, yielded a single to Jackie Bradley Jr., induced a fly out from Jose Altuve and

peered in against the game's best player.

Pomeranz landed a curveball for strike one, then flipped another toward the plate.

Mike Trout rolled over to third base. Pomeranz was done, and successful, after 12

pitches. A standing ovation accompanied his walk to the dugout.

Friday, the Padres will resume their regular-season schedule in fourth place in the NL

West. They will be less than three weeks from the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline.

Change looms on the horizon. Myers is considered nearly untouchable, but Pomeranz,

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a free agent after 2018, isn't quite as safe

This night, the focus was squarely on a franchise bridging the best parts of its past and

present. Before the game, Myers caught the ceremonial first pitch. Randy Jones, the

former Cy Young winner, delivered a vintage sinker.

"Just all the things that went on," Myers said, "was great for the city of San Diego."

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MLB renames NL batting title trophy after Gwynn Gwynn, Jones, Hoffman showcased in opening ceremonies By Jeff Sanders | 5:48 p.m. July 12, 2016

Even before USD’s Kris Bryant lined the first pitch he saw into the second deck,

Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Petco Park had a decidedly local flavor, nothing more

appropriate than the crowd chanting, “Tony, Tony, Tony!” as the Gwynn family joined

Commissioner Rob Manfred on the field before the ceremonial first pitch.

This was fitting, too: Major League Baseball has named the National League’s batting

title after Mr. Padre, an eight-time batting champ who hit .338 across parts of 20

seasons – all in San Diego. (The AL version was named for Rod Carew).

N.L. Batting Title Named For Tony Gywnn — Steve Breen

Then the starting pitcher from the 1976 All-Star Game – NL Cy Young-winner Randy

Jones – delivered the ceremonial first pitch to the Padres’ starter in the 2016 game,

Wil Myers.

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The official game ball was delivered by Trevor Hoffman, the NL’s all-time leading

closer making a much slower trek than he did in his hey-day while wearing a pin-

striped jersey circa the Padres’ 1998 World Series run.

Naturally, AC/DC’s Hell’s Bells blared over Petco Park’s audio system.

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'Big Papi' Ortiz leaves big imprint on San Diego The iconic slugger with unforgettable swing, smile soaks up All-Star Game warmth By Bryce Miller | 9:27 p.m. July 12, 2016

The true power of timeless power-hitter David Ortiz: The smile-a-minute, chains-a-

danglin’, sunglasses-wrapped basher bends what’s possible.

Be it time, even at age 40 – and especially at age 40 – by leading baseball in on-base

percentage and slugging percentage with a .332 average and 72 RBIs.

Be it space, closing historical ground in gulps with the likes of Babe Ruth, Honus

Wagner and Mickey Mantle.

Be it galactic truths, like the fact that Yankees and Red Sox act chummy about as

much as feral cats and underfed dogs.

“This isn’t about where you play,” said Seattle’s Robinson Cano, with nine of 12

seasons as a Yankee to Big Papi’s rival Red Sox. “It’s about, I admire the person as a

player. He’s one of the best to ever play this game.”

Ortiz shared one of his final chapters in a highlight-filled career with San Diego and

42,386 on Tuesday during the American League’s 4-2 All-Star Game victory at Petco

Park.

One of the most productive swingers in history, with retirement looming, rivaled

hometown Padres for applause and adulation. Respect? Oh yes, arriving as often as

southern California waves.

Former University of San Diego star Kris Bryant, a Red Sox fan growing up, sought

out Ortiz to tell him he was his childhood hero. A clubhouse full of A.L. stars implored

the man with the 19th most homers in history (525) to deliver a pregame speech.

Heck, Manager Ned Yost even stepped aside so Ortiz could present the lineup card to

umpires.

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If not for a smooth back-handed stop by N.L. first baseman and former Padres

prospect Anthony Rizzo, Ortiz would have flirted with extra bases in the first inning.

The next at-bat, Yost pulled Ortiz after a walk and the parade of chest-bumping

commenced.

It wasn’t a fit-the-script finish as the three-time World Series champion ambled off,

joy easily elbowing out regret, in what was likely his last of 10 All-Star appearances.

Then again, the script’s still being written.

“I’ve been bumping into the face of baseball, over and over and over and over,” Ortiz

said of his time in San Diego. “It’s not like it used to be. When I first came to the big

leagues, the face of baseball was a guy almost my age. Maybe a little younger.

“Now, the face of baseball is a guy 21-, 22-, 23-years-old. That tells me this game is

unbelievable hands. It made me happy.”

In a packed press conference, Ortiz was prodded from every direction about the

possibility he’d change his mind and return after this season.

Ortiz laughed. He does that a lot.

“My body is kind of like screaming at me, ‘Dude, seriously?’ ” Ortiz said. “ ‘We’ve got

to do this again?’ ”

What about managing?

Ortiz cited an unscientific correlation between managing and hair color changes. He

locked eyes with silver-topped ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez.

“Pedro,” said Ortiz, grin in full bloom, “have you been a manager before?”

The more the day unfolded, the more all seemed unwilling to let Ortiz walk away.

Baseball, minus Papi, would feel much less Big.

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“To me, he’s kind of got that larger-than-life personality,” said Baltimore’s Mark

Trumbo, baseball’s current home-run leader. “His accomplishments on the field speak

for themselves, but he’s also a great guy off of it, a guy that the whole city of Boston

has really rallied around – the game, too.

“He’s been an icon.”

Then there’s that – Boston and the things that stretch far beyond changing the zip

codes of incoming pitches.

So thankful for the opportunity America offered, Ortiz was, that the Dominican

became a U.S. citizen in 2008. So emotionally connected, he is, that his words helped

Boston heal after the horrific marathon bombings in 2013.

So revered, despite news of a positive performance-enhancing test in 2003, that he

was named a recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award for positive contributions in

2011.

“He’s had a huge impact on this game,” Bryant said. “He’s a game-changer. His

personality on the field was infectious.”

Unreal impact – with people, and baseballs.

The most home runs by a designated hitter in history: Ortiz. The most RBIs by a DH

in history: Ortiz. The most hits by a DH in history: You get the idea.

He wore out star arms. Ortiz has driven in the most runs of his career, 24, against

two-time Cy Young winner Roy Halladay. He hit .322 against five-time All-Star Mark

Buehrle. Versus workhorse and Cy Young runner-up Andy Pettitte, a sizzling .343.

Hall-bound legend Mariano Rivera? A head-shaking .342.

The only players with 500 career homers and three World Series rings are Ruth,

Mantle, Reggie Jackson … and Ortiz.

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“Clutch. I think that’s the first thing that comes to mind for me,” Giants catcher

Buster Posey said. “The exterior stuff aside, I have an appreciation for people who

want to be in the big-time moment, the big-time situation.

“He’s had a lot of big moments.”

Makes sense. Everything’s big in a world with Big Papi.

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Acee: Many great players, not a great all-star game Baseball’s youth movement, right way to build winners on display in Petco Park

By Kevin Acee | 9:10 p.m. July 12, 2016

Maybe if Giancarlo Stanton had stayed and played (and if the pitchers had not

actually pitched but thrown batting practice) the All-Star Game could have matched

the excitement of the Home Run Derby.

Tuesday night started like Monday ended, with balls flying out of Petco Park. But the

game lost air after the second inning. It was well-played, for sure, at times. It just

lacked the sizzle we long to see in this event.

Certainly, the deflated denouement won’t alter the fact San Diego did #ASG2016

right.

We are wonderful hosts. We’re the Playboy Mansion of cities. You throw a party here,

it pretty much kicks tail.

It’s just the games played in our stadiums that often fall short.

However, no one should let the slow leak to a 4-2 American League victory alter the

reality that this All-Star game was a thrill to witness.

There was so much excellence inside Petco Park. Truly, we are amidst one of

baseball’s golden ages.

And it’s not just awesome players. It’s overwhelmingly young awesome players. The

bulk of these guys are so young they could still be perennial all-stars the next time San

Diego hosts this exhibition.

“Guys are coming in and able to develop into superstars really quickly,” said Texas

Rangers pitcher and Rancho Bernardo High alum Cole Hamels, who worked a

scoreless third inning in his fourth all-star game at age 32. “… Guys are coming in

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focused on developing a high level of play, and you’re seeing it. And you’re going to

see it for a good long time, because they’re going to be around a long time.”

The memory from this Midsummer Classic might be David Ortiz walking off to an

ovation and hugs in his All-Star farewell. But the message is that this is a young man’s

game now more than ever.

Remember when this midseason showcase was essentially a veteran’s convention? No

more. It’s a bunch of studs who evidently left diapers straight for a diamond.

Outside of the 40-year-old Big Papi, no American League starter was older than 26.

The National League had two starters in their 30s, 29-year-old Buster Posey and six

players 26 or younger. Anthony Rizzo was playing in his fourth All-Star game – at 26.

Share

“It’s special to have this many young guys in the All-Star game,” said 24-year-old Kris

Bryant, formerly of the University of San Diego and now the Chicago Cubs’ third

baseman and the guy whose 410-foot rocket into the left field stands gave the National

League a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

That two Kansas City Royals who combined to put the American league ahead for

good in the second inning – Eric Hosmer’s solo home run to left tying the game, and

Salvador Perez’s two-run blast two batters later making it 3-1 – was instructional as

well.

Both are 26-years-old and both have only ever been Royals. Hosmer, named the

game’s MVP after adding an RBI single in the third inning, was the third overall pick

in the 2008 draft. In 2006, Perez was a signing out of Venezuela. (The Royals’ other

All-Star, Kelvin Herrera, was also an international signing in ’06.)

Yes, it is possible, as the Padres are finally attempting in earnest, to draft/sign and

develop players and keep them long enough to win.

The Royals are the defending World Series champions and have been to two straight

Series, and they will enter this season’s second half once again in the playoff mix.

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The Baltimore Orioles lead the American League East, and three of the five All-Stars

representing them here were homegrown. The Boston Red Sox hold the top AL wild

card spot, and half of their six of All-Stars were originally their draft picks.

In all, 29 of the 72 players on the rosters Tuesday night were drafted or signed by the

team they were here representing.

We can boo the Dodgers and Giants all we want. It’s even cool that the Petco Park

crowd did so Tuesday night.

But applaud those two teams who are again battling it out atop the NL West. Three of

the Giants’ four All-Stars were originally their draft picks. All three of the Dodgers’

All-Stars were homegrown.

Someday, maybe, we won’t have to relish the former San Diegans who go on to shine

playing baseball elsewhere.

We saw on Tuesday in our ballpark what was possible and what many other major-

league cities will be enjoying for a long time.

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Padres' Pomeranz drawing interest from Rangers By Dennis Lin | 2:58 p.m. July 12, 2016 | Updated, 4:02 p.m.

With the non-waiver trade deadline three weeks away, Padres left-hander and first-

time All-Star Drew Pomeranz is drawing interest from the Texas Rangers, as

FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal first reported. Sources told the Union-Tribune the

American League West's first-place club has at least "kicked the tires" on Pomeranz,

who is 8-7 with a 2.47 ERA.

Texas joins Boston, Baltimore and Miami as teams that recently have been linked to

Pomeranz. Those developments do not come as a surprise. Pomeranz's career season

has arrived on a fourth-place team, and, with two more seasons of club control, the

27-year-old is especially attractive to contenders.

The Rangers' connection is of some note. Texas, where Padres General Manager A.J.

Preller previously worked, drafted Pomeranz in 2007. Though he opted to go to

college, the Rangers have followed his big-league progress more closely than most.

Preller spent 10 years in the Rangers' front office. He is said to be particularly

infatuated with infielder Jurickson Profar, whom he helped bring into the

organization and who has returned from injuries to impress at the big-league level

this season. Prying Profar away likely would take far more than Pomeranz, however;

still considered a future star by some evaluators, the 23-year-old won't become

eligible for free agency until after 2019.

Given the paucity of quality available starters, Pomeranz could fetch plenty in his own

right, and a club source recently suggested that the Padres will not consider move him

for anything less than a substantial return.

Pomeranz is no stranger to being dealt, having already gone through the experience

three times. He seemed unfazed Monday when multiple Red Sox reporters

approached him to inquire about his status as a trade candidate.

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"After the first time I got traded, I was in the bullpen warming up for a game in

Double-A and got called back in and got traded," Pomeranz said. "So that was

probably the craziest it could be. Once I got traded the next time, it got a little easier,

and then I get traded the next time — it’s just part of it. It’s part of the game."

Pomeranz did acknowledge the difficulty of avoiding the rumor mill.

"You see stuff, you hear stuff, you read it," he said. "I would love to win. I like it here. I

would love to win here as well. Just trying to get better every time out there and trying

to repeat what I did in the first half in the second half."

Asked if he had a preference if he were to be traded, Pomeranz said: "Not really. It

really doesn’t matter if I worry about it or not, because whatever’s going to happen is

going to happen. I learned that very quickly, getting traded my first year in pro ball.

Just when you think you’re getting settled somewhere, something seems to happen."

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The Evolution of Drew Pomeranz Padres All-Star is just scratching the surface on his ability

By Derek Togerson It should come as no surprise that Drew Pomeranz is an All-Star. The Padres lefty was a first-round MLB Draft pick for a reason. Coming out of Ole Miss he was one of the best players in the entire nation so he always knew he had the ability to have success in The Show. “You have to always expect it out of yourself no matter what you’re doing,” said Pomeranz. “We’re all out here to be the best.” The Indians took him with the 5th overall selection in 2010. A year later he was sent to the Rockies in a trade for Ubaldo Jimenez, and that’s where the problems started. Pomeranz had one of the best curve balls in the game. Notice the past tense. “It disappeared for two years for me when I was in Colorado,” said Pomeranz. “I’ve always been fastball-curve ball and really relied on that pitch and when it goes away it just totally changes how you attack hitters. It came back in 2014 once I got to Oakland.” It was with the A’s that Drew really started to turn in to the All-Star pitcher he is today. One of the first guys who noticed the transformation was another All-Star who saw that not even Pomeranz understood just how good his breaking ball was. “No he didn’t,” says A’s catcher Stephen Vogt, who worked with Pomeranz for two years by the Bay. “His curve is one of the best in baseball. To see him using it now, it’s really good to see. Drew’s done great.” Drew will readily admit he was still figuring out how to deploy his physics-defying weapon when he was traded from the A’s to the Padres in December of 2015. “It was really good but I really didn’t understand how to use it,” said Pomeranz. “I was throwing it to one spot, basically. Getting my curve ball back and finding another pitch is helping me kind of figure out how to pitch and how to use it against guys.” That other pitch he developed is a cut fastball, something that is a relatively new addition to the arsenal. “I always knew I needed to develop a third pitch but nothing ever broke through until this off-season. I was playing catch with a guy about two weeks before Spring Training and he said something that just made sense to me. It’s gotten to the point now that it’s a real weapon for me. It’s kind of pushed me over the edge this year.” With Pomeranz figuring out his curve and nearly master

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ing the cutter he had the three-pitch mix that starters need. It’s rare that a front-of-the-rotation pitcher only throws two things. But since the Padres didn’t know about his new offering they went in to Spring Training thinking Pomeranz would be coming out of the bullpen and getting the occasional spot start. When Drew saw the schedule of his early workload he made a decision and took bold action. “I was scheduled for an inning, a day off, and an inning, and I said I think they’re trying to make me in the bullpen,” said Pomeranz. “So I talked to [pitching coach Darren Balsley] and I went in and had a meeting with Andy [Green]. I sat down with them and told them how I felt. I said I’ve been working on a third pitch. Everything feels good, my shoulder feels great. I’d like a chance.” Green appreciated Pomeranz stating his case for the rotation. “He said; I feel like I have to let you start. You’re all in on it.” It might be the best decision the Padres made all year. Pomeranz leads the Padres with eight wins and is among the National League leaders in ERA, strikeouts and opponents’ batting average. He doesn’t become a free agent until 2019 so he might be the face of the San Diego pitching staff for the foreseeable future.

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MLB All-Star Game: Batting title awards named to honor Tony Gwynn, Rod Carew The timing of the announcement was excellent, as the San Diego crowed erupted

by Matt Snyder

SAN DIEGO -- Major League Baseball has renamed the batting titles and the timing couldn't have been any better. Here in San Diego's Petco Park, immediately before the beginning of the All-Star Game, commissioner Rob Manfred came out to a makeshift podium to make an announcement. Initially, it was that the American League batting title would be renamed the Rod Carew American League batting title. The Hall of Famer won seven batting titles in the AL, so the shoe fits. The main course, though, was the NL side. The award will be renamed in honor ofTony Gwynn. The late, great Mr. Padre won eight batting titles here in San Diego. His entire family was on hand, on the field, with Manfred to accept the honor on his behalf. Needless to say, the ovation from the Petco Park crowd was deafening. Here are the awards:

"Rod is one of the most highly decorated players in American League history, who made 18 straight All-Star appearances in his Hall of Fame career," said commissioner Manfred in a statement. "Tony is considered one of the greatest hitters in the history of the National League and there is no better place to honor him than in San Diego. Major League Baseball is pleased to recognize their extraordinary careers by naming our batting crowns in their honor." It should also be noted that the pre-game festivities concluded with Trevor Hoffman delivering the game ball. He came out from the bullpen to Hell's Bells and the entire place was rocking along with him. MLB really pulled off an excellent pre-game, with the most touching moment being the Gwynn award announcement.

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MLB batting titles named after Tony Gwynn, Rod Carew Scott Boeck, USA TODAY Sports9:54 p.m. EDT July 12, 2016 SAN DIEGO - Major League Baseball commissionerRob Manfred announced before Tuesday's All-Star Game

that the National League batting title will be named in honor of the late Tony Gwynn. The American

League champ will be known as the Rod Carew award.

The surprise announcement by Padres broadcasterDick Enberg drew a thunderous ovation from the crowd

with chants of "Tony, Tony" to regale the Hall of Famer and Padres legend who died in 2014 of salivary gland

cancer.

“Rod is one of the most highly decorated players in American League history, who made 18 straight All-Star

appearances in his Hall of Fame career," Manfred said in a statement. "Tony is considered one of the greatest

hitters in the history of the National League and there is no better place to honor him than in San

Diego. Major League Baseball is pleased to recognize their extraordinary careers by naming our batting

crowns in their honor.”

Gwynn's wife, Alicia, and kids accepted a replica of the award on his behalf.

Gwynn spent 20 seasons with the Padres, winning eight batting titles, amassing 3,141 hits and a career .338

average. The 15-time NL All-Star batted a career-high .394 in the 1994 season and hit at least .353 in each of

the five seasons between 1993 and 1997.

Carew, who attended Tuesday's ceremony, played 19 seasons for the Minnesota Twins and then-California

Angels. He won seven AL batting titles and compiled a career average of .328. The 18-time AL All-Star also

hit above the .300 mark in 15 consecutive seasons (1969-83).

The surprise announcement was among the many pre-game festivities that concluded with former Padres

great Trevor Hoffman delivering the game ball. The Hall of Fame closer came out from the bullpen to his entry

anthem, AC/DC's Hell's Bells.

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National League Batting Crown is Renamed the Tony Gwynn Award POSTED BY ZACH ENGBERG ON JULY 13, 2016 IN SPORTS | 30 VIEWS | LEAVE A RESPONSE

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced on Tuesday afternoon that the annual National League batting title would

be renamed the Tony Gwynn Award.

Manfred made the announcement during the pregame ceremonies of the All-Star Game that was held at Petco Park

Tuesday afternoon.

The NL player with the highest batting average at the end of each season will win the Tony Gwynn Award.

Gwynn won eight batting championships in his 20 seasons in San Diego, including four straight from 1994 – 1997.

Gwynn was the last – and only – Padre to win the batting crown, showing why he was given the moniker “Mr. Padre.”

Gwynn hit .300 or higher for 19 of his 20 pro seasons, with the lone exception coming in his rookie campaign.

MLB is also renaming the American League batting title the Rod Carew Award, honoring the Hall of Fame Minnesota

Twin.

Carew won the AL batting championship six times during the 1970’s, a run he punctuated with his own four-peat from

1972-1976.

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Mr. Padre's All-Star Game: Tony Gwynn's impact resonates in San Diego Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports4:08 p.m. EDT July 11, 2016 SAN DIEGO - It has been two years and 24 days since Tony Gwynn died, but the tears keep flowing and the

pain has yet to subside, as Major League Baseball prepares to celebrate the 87th All-Star Game in the home

that the San Diego Padres’ greatest player built.

Alicia Gwynn, the widow of the Hall of Famer, sat in her living room recently, wiping the tears streaming down

her face. She remembered her husband’s pain during his final two months as he fought salivary gland cancer.

“For me, it was so hard, crying, letting go,” Gwynn told USA TODAY Sports. “When I saw how much pain he

was going through, I finally said, ‘Tony, I’m going to be OK.’ I didn’t want him to suffer anymore.

“They wanted to do more treatments, but he didn’t want to do any more. I remember him saying, ‘If I’m dying,

doc, I want to go out my way.’ And he did. It just seemed like he was already at peace.

“He wasn’t sad. He didn’t want anybody to feel sorry for him. He was ready to go.”

Gwynn, buried just a couple of miles away from his home, died June 16, 2014. He was 54.

John Boggs, his agent and best friend, broke down last week in his San Diego office, remembering watching

Gwynn go into a seizure 21/2 weeks before he died and Alicia holding the phone next to Gwynn’s ear two

days before Father’s Day. It was the last time they spoke.

“My one regret with Tony,” Boggs said, sobbing, “is I never got the chance to tell him what he meant to me.”

Tony Gwynn Jr., the Gwynns’ only son, who also played Major League Baseball, has four kids of his own

now. His last child, and only son, was born 12 days after his father died.

His name is Anthony Keith Gwynn III; they call him Trey.

“I don’t have four kids if I have a boy earlier,” Tony Gwynn Jr. said. “I think it was my dad’s spirit that had our

last child be a boy. I was always so against naming my son the third, but after my dad passed, I had to name

him after him.”

'I was so stupid'

Barry Bonds, baseball’s career home run king, was often scolded by Gwynn, who told him to be a friendlier

person, more cordial to the media, and life would be easier. He didn’t listen.

“He kept telling me to be nice,” Bonds said. “But I was so deep into being controversial, I said the hell with it.

It’s sad I did that. I was so stupid.”

Gwynn was unabashed in his anger toward those who used performance-enhancing drugs, unafraid to

publicly talk about baseball’s deep, dark problem with steroids and amphetamines, when no one wanted to

hear it.

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Gwynn was ostracized by veterans, even his own teammates, for speaking out, but he didn’t care, praying

that his own teammate, 1996 National League MVP Ken Caminiti, an admitted steroid user, was paying

attention.

Caminiti died 10 years before Gwynn, in 2004, of a drug overdose.

Mike Howder, who with Gwynn revolutionized baseball with their videotape technology, perhaps spent more

time with Gwynn than anyone outside his family. Howder, with Michael Tompkins as his assistant, was by

Gwynn’s side since 1989. They would break down videotape after home and road games with the Padres and

then at San Diego State after Gwynn became head coach.

Howder was in Montreal on Aug. 6, 1999, when Gwynn reached the 3,000-hit milestone, watching Gwynn

come into the tunnel alone, take a knee, look up, and say, “Dad, we did it.”

The two became inseparable, and shared everything together in those long hours in the video room, including

the same addiction: nicotine.

Howder smoked cigarettes, and Gwynn chewed tobacco, usually 11/2 tins a day of Skoal. Howder finally

stopped, listening to his doctor’s advice that he would get cancer within a year if he didn’t stop.

Gwynn refused to listen, still dipping after all of the tumors, seizures and radiation treatments, up until the

days he died.

“In his mind, he knew he couldn’t quit,” Howder said. “He was so about routine, and chewing tobacco was too

about this routine. We both pretty much knew that with the baseball schedule, we weren’t going to quit.

“I finally got into vaping, using a non-tobacco, and I really tried to get Tony to use one. I really felt that if I

could get him to buy into it, it would have help him. It would have made a difference. But as an addict, you

need that nicotine.

“I ended up getting five guys to stop chewing tobacco. Unfortunately, Tony wasn’t one of the five.”

This All-Star Game, the first in San Diego in 24 years, was going to be this city’s final chance to celebrate

Gwynn’s legacy, reminiscent of the 1999 All-Star Game atFenway Park in Boston. That’s when Ted

Williams was carted to the middle of the field, surrounded and greeted by every single All-Star player, with

Gwynn the one to assist Williams to the mound.

This time, it was going to be Gwynn basking in the celebration, with this sleepy city showing their gratitude to

Gwynn’s devotion, extolling him for spending his entire career with the Padres and coaching at his alma

mater, San Diego State.

Gwynn will be honored Tuesday night by Major League Baseball and the Padres. That it will come

posthumously is startling for those who long envisioned the firstMidsummer Classic at Petco Park.

41

“There’s an emptiness in the city now,” said Mark Sweeney, Gwynn’s former teammate, who now works on

the Padres’ broadcast crew. “A lot of people still can’t believe he’s gone, and now we ask ourselves what we

can do to enhance is legacy.

“We lost (Chargers Hall of Fame linebacker) Junior Seau, and then Tony, and you think of their impact, but it

starts with Tony. He was the poster child of this city. He made San Diego proud.

“To be honest, I don’t think this city will ever be the same.”

Kicking the habit

The Gwynn family’s hope is that the game of baseball will never be the same, either.

Chewing tobacco killed Gwynn, the family believes, filing a federal lawsuit two months ago against Altria

Group, Inc., the tobacco giant formerly known as Phillip Morris Companies, wanting to make sure that no one

else ever suffers the same pain.

“My dad was such a gentleman and great person, and for him not to be here at the All-Star Game in San

Diego,” said his daughter, Anisha, whose quiet and introspective personality closely resembles her father, “it’s

so hard on all of us. To have something like this take him out of this world, you understand how addictive it is.

“We tried so hard over the years to get him to quit. But as the years went on, we realized it was a lot harder

than we ever imagined. It was just so instilled in this game, and people blindly take it, without the

repercussions. My dad isn’t here, but it’s our job now, our family’s job, to let people know what they’re getting

themselves into.”

Many in the game took notice. Kicking the habit for good, however, is another story.

“When he passed away, I stopped using it,” says San Francisco Giants managerBruce Bochy, Gwynn’s

former teammate, coach and manager with the Padres. “I’ve had a couple of hiccups, but it woke me up.

“It’s a drug, and it’s so hard to get off it, especially in this game. I know Tony believed it killed him.”

Gwynn had a growth removed from his cheek in 2001 and 2007, and was diagnosed with cancer in 2010. He

had surgery, only for the cancer to return two years later. And then again in 2013, the cycle of tumors,

surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy treatments starting anew. Then, came the seizures. Ultimately, Tony

Gwynn Jr. said, there was an inoperable brain tumor.

Gwynn was in and out of the hospital the last two months, but even with the right side of his face paralyzed,

taping his right eyes shut to go to sleep, and requiring a walker to leave the house, never did he disclose his

suffering.

“It just seemed to happen so fast,” said his brother,Chris Gwynn. “I remember he went into the hospital for

tests, they didn’t like the results, they kept him, and within a week he lost his ability to walk. People were

taken by surprise, no one really knew how bad it was, how serious it became.

42

“Really, he didn’t even want me to know. He never once told me the pain he was in, or wanted me to see him

that way. He was so proud. He just wanted to make sure his family was OK.

“That was his concern.”

Said Anisha: “My dad didn’t want people to ever remember him as being sick or weak. He wanted him to

remember the way they last saw him play.”

Stick figure

And could he ever play.

Gwynn, using a tiny 321/2-inch, 31-ounce bat, was an eight-time batting champion. A lifetime .338 hitter. A

15-time All-Star. Five-time Gold Glove winner. He accumulated 3,141 hits. He hit at least .300 every year but

his rookie season, and in his 20-year career, never once struck out more than 40 times in a season.

“There was no way to pitch him,” said former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Jim Leyland, who waved Gwynn

home for the winning run from first base at the 1994 All-Star Game. “If we throw him inside, he pulls it down

the line for a double. If we throw him outside, he’ll hit it down the other line for a double. I know it sounds

crazy, but finally, we said, let’s just pitch him down the middle. Let him make the decision what he wanted to

do with it.”

Merv Rettenmund, Gwynn's former hitting coach with the Padres, took this same approach to an extreme

when he joined the Atlanta Braves. He told Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone that he had the perfect

strategy to stop Gwynn.

"I said, 'Leo, let's just have (Braves catcher) Javy Lopez tell him what's coming. I know Tony. He never wants

to know what's coming. If a guy was tipping pitches, Tony didn't want to know. So we'll have Javy tell him

whether it's a fastball, curveball, changeup or whatever he's throwing. Tony will hate it.

"We thought about it, but we were afraid the umpire might think something illegal was going on."

Gwynn, who used to have Alicia record his at-bats off TV before lugging around his two VCRs and a TV, was

the greatest contact hitter in the game, but was never satisfied. His bread and butter was poking singles

between shortstop and third base, calling it the 5.5 hole.

“I remember sitting on the bench one day,” says Rettenmund, “and Tony said, ‘If I just smoke one, I’ll get my

confidence back.’

“I said Tony, ‘You’re batting .349.’”

43

Road warrior

Gwynn rarely hung out with teammates. The game would end, Gwynn talked to the media, showered and

headed to his home in Poway or to his hotel room, where he was registered under the alias Anthony Keith.

He’d call Alicia. Then, it was a call to Boggs. And then it was watching videotape, playing video games, or the

occasional card game with the fellas, where former teammate Wally Joyner and former GM Kevin

Towers can’t ever remember him winning.

“His family meant everything to him,” said Greg Vaughn, perhaps Gwynn’s closest teammate. “I still remember

winning the pennant in ’98. We were going to the World Series and everyone was going crazy and spraying

champagne and drinking champagne and beer. I vividly remember looking over, the champagne is stinging

my eyes, and there’s Tony with Alicia and the kids by the trainer’s room.

“Tony wanted to spend that moment with his family, enjoying it with them. I’ll never forget that as long as I

live.”

Gwynn, plagued with knee problems throughout his career, was barely healthy enough to play in the World

Series against the New York Yankees. He spent hours in the trainers’ room. It was the first time he had ever

been to Yankee Stadium, and he was going to savor it.

Gwynn hit .500. The Padres led every game, but the Yankees swept the Series, their 125th victory sending

Gwynn into another titleless winter.

Afraid of flying, Gwynn would retreat into driving, finding sanctuary on the road, often accompanied by the

sounds of George Clinton or, later, jazz.

Why, even when Gwynn bought a winter vacation home in Indianapolis in 1993 —yes, Indianapolis — he

would insist the family drive in the Chevrolet Astro mini-van. Gwynn would constantly get teased about his

choice for vacation homes, but to Gwynn, it was the perfect family city. The kids had never seen snow in San

Diego, and this was a chance to have snowball fights, and even get season-tickets for theIndiana Pacers.

“That’s how my dad wanted to be normal,” said Gwynn Jr., who played for his dad at San Diego State. “He

bought a place in a Midwestern town where he could go out to dinner, walk the streets, go to a game, and

never be noticed. He loved that.”

Really, Gwynn was a self-proclaimed nerd. His favorite night was Tuesday. He and Alicia would make

popcorn, grab some cold sodas and watch NCIS.

“One of the highlights of his life,” Alicia said, “was the day Mark Harmon called him, and wished him happy

birthday. He was like, ‘Can you believe that?’ And after that,Magic Johnson called him. He was like, ‘Wow,

wow, wow. How cool was that?’ He was so excited. He got on the phone, called Boggsy, he called his brother,

called his mom. Even though he was in so much pain, just to see his face light up.”

44

It was May 9, 2014, the last birthday Gwynn celebrated.

Gwynn knew he was dying, and so did his players at San Diego State, where he had coached since 2001.

Even when was hardly around their final season, getting updates on their game in the hospital, they would call

after each victory, sing the fight song and Gwynn would end the call by telling them how much he loved them.

“You couldn’t pull him from San Diego State,” Alicia said. “He didn’t care about the major leagues or any other

job.”

His town

It’s only fitting now that Washington Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg, Gwynn’s prized protege at San

Diego State, will be at the All-Star Game. Texas Rangers aceCole Hamels, who grew up in San Diego

worshiping Gwynn, and later became a teammate with his son, made the All-Star Game too. Tony Clark,

executive director of the Major League Players Association, who grew up in San Diego and tried to emulate

the way Gwynn lived his life, will also be on hand.

“For me,” said Clark, who also played baseball and basketball at San Diego State, “Tony was what I aspired

to be. He was a basketball and baseball player in college, a Hall of Fame baseball player, and someone who

embodied all that was right about family and our hometown of San Diego.”

There are reminders everywhere — the huge statue of Gwynn beyond the outfield fence at Petco Park, at 19

Tony Gwynn Drive, and a smaller statue at Poway Park, after you follow a stretch of I-15 renamed Tony

Gwynn Memorial Highway.

Said Hamels: “When you think of athletes in San Diego, it’s not really looked at as a sports city. It’s not like

the East Coast. Really, we had two athletes in San Diego, Tony Gwynn and Junior Seau. The impact they

made on the fan base, and a city that isn’t drawn to sports, they left a legacy that’s pretty impressive.

“I just wish we could thank him in person.”

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John Smoltz sums up Tony Gwynn's dominance with one great stat Chris Cwik Big League Stew contributor Jul 12, 2016, 7:48 PM

With the All-Star game in San Diego this season, it’s impossible not to think about San Diego

Padres legendary outfielder Tony Gwynn. The Hall of Famer earned the nickname “Mr. Padre”

after spending 20 exceptional seasons with the club. No player personifies the Padres better than

Gwynn.

Though Gwynn died due to salivary gland cancer in 2014, his impact around the game is still felt

today. That love and respect doesn’t just come from San Diego fans, it also comes from current

players and even some of Gwynn’s former opponents.

One of those opponents was Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz, who just so happened to be in the booth calling the All-Star game. During a lull in the action, Smoltz managed to sum up Gwynn’s dominance at the plate with one fantastic stat.

Yes, you’re reading that correctly, Gwynn absolutely destroyed the Braves infamous pitching trio

from the ’90s. He was 30-for-65 (.462) with two home runs against Smoltz, 39-for-91 (.429) off

Greg Maddux and went 29-for-93 (.312) with two home runs against Tom Glavine.

That might be three separate stats, but consider his overall performance against all three players.

Pretty impressive, right?

All three of those pitchers are currently enshrined in the Hall of Fame. At the plate, Gwynn treated

them as if they were Triple-A fodder.

There’s a reason Rob Manfred renamed the National League Batting Champion awardafter Tony

Gwynn just prior to the start of the game.

46

Stephen Strasburg's Father-Son Bond with Tony Gwynn Made Him an MLB Star By Scott Miller, National MLB Columnist Jul 12, 2016

SAN DIEGO — The Master looked out at The Pupil. It was autumn, 2006, the first days of fall

practice, and the incoming freshman class was finding its way, as ever, maturity not always

matching exuberance. So there was work to be done. A lot of work.

What The Master saw as he scanned the horizon and focused on one freshman in particular

was not future riches and stardom. Instead, what he noted was baby fat to be melted.

Toughness to be instilled. What he saw was a lost ball in tall weeds.

It was a start.

The Pupil looked back at The Master, the view wholly different from the one he had when he

was two. Or 12. He now was reporting directly to his boyhood idol. And he was not prepared for

this thing called college, or college baseball or maybe even all that much in life. Not yet. Though

he didn't know it. Not quite.

Then came the weight room, the running—so much running—and soon, The Pupil was keeled

over, gasping for breath, puking in the ice plant, heaving until he had nothing left to heave. Or

give.

But over time, The Pupil would learn that he had far more to give than he ever knew.

The initial lows would yield to incredible highs. As if propelled by rocket fuel, once he launched,

he zoomed straight up into the stratosphere. San Diego State closer, then ace. Beijing

Olympics. One of the most hotly anticipated No. 1 overall picks in the country, ever.

The frenzy around them exploded into kaleidoscopic colors, and what The Master now began to

see was a reflection of himself: an elite, no-nonsense player who hated to lose. One whose

shyness made him uncomfortable in the fish-bowl environment of fame. One who eschewed

flamboyance for substance and hard work.

As the outside world—media, agents, fans, gawkers—clamored for its pound of flesh, The

Master tapped the brakes, again and again, affording The Pupil a chance to breathe. "An artisan

with the bat," reads The Master's Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown, but what he really was,

in addition, was an artisan in humanity.

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Today, when Stephen Strasburg speaks in reverential tones of the man who became his

"second father," the late San Diego State University coach and 20-year MLB veteran Tony

Gwynn, these are the seeds from which one of the great baseball love stories of our time

bloomed.

"It was eye-opening, because I had him so high up on a pedestal at that point," Strasburg, who

grew up in San Diego, tells B/R during an extended conversation last month. "I quickly realized

he was one of the most genuine people I've ever met.

"He was Coach. That was the thing. It wasn't like he was showing up every day telling the guys,

'Wow, I did this and that.' You could ask him, and he would share some really cool stories.

"But at that point in his life, when I was around him on a daily basis, he was Coach. He made a

very big point of developing guys' characters first, and then hopefully they became better

ballplayers on the way as well."

Soon, The Pupil would outgrow the confines of college. And when he married, The Master, who

enjoyed formal occasions about as much as a fastball to the skull, knotted up a tie, took his

wife's hand and had a ball at the wedding.

Five months later, in June of 2010, the man who hated to fly even more than he hated formality

boarded an airplane for a cross-country flight to be see the phenom's MLB debut.

Now, as the All-Star Game returns to San Diego for the first time since 1992, The Pupil laces up

his cleats for his second Midsummer Classic. And the tragedy is that The Master, whose legend

looms over this game, this beautiful ballpark and this sparkling city, is not here to attend.

"With Muhammad Ali passing and being called 'The Greatest,' let me tell you, Tony Gwynn was

'The Second Greatest,'" Kathleen Swett,Strasburg's mother, tells B/R.

"We loved him very much."

Gwynn, of course, who became synonymous with San Diego during his career, died of cancer

on June 16, 2014.

But in so many ways, both big and small, he will be with us at this 2016 All-Star Game.

Especially in the hearts of one particular All-Star and his family.

48

"Please excuse me if I start sounding like I'm crying a little bit," Kathleen says over the

telephone. "Forgive me for that. It goes way, way, way back to when Stephen was a toddler. He

watched a lot of baseball on TV, and he would totally light up whenever Tony would come to

bat.

"He'd have birthday parties and people would give him all of the Tony Gwynn gear, all sorts of

that stuff."

There is a picture that was taken at Strasburg's second birthday party. In it, he is wearing Tony

Gwynn sweatbands, a Padres batting helmet and a toothy grin as wide as the 5.5 hole through

which the Hall ofFamer punched so many of his 3,141 career hits. Gwynn made that 5.5 hole,

as he called it, famous: the opening between shortstop (position No. 6 if you're keeping score)

and third base (5). Thus, 5.5.

From the beginning for Strasburg, it was all about the man known as Mr. Padre.

The first time they met, Stephen was maybe eight or nine. His father had played high school

basketball with the varsity basketball coach where Gwynn's son, Tony Jr., was playing.

"My dad knew they were having a good season, and he knew the coach, so we went up there to

a game," Strasburg says. "We're watching the game, and I look across and see Coach in the

stands with his video recorder, recording his son's game.

"So I went over there after the game and I asked for him to sign my ticket."

When he wasn't swinging a bat, video recorders and autographs were the currency in which

Gwynn trafficked at that point in the late 1990s. The pioneer of the game's video revolution,

Gwynn used to lug his own videocassette recorder on road trips and record games from his

hotel room television so he could study at-bats. Today, every major league club employs its own

video personnel, and every clubhouse is stocked with computers for the players to view clips.

A couple of more years passed. Strasburg, now 10 or 11, was playing on a travel-ball team, and

one of his teammates was Brett Bochy, son of the then-Padres (and now San Francisco Giants)

manager.

When he was home and free, Bruce Bochy would sometimes visit with the team and offer

coaching tips. But what was pure magic was when he would invite the travel squad to

visit Qualcomm Stadium, where the Padres played before Petco Park opened. There, the kids

were granted access to the raggedy old indoor batting cage that could be reached only by taking

an elevator up one floor from the Padres' clubhouse underneath the stands.

49

Sometimes, when the elevator door opened in the early afternoons, there was Gwynn, swinging

away, all alone.

"We'd come in and we'd hear the crack of the bat and there's Tony, hitting," Strasburg says.

"We're all like, 'Oh my gosh, this is awesome watching him hit.'"

On one lucky day, it got even better.

"He asked if we needed somebody to throw," Strasburg says. "So he threw batting practice for

us for almost an hour."

Yet even with Gwynn taking over the San Diego State program in 2003 following his 2001

retirement, Strasburg was making other plans in high school.

"I worked really hard in school to get into Stanford," Strasburg says. "There was a tournament in

Nevada I was playing in and one of the Stanford recruiters was supposed to be there.

"I don't think he showed up, and I had a really good game and Rusty Filter (then San Diego

State's pitching coach) was there and saw me and said, 'We want to get you on a visit.'"

One of the most effective recruiting tactics SDSU employed at the time was using Gwynn as its

closer. Once the recruiting process reached a certain point, if the Aztecs program was serious

about a kid, Gwynn often would make a home visit and have dinner with the recruit and his

family.

"But at that point, I just got back from Nevada and I was in school so it was like, 'OK, we'll just

meet you there; we'll do the visit at State,'"Strasburg says. "That's where my mom and dad

talked with him."

Conversations and reality have a funny way, sometimes, of moving to places other than their

expected destinations.

Strasburg was young for a high school graduate, just 17, and he came from a school that didn't

emphasize conditioning. He had zero experience with weight training.

Plus, there was this taco shop near the school, Estrada's, and Stephen and his buddies were

regulars. Strasburg loved the California burrito:carne asada, french fries, cheese, guacamole

and salsa, all wrapped up inside a tortilla.

So you can imagine the shock awakening to college ball. As Strasburgstruggled in the fall of

2006, there were serious questions regarding whether he was a keeper. Teammates tagged him

50

"Slothburg." He became acquainted with the nearby ice plant under stomach-churning

circumstances.

As assistant coaches barked and teammates razzed, Coach Gwynn would sidle up to his new

freshman pitcher and, in that high-pitched, cheerful voice filled with sunshine and optimism,

quietly tease.

"What's going on? Is this a little too tough for you?"

Talk about a complete college education.

"The high school I went to, you just showed up, played the game and went

home," Strasburg says. "Once I got to SDSU, that first week of conditioning, I could barely get

through the stretches or the warm-up. I really, really struggled.

"It got better slowly, but it was a long grind."

Strasburg can still hear the voice: What's going on? Is this a little too tough for you?

"I think Coach had a good read on individuals," Strasburg says. "Who needed a kick in the butt,

who didn't.

"I just needed to be shown the process and how to do it. That was one of the things I really

learned from him when I got to college: OK, this is the work you've got to do, so now it's your

decision. Go do it.'"

At the semester break, Mark Martinez, the assistant who would be elevated to head coach when

tragedy struck seven years later, saw him at a local LA Fitness gym every morning.

"What are you doing here?" Martinez asked, surprised, on that first day.

"The weight room's closed over Christmas," Strasburg explained. "I needed a place to work out."

But here's the twist: alternating schedules—Martinez worked out early and was finished by 6:30

a.m., and then his wife would come in for her workout. And every night, Coach Martinez's wife

would report thatStrasburg was still there working when she'd left.

"At some point during the fall, he made a decision that he was going to be good," Martinez says.

"Nobody else made that decision for him."

"That's kind of how it was," Strasburg says. "I did everything to a T. I wanted to do everything

they asked me to do.

"Once I lost 30 pounds, I got a little stronger and my velocity started to come up. I always had a

pretty good arm, but there was no process to make it better."

51

That spring, about a week before the 2007 season started and with the back end of their bullpen

still a work in progress, Gwynn and Martinez were talking following one practice, when in walked

Filter.

"We've got our closer," Filter announced.

"Who?" Gwynn asked.

"Stephen Strasburg."

"No way! I don't know if he's ready for that."

"You think closer, you think dynamic personality," Martinez says today. "Stephen is very soft-

spoken. He's not very animated."

Martinez remembers the debate lasting for about 20 minutes. He's not ready to close! Give him

a chance and let's see! In the end, Gwynn was convinced; Strasburg got the ninth inning. As

always, the freshman did his talking on the mound.

"I think what Coach did [showing faith in Strasburg to be the closer as a freshman] developed a

trust between Stephen and Tony," Martinez says. "And by the end of the year, he was getting

some starts."

The winter before Strasburg's sophomore season—the one that would help seal his position as

the only college player invited to play among professionals on the U.S. Olympic team—Tony

Gwynn Jr. stopped by his alma mater while preparing for the next season in Milwaukee's

organization.

"At this point, Stephen hadn't even gotten on anybody's radar yet," says Gwynn Jr., 33, who

retired last winter following a 13-year professional career and is doing postgame shows for Los

Angeles Dodgers radio. "I was trying to get a head start on seeing live pitching; I think it was

around November.

"Generally, I didn't see live pitching until January, but my dad said, 'Why don't you hop in.' I grab

a bat, get in the box and Strassy punched me out on three pitches, real quick. I remember

walking back to the bench thinking, 'Who is this guy?' As I did, I fish-eyed my dad, like, 'Really?'

And he was already laughing about it. I knew he knew what was going on."

52

Now in shape, Strasburg had gone from barely being able to bench-press 95 pounds and yet

still throwing 92 mph to adding extra muscle and even more zip on his fastball. Now, it was

creeping into the mid-90s, en route to 100.

His baseball curriculum was taking root, and in so many ways. As a coach, Gwynn was old-

school, which meant even when the Aztecs won, there was still a right way and a wrong way to

do things.

There was the walk-off win against Brigham Young, in which one ofSDSU's players watched his

game-winning homer just a wee bit too long. It was early in the season, the Aztecs were excited

and, in the chaos of the celebratory locker room, Gwynn walked in and told them, "Good win,

guys."

But let's remember something he added.

"He started to go on this talk about acting like you've done it before, respecting the game and

winning with humility," Strasburg says, smiling at the memory. "It wasn't so much a talk as a

shouting session.

"But he got so fired up because it meant so much to him, respecting the game, that he kicked

the door to the clubhouse and it left this huge hole in the drywall. It was there for the rest of the

year.

"We're college kids, pretty immature; he could have let us do our thing. But it's always a

teaching moment. Even when we had such a good finish to a game, it's still important to look big

picture and instill some good character."

Another time, during a game at Texas Christian University during his final

year, Strasburg became incensed when a TCU batter singled through the hole near second

base. And he seemed to become even angrier when his second baseman made a half-hearted

dive in which he didn't come close to nabbing the bouncer.

The kid who once could barely make it through conditioning drills now was so dominant that he

became offended whenever anyone coaxed a base hit off of him.

"Stephen was pissed," Martinez says. "So our catcher comes out to the mound and says,

'Stephen, that was a base hit.' So he got mad at our catcher. Then he walks into the dugout

after the inning and Tony walks up and says, 'You know, that was a base hit. You can't defend

that. Good for you for managing the rest of the inning, but it was a base hit.'

"It took a few minutes for steam to stop coming out of his ears."

53

Strasburg's catcher in the game, Erik Castro, remembers that well.

"Stephen and Coach Gwynn obviously have something special as far as their talent," says

Castro, who reached the Triple-A level in the Astros organization in 2014 before retiring and

remains one of Strasburg's closest friends. "Tony was one of the best ever, and Stephen

obviously was turning into an elite pitcher in the game.

"Stephen didn't know how to control his competitiveness. When he was 19, 20, 21 years old, he

got fired up about everything. And Tony was teaching him how to be professional about things.

On the field, you don't say this or that to your teammates. That was a clear base hit. Just let that

one go. Someone got a hit off of you, Stephen, it's all right."

It is one of the last of The Master's lessons that The Pupil continues trying to, well, master even

today.

"That's something I've always struggled with. I don't like giving up hits,"Strasburg says. "When

he said that, it's like, man, if I had [him] on my shoulder telling me that [during some professional

games], I think I would have done better in some games, not letting little hits bother me.

"At the end of the day, it really comes down to what you're going to do next. It's funny you bring

that up. I probably should have listened a little more. I was a little heated at the time."

The chaos reached its peak during Strasburg's junior—and final—season at SDSU in 2009,

following Beijing.

Aztecs home games became such carnivals that the school band and cheerleaders regularly

performed, entertaining the standing-room-only crowds when folks got bored gawking at the

hordes of professional scouts and media.

Everybody in the country knew he was about to become the nation's No. 1 pick.

"It was ridiculous," his mother Kathleen says. "Nuts. Crazy.

"It was this feeding frenzy, and one of the things I was thankful for was Coach Gwynn controlling

all that so Stephen could do what he had to do."

With two decades of MLB experience, eight batting titles, 15 All-Star selections and the Hall of

Fame induction in 2007, Gwynn was something of an expert on feeding frenzies.

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Quietly, he would pull Stephen aside and serve as a sounding board. They would talk baseball.

Family. Friends. School. The future. He would ask about this and suggest that, often

telling Strasburg, "This is how we're going to do it, because I've been there and I know."

"Tony never met with Stephen's dad and I to say, 'This is what's going on,'" Kathleen says. "It

was just between Stephen and Tony.

"I felt so blessed. Just to have that caliber of a human being in my son's life, showing him the

way and imparting such wisdom. Stephen still cherishes that time. What better can you have

than that?"

They were special moments. And yet, much of what Gwynn was doing at the time was behind

the scenes, even away from Strasburg. Making sure scouts spoke with him first. Filtering

potential agents through his office before they even got to Strasburg.

"It's really easy in college baseball when you have a horse, or somebody who's going to be

drafted really high, for the coaching staff to say, 'This is our ticket, we're going to ride this guy

and hopefully win a lot of games,'" Strasburg says. "But I never had that sense from Coach.

"I was in a bubble, to be honest. It was refreshing because the message they sent to every

single player, especially the pitching staff, was that they always reminded me that I was just

another donkey.

"I wanted to go out there and be a donkey, just go and be that guy who does his job and gives

the ball to the next guy. That's the culture and mentality they tried to create, and I think they do

a good job of that even now."

The Master made sure The Pupil spoke with the right people, and weeded out the wrong ones.

Played defense for him with the media. They would chat after practice. Before class. At the

stadium. Before a big game. In the clubhouse. Nothing formal. Just lots and lots of little

moments.

"Their personalities were very similar, and I think that's why they gravitated toward each other,"

Martinez says.

"I remember my father saying, 'He gets it,'" Gwynn Jr. says. "I knew him and my dad were pretty

close when my dad started to get irritated when Stephen had to deal with so many agents and

media his last year. Stephen wasn't comfortable.

"It reminded me of myself having to deal with it, and my dad feeling the same way. I knew then

that they were pretty tight."

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Sometimes, on the way to school or on the way home from practice, Coach would stop by the

office of his longtime agent, John Boggs, and fill him in.

"No question, Tony was very proud of Stephen," Boggs says. "And I think it was because of the

work ethic Stephen demonstrated.

"Tony's main thing was hard work equals success, and Stephen worked very hard and Tony

was very proud.

"'Boggsy,' Gwynn would say, 'this kid is the real deal.'"

To Gwynn, there was no higher praise.

So it became official, this graduation from The Pupil into The Real Deal.

Strasburg hired superagent Scott Boras, was drafted first overall by the Washington Nationals in

2009 and signed for a $7.5 million bonus, part of a then-record-breaking four-year, $15.1 million

deal.

One year later, on June 8, 2010, amid another feeding frenzy among media and fans on another

coast, he made his major league debut against Pittsburgh. It was one of those few occasions

when real life lives up to the hype: Strasburg fanned 14 Pirates in seven innings and came away

with a 5-2 win.

Up in a suite at Nationals Park that day, right there with Strasburg's family, was Gwynn.

"When he agreed to fly to Washington for Stephen's major league debut, man, that was telling

right there," Boggs says. "I've known Tony a long time, and one thing he hated to do more than

anything was fly somewhere."

"And he did all that for Stephen," Kathleen says. "Bless his heart."

"It was awesome," Strasburg says. "He's really like a part of the family. ... They let him come

down to the clubhouse before the game, and he's on my pass list, and here it is, a Hall

of Famer sitting with my family watching my debut.

"My family's never going to forget that."

Especially Uncle John. Part of a coterie of family members from Kathleen's side who live in

Virginia, Stephen's great uncle (Kathleen's uncle) had the good fortune to sit next to Gwynn in

the suite that night.

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"My uncle knows baseball, but he's more familiar with football," Kathleen says. "Tony was giving

my uncle inside detail at every moment, and my uncle was just thrilled. I just wish I had a video

of it.

"My uncle still talks about it, and he's 85 now."

Flanking Gwynn in the suite along with Uncle John was Brandon Ruddy, a former Aztec and one

of Strasburg's closest friends.

"I still remember Coach saying, 'Man, there’s more media here than when I played in the World

Series,'" Ruddy says.

Today, there are still occasions when visitors to Stephen and RachelStrasburg's home will

check out the framed pictures throughout, come back to one in particular from their Jan. 9,

2010, wedding and exclaim:

"Is that Tony Gwynn?"

"To me, you want those you're close with and those that you love to be there on such an

important day of your life," Strasburg says. "I mean, he was one of them."

Says Boggs: "God, if he went to everybody's wedding that he was invited to, it would have been

a full-time job. And again, Tony wasn't a big fan of celebrations, dinners, that kind of stuff. Even

going to Stephen's debut, that was something really out of the ordinary.

"But if you needed one act, that's the act that explained what his feelings were about

Stephen Strasburg."

The spirit of Tony Gwynn will permeate this year's All-Star Game because the spirit of Tony

Gwynn permeates San Diego. Without him, there probably would be no Petco Park. Possibly,

there would be no Padres.

It was only three months after Strasburg's debut, and just eight months after his wedding, when

Gwynn, then 50, was diagnosed with cancer of a salivary gland. Shortly afterward, he had lymph

nodes and tumors from the gland removed, and his battle started in earnest.

That Strasburg, Boggs and so many others still speak of Gwynn in the present tense is not

unusual. Though it has been 25 months now since cancer took him, pictures, highlights, stories

and memories throughout town keep him with us on so many days.

Just as Strasburg himself does when he frequently references Gwynn.

"Growing up, my parents got divorced when I was five or six, and I did all the baseball stuff with

my dad," Strasburg says. "And it was kind of like in high school, that's when it started to become

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I'm on my own. And when I got to SDSU, that's when Coach Gwynn was a father figure to all of

the guys, grooming us to hopefully win some games on the baseball field, but also do the right

things off the baseball field."

Every so often, one of these "second father" quotes makes its way into the Gwynn family world,

and though their ache will never fade away, it is momentarily dulled. Most

recently, Strasburg did it again in May, at a news conference announcing his seven-year, $175

million extension with the Nationals.

"It makes me extremely happy," Gwynn Jr. says. "It stirs up emotion, obviously, because he's

talking in the past tense, which reminds you of the situation we are in.

"But it brings so much happiness to know he had such an impact on life and is appreciated. And

appreciated so publicly. I wouldn't be mad if Stephen didn't say anything publicly. I know from

having conversations with Stephen how much he's appreciated.

"But the fact that he does it publicly, and again when he signs that extension...how long has he

been in the big leagues, seven years? Let's put it this way: Seven years later, it would be easy

for him to forget my father. Yet in one of the biggest moments of his life, other than getting

married or the birth of his daughter (Raegan, 2), he still mentions my father's name. And I

appreciate it.

"He's one of the guys carrying on my father's legacy."

There are pieces of Gwynn he carries forward with him today. One was visible last month

when Strasburg visited a Washington elementary school library to help launch the D.C. Public

Library's summer reading program.

"I try to be the role model that he was," Strasburg says. "There's times where it's tough to have

that kind of engagement with fans because...this guy would sign autographs forever. I don't

think my patience is that good.

"His work ethic, I've always tried to think that way, how can I get better? One of the things he

said to me was something his dad said to him: "Would you rather be batting .200 and having

nobody talk to you, or would you rather be hitting .350 and having everybody talk to you?"

These words continue to roll around in his mind, often when things become difficult. Though the

man he still calls "Coach" is no longer around, in some ways, Strasburg still can make the

connection.

The last time he saw Gwynn was in the SDSU baseball office, just before Strasburg left for

spring training in 2014. Though few knew it at the time, Gwynn was entering his final months.

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"It was really hard seeing where he was," Strasburg says quietly. "I just remember his spirits, he

was so upbeat. Physically, you could tell he was really battling with it. But he was saying, 'Yeah,

I've got some stuff I'm going through but I just want to get back out there with the guys, back out

there with the team.'"

Four months later, an off day in June and two days after Strasburgpitched in St. Louis, was

when he got the word that Gwynn had died. The Nationals were at home, and

when Strasburg picked up his phone, the jarring suddenness of his friend's text knocked the

wind from him.

"It was like, 'Oh my God,'" Strasburg says. "It hit me. It hit me hard. I was speechless at the

time, and I really don't know what to say now. I remember I was standing right next to the bed. I

think I went down to breakfast, then went back upstairs, looked at my phone and my heart just

sank."

How do you fill the gaps when you lose someone who is irreplaceable?

Sometimes, the best you can do is sign an autograph for one kid, read a book to another and

keep firing answers to that long ago question The Master pitched to you: What's going on? Is

this a little too tough for you?

The time they had together, even today, Strasburg finds difficult to put into words. He has the

memories and the wisdom, but very few physical items.

"I wish I did," he says. "But when I played at SDSU, I was a little too nervous and I never asked

him for an autograph."

He has a few pictures, one signed ball from when he was a kid and his travel team

visited Qualcomm Stadium, and, oh yes, one Tony Gwynn rookie baseball card.

"Saved up all of my allowance to buy it from this card shop," Strasburgsays. "I think it was 85

bucks at the time. So I saved up a lot of money for it.

"Those are my two big Tony Gwynn things, and they were from my childhood."

Fitting, because beginning about the time The Pupil left him, The Master kept a piece

of Strasburg's childhood right there in his own life, too.

It was shortly after Stephen's final game at SDSU when Kathleen dug out that birthday-party

picture, the one with her son rocking the Tony Gwynn sweatbands when he was 2, framed it and

gave it to Gwynn.

"I didn't want to give it to him any sooner because I didn't want anybody to think I was trying to

influence Coach Gwynn," Kathleen says. "But I gave him that picture in a really neat frame, and

he put it right on his desk."

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For years after, whenever someone new walked into his office, he would excitedly point to the

frame.

"Guess who that is," The Master would cackle.

Blank look after blank look would greet him. So he would grin, and then he would practically

shriek the answer.

"It's Strasburg!"