Barry Bonds was shopping Monday afternoon in San Francisco when he picked up his cell phone and couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Tony Gwynn was dead at the age of 54.
"Are you serious? Oh my God!'' Bonds, baseball's all-time home run leader, told USA TODAY Sports. "You're kidding, right?
"He's one of my favorite people in the world.''
Gwynn, the Hall of Famer and the San Diego Padres' eight-time batting champion, was just about everyone's favorite person in the world.
He was a baseball reporter's best friend. You could talk to him about steroid abuse in the game to an occasional hitting slump, and he would give you the same courtesy whether you're from Time Magazine or the Escondido High school newspaper.
He treated the kids picking up the dirty socks in the Padres clubhouse with the same respect as ownership.
When a certain reporter arrived into San Diego to write a piece on Gwynn's final season for USA TODAY Sports, only for the 9/11 terrorist attack to hit and postpone baseball games for a week, guess who was calling to make sure everything was OK, and bringing him to his home.
He was unquestionably the greatest player to ever wear the Padres' uniform.
He is undeniably the greatest person to ever wear their uniform.
"That's why this day is so tough,'' Bonds says. "My eyes can't stop watering.''
It was Gwynn's irresistible personality that made it seem so bizarre that one of his closest friends in baseball was Bonds. Gwynn loved to be loved. And everyone loved him right back. Bonds loved to be hated. And, well, he was hated right back.
Gwynn, who wanted to see Bonds receive as much adoration as him, pleaded with Bonds one year to transform his personality. It won't hurt, he promised, to become well, merely cordial with reporters. It would make life so much easier.
Bonds listened, and promised him he'd give it a try. When they saw one another a few weeks later, and Bonds was back growling at reporters, Gwynn asked what happened.
"I tried it T,'' but I just couldn't do it,'' said Bonds. "I've got to be that edge to play this game. Sorry, I've got to be an (expletive).''
When Bonds closed his eyes Monday, he could still hear that conversation in his head, and, oh, yes, Gwynn laughing so hard at Bonds' surrender, they were both crying.
"I learned a lot from Tony, on the field and away from baseball,'' Bonds said. "We were different types of hitters, but my God, I admired him so much. I learned so much about hitting from Tony. He was one of the best hitters I've ever seen.
"Pete Rose is the best contact hitter in the history of baseball. Tony might be the second-best. He mastered the art of hitting, just like Greg Maddux mastered pitching. If you're a ballplayer today, if there's one person you want to watch a film of hitting, go get tapes of Tony Gwynn.''
this dude was a BEAST!
damn
i wonder when MLB will ban dip
