Hilfe & Support » an, a quality man, a 100 per cent family man

SAN DIEGO -- Tony Gwynns sweet swing was matched only by his incandescent smile. The Hall of Famer was saluted at Petco Park on Thursday night in a ceremony that would have made "Mr. Padre" light up. Though, that wasnt something Gwynn had trouble doing. "It was so engaging," former teammate Steve Garvey said of Gwynns grin. "There are a few guys in sports that have it. You always think of Magic (Johnson), and Tony was baseballs Magic as far as that smile was concerned." Gwynn, a Hall of Famer who spent his entire 20-year career with the Padres, died on June 16 from oral cancer, a disease he attributed to years of chewing tobacco. He was 54. The 15-time All Star averaged .338 over a career in which he had 3,141 hits and won eight NL batting titles. A two-sport star at San Diego State before getting selected by the Padres in the third round of the 1981 draft, he was beloved for his achievements on the field and his humility on and off it. Gwynn never hid his affection for San Diego, embracing his "Mr. Padre" nickname and declining to leave San Diego as a free agent on numerous occasions. After retiring from the Padres following the 2001 season, Gwynn became SDSUs baseball coach. Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson and ex-Padre Trevor Hoffman were among the speakers who addressed the crowd of about 20,000 from a stage erected in right field, just in front of the No. 19 carved into the outfield grass. A podium was placed between three No. 19 Gwynn jerseys, two from the Padres World Series appearances in 1984 and 1998 and one from San Diego State. The left-field scoreboard showed a collage of pictures that ranged from Gwynn tipping his hat to the crowd and to him clutching his Hall of Fame plaque. And, of course, one displaying that warm smile. "We all know Tony was a great player, a great Hall of Famer," Jackson said. "That is known when he got 97 per cent of the vote -- that puts him in the top four or five. ... "He was a genuine man, a quality man, a 100 per cent family man. A great son, a great husband, a great father, a great friend and a great teammate. He was an example of what we all want to live and emulate as a person." Thursdays tribute, which started when 19 white doves were released, was open to the public following the private service Gwynns family held Saturday at SDSU. Gwynns fans, many wearing his brown-and-yellow No. 19 jersey, were given a chance to pay their respects to someone they felt they knew. He was an anchor of not only the Padres two World Series teams, but in the community as well. After leaving the Padres, he coached at SDSU, was a member of the Padres broadcasting team and remained active in various charities. A stream of people walked past Gwynns statue in the adjacent Park at the Park, with a line snaking past memorabilia of his storied career. Gwynn, whose No. 19 is retired by the Padres, batted at least .300 in 19 straight seasons. In 1994, he was hitting .394 in August when the season ended prematurely because of the baseball strike; in 1995, he struck out only 15 times in 577 plate appearances. But it was the way Gwynn carried himself that endeared him to countless fans. And not just those in San Diego. Gwynn has been honoured around baseball since his death. Tony Gwynn Jr., his son, was given a standing ovation Tuesday in Philadelphia in his first at-bat with the Phillies since taking a leave following his fathers death. "Even though he was on the other team you still had to admire the way he went about his business," said Joe Torre, an executive vice-president for Major League Baseball and former Yankees manager. "Unfortunately we dont have many, maybe any -- maybe Derek Jeter -- that conduct themselves in a similar fashion. "Honestly, what you saw is what you got: he was a good hitter and never tried to show anybody up." Gwynn became and stayed a star in San Diego. He never thought it would shine brighter elsewhere. "Im a Padre, a San Diego Padre," Gwynn once said. "And Im proud of it." Near the end of the tribute Hoffman, in a halting voice, talked straight to Gwynn, his former Padres teammate. "Thank you for representing San Diego," Hoffman said, "with such class." Jordan Whitehead Buccaneers Jersey . -- Jesse Lussier scored 8:24 into overtime as the Halifax Mooseheads erased a four-goal deficit to beat the host Val-dOr Foreurs 6-5 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action. Custom Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys . According to TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie, the deal will pay Schenn $2.25 million in the first year and $2.75 million in the second year. In 82 games with the Flyers in 2013-14, Schenn scored 20 goals and added 21 assists. http://www.shopbuccaneersauthentic.com/Y...y-Elite-Jersey/. 1 goaltender tonight when they conclude a four-game road trip versus the Winnipeg Jets. Vita Vea Buccaneers Jersey . Last year, Islanders forward Colin Mcdonald released a "Do It For Colin" campaign to promote his teammate and friend John Tavares for the EA sports honour:The most popular sports voting video ever has to go to Chris Bosh who showcased his comedic abilities in his effort to get fans to vote him into the 2008 All Star Game:You can vote for TJ and other star players for the NHL 15 cover vote here. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys .Boston beat the Nashville Predators 5-3 on Tuesday night and celebrated consecutive wins for the first time in more than a month.ATHENS -- Dimitris Salpingidis found the net in the second half as Greece beat Latvia 1-0 to retain a share of the lead in World Cup qualifying Group G, level with Bosnia which emerged as the favourite after coming from behind with a pair of late goals to win 2-1 in Slovakia. The Greeks hammered away at Latvias slow defence, and eventually beat goalkeeper Aleksandrs Kolinko in the 58th. Georgios Samaras picked out Salpingidis who got the better of three defenders and calmly spun the ball into the left corner. Both teams ended the game with 10 men. Latvias Ritvars Rugins was sent off after scuffling with Costas Katsouranis in the 86th minute, while Katsouranis was shown his second yellow card from Icelandic referee Kristinn Jakobsson in injury time after his heavy handed intervention to stop the Latvians on the break. In the other group match Tuesday, Lithuania won 2-0 at home against Liechtenstein on first-half goals from Deivydas Matulevicius and Tadas Kijanskas. Greece and Bosnia both have 19 points from eight matches, but the Bosnians kept their goal advantage after Ermin Bicakcic levelled in the 70th minute at Zilina, and Izet Hajrovic came off the bench to find the winner eight minutes later, delivering a powerful shot from 25 metres. Slovvakia inflicted the first qualifying defeat for Bosnia last week and raised hopes in Athens on Tuesday after taking the lead with Marek Hamsik in the 42nd minute as the hosts dominated the half.dddddddddddd But Bosnia pushed back after the break for the late win. "It was a match full of chances ... a high quality duel. We beat an excellent opponent," Bosnia coach Safet Susic said. The Bosnians now have the easier task to reach their first World Cup in Brazil next year, with Liechtenstein and Lithuania as opponents in the last two matches. "Obviously theres less light at the end of the tunnel for us now. But well keep chasing it," Greece coach Fernando Santos said. "We had a really strong start tonight and the final score doesnt show that. Finishing is an issue. We need to work on our co-ordination in the little time that we have left." Celtic striker Georgios Samaras said Greece could look forward to a place in the play offs. "We have to think about ourselves and not Bosnia. 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