Some thoughts on today: ten years ago - June 26, 2001 - I was struggling as a part-time Padres usher and full-time Hispanic Chamber of Commerce employee, when both of those jobs intersected. The Chamber held a networking mixer in the parking lot of Qualcomm Stadium and each attendee got to also attend that night's very rare interleague match between the Padres and Red Sox.
But big news broke when we arrived that afternoon for set-up: Mr. Padre, Tony Gwynn, was announcing in a press conference his retirement from baseball after 20 seasons in San Diego. It was sad, but not altogether surprising, because injuries had made it harder for him to play. And Tony even said <chuckles while talking in a nasal tone>: "I wanna be the head coach at San Diego State. I ain't goin' anywhere, people, I ain't leavin'."
A decade later, as a Pads full-timer now who often feels overwhelmed by the work volume, today I got to experience a couple cool things. A family of three won a behind-the-scenes tour of PETCO at a Friends of Scott Foundation fundraiser so I took them into the press box. We slipped into the Channel 4 booth and there was Tony in the broadcaster's chair - white shirt rumpled, blue slacks neatly pressed, scorecard updated every few seconds, and that loud chortle every time he or partner Mark Neely made an observation. The family was definitely in awe.
About an hour later the Pads wrapped up a 4-1 win over the Braves and I headed out into a sun-drenched afternoon at the Park at the Park. There, Tony was on his way, after changing from suit to uniform pants and a Padres windbreaker and cap, to deliver a motivational speech and batting clinic to fans. Because one of my responsibilities today was overseeing Baja Little League Day, we made sure the kids and parents who traveled from numerous Baja cities got to the centerfield bleachers to see him. Tony didn't disappoint, talking about work ethic and batting tips (which the kids got personal instructions on later on the field) forged in his career as a Padre and current SDSU head coach. It was awesome, man, it was an exhausting day but I just felt blessed to see all this.
Afterwards, I met up with my friend Brooke for dinner at the Kilt and Rock 105.3-FM was there, giving away door prizes. Brookie won a pair of Del Mar, errrrrrr, SD County Fair tickets...which she kept...and a red UFC hat and blue UFC t-shirt...both of which she gave to me. I actually like UFC gear better than I do UFC fights. Does this mean I must now get a tattoo?
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