With less than a month left in his Hall of Fame career, Nestor visited his favorite baseball player one last time at The Murph for a lengthy chat on Labor Day weekend 2001. Tony Gwynn touched on the legend of Ted Williams, his San Diego State basketball career, the physical toll of his final season, and the emotional challenge of saying goodbye to the game and his fans. A deep dive sit down with a baseball legend.

Tony Gwynn discusses his future plans after retiring from baseball, considering options like radio, coaching at San Diego State, or working for ESPN or Fox. He emphasizes his desire to coach, citing his dedication to hard work and the challenge of building a competitive team. Gwynn reflects on his career, including his love for baseball, the impact of advice from Ted Williams, and the importance of fan interaction. He also touches on his basketball career, the physical toll of his final season, and the emotional challenge of saying goodbye to the game and his fans.

• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Call the interviewer if Tony Gwynn accepts a radio job so they can coordinate on ratings and potential collaboration.
• [ ] Contact the athletic department at San Diego State to explore a potential college baseball coaching role.

Tony Gwynn’s Future Plans and Initial Reactions

• Nestor Aparicio asks Tony Gwynn about his plans after retiring from baseball.
• Tony Gwynn expresses uncertainty about his immediate future, mentioning possibilities like knee surgery, vacation, or working for ESPN or Fox.
• Tony Gwynn reveals his interest in radio, specifically wanting to do postseason games.
• Nestor Aparicio offers Tony Gwynn a job on his program, but Tony Gwynn jokes about his long-winded nature.

Potential Career Paths and Desire to Coach

• Tony Gwynn discusses various career paths, including working for the Padres or coaching at San Diego State.
• Tony Gwynn emphasizes his desire to coach at San Diego State, citing the challenge and the need to work hard.
• Nestor Aparicio questions Tony Gwynn’s readiness for coaching, to which Tony Gwynn responds affirmatively.
• Tony Gwynn outlines his strategy for success in coaching, focusing on recruiting the best players and traveling extensively to find talent.

Tony Gwynn’s Approach to Coaching and Player Development

• Tony Gwynn shares his philosophy on coaching, emphasizing the importance of making players feel comfortable and remembered.
• Nestor Aparicio and Tony Gwynn discuss the challenges of coaching, including dealing with players who are satisfied with their current abilities.
• Tony Gwynn talks about the importance of patience and pushing players to their limits to help them improve.
• Tony Gwynn reflects on players who stop working hard after making money, using specific examples to illustrate his point.

Tony Gwynn’s Experience with San Diego State and Uniforms

• Tony Gwynn reminisces about his time at San Diego State, where he worked as a softball coach and taught arts and crafts.
• Tony Gwynn shows off his collection of Padres uniforms, detailing the different designs and their significance.
• Nestor Aparicio and Tony Gwynn discuss the evolution of the Padres’ uniforms, including the infamous “taupe gray” design by Steve Garvey.
• Tony Gwynn shares his preference for not wearing his World Series rings, instead keeping them in his trophy case.

Tony Gwynn’s Reflections on His Career and Legacy

• Tony Gwynn reflects on his two World Series appearances, acknowledging the great teams he faced but expressing no shame in the losses.
• Nestor Aparicio and Tony Gwynn discuss the significance of winning a World Series and the collective success it represents.
• Tony Gwynn talks about the privilege of playing in the major leagues and the importance of dealing with fans.
• Tony Gwynn shares his approach to handling difficult days and the importance of not taking out frustrations on fans.

Tony Gwynn’s Relationship with Cal Ripken and Fans

• Nestor Aparicio and Tony Gwynn discuss the unique relationship between Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, who never played a meaningful game against each other.
• Tony Gwynn recalls watching Cal Ripken’s career from afar and admiring his interaction with fans.
• Tony Gwynn shares a story about Cal Ripken’s kindness after an injury, highlighting his respect for Ripken’s professionalism.
• Tony Gwynn reflects on the impact of Ripken’s example on his own career and the importance of dealing with fans.

Tony Gwynn’s Decision to Stay in San Diego

• Tony Gwynn explains his decision to stay in San Diego despite the team’s struggles, citing the city’s suitability for his career.
• Tony Gwynn recounts a pivotal moment in 1992 when he decided to stay with the Padres despite trade rumors.
• Tony Gwynn discusses the challenges of playing in a smaller market and the importance of focusing on his job.
• Tony Gwynn reflects on the support from San Diego fans and the team’s recent success in turning the corner.

Tony Gwynn’s Experience with Ted Williams and Basketball

• Tony Gwynn shares his experiences with Ted Williams, including their conversations and the impact of Williams’ advice on his career.
• Tony Gwynn reflects on the significance of Williams’ advice about being aggressive in hitting.
• Tony Gwynn discusses his love for basketball and the decision to focus on baseball due to his height.
• Tony Gwynn acknowledges the challenges of playing both sports and the benefits of focusing on baseball.

Tony Gwynn’s Final Season and Legacy

• Tony Gwynn talks about the physical challenges of his final season, including the need for knee surgery.
• Tony Gwynn reflects on the importance of leaving a positive legacy and the significance of number 19.
• Tony Gwynn discusses the emotional aspect of saying goodbye to his teammates, fans, and the game he loves.
• Tony Gwynn expresses his excitement about potential future opportunities, including coaching at San Diego State.

Tony Gwynn’s Future Plans and Final Thoughts

• Tony Gwynn shares his plans for the future, including his interest in coaching and radio.
• Tony Gwynn emphasizes the importance of the program and the kids at San Diego State, expressing his readiness to take on the challenge.
• Tony Gwynn reflects on the lessons learned during his career and the importance of going with his heart.
• Tony Gwynn expresses gratitude for the support and treatment he has received from fans and the community.

Nestor Aparicio 0:01
Tony Gwynn back again. We’re in San Diego, and I guess the as you drop the cup here, let’s get started with where do you go from here? What happens the first day when it’s all over with, and all the Tony Gwynn thank you days are gone. Where do you then go? What’s the first thing you do?

Tony Gwynn 0:19
You know, Nestor, I can’t even tell you. I don’t even know. I think we’re in San Francisco. The game ends. Get on a bus, you go to the airport, you know, you fly back to San Diego, you get in your car, you get your luggage, you drive home, you get up the next morning, and I can’t even tell you, I could, I could either have knee surgery, I could go on vacation, I could go work for ESPN or Fox, or do some more

Nestor Aparicio 0:47
sporting news, radio,

Tony Gwynn 0:47
whoever. Yeah, radio, that’s what I really want to do, is radio, which is really wacky. But you’ve always got

Nestor Aparicio 0:53
a job on my program, not talking too

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Tony Gwynn 0:55
much, that’s my problem. I’m looking

Nestor Aparicio 0:57
for you, I’m

Tony Gwynn 0:57
long-winded, and yeah, I like to take a crack at doing some postseason games, just to see if I could do it, but to be honest with you, I really don’t know, because I have no idea what’s going to happen at last, that last homestand, and you know, knowing our owner, man, things might just fly right in my face, you know, and be things might happen quickly and be right there in my face, and I really don’t know. What do you mean by mean? I know how our owner is. You know, John Moore’s is when he wants something done, he gets it dead. You know what could

Nestor Aparicio 1:29
get done?

Tony Gwynn 1:30
Well, you know, they could. I could, I could be working for the Padres, doing something. I could be, I could get the coaching job at San Diego State. I could.. there’s a number of things I could be, I could be all over the place, and I really don’t know, and you know what, it doesn’t do me any good to sit here and think about it now, because when it’s all said and done, whatever it is, it’s going to be what I want to do, and that’s the thing I think a lot of people here in San Diego are having a hard time with, is that I want to coach at San Diego State, and people can’t figure out why in the world I’d want to work so hard at something. You

Nestor Aparicio 2:04
got to work at something, though. Everybody’s got a good job. You do.

Tony Gwynn 2:06
I think that’s how I became a success playing major league baseball, is just working at it and kind of dedicating myself to it. And the job at San Diego State is something to me that intrigues me. First of all, second of all, I think it’d be a challenge, and I think in order to be successful at it, you got to work at it kind of like the same way you worked at Major League Baseball. So, are

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Nestor Aparicio 2:25
you ready for that?

Tony Gwynn 2:25
I’m ready. I’ve been more..

Nestor Aparicio 2:27
what does that entail? Tell me, how you would be successful, Sandy.

Tony Gwynn 2:30
I would be successful, is I would go after the best kids. You know, I think a lot of coaches in college frown at that because they know the best kids are going to play professional baseball,

Nestor Aparicio 2:43
they’re around for 18 months, yeah,

Tony Gwynn 2:45
they’re going to get a lot of money, and they’re going to go play professional baseball, but I think in order to put the kind of club that you’re going to need to compete for a national championship, that’s what you’re going to have to do, so that means beating the bushes, that means getting in the truck and driving around, getting on a plane and flying around, but you love

Nestor Aparicio 3:00
people, sometimes you get a little annoyed, because you love people,

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Tony Gwynn 3:04
right? I do.

Nestor Aparicio 3:05
If you were alone for a week, you would come back off the island because you couldn’t stand being alone for that way, right?

Tony Gwynn 3:12
You’re probably right, you’re probably right. And I, and what I really love is that one on one confrontation that you have, I guess, that because I’ve been around for a long time, and a lot of people are afraid of me, and my job, I think, as a major league player, is to make them feel like, yeah, like you’re just a normal guy, and I am, I’m just a normal guy, I just happen to play major league baseball, and, but you know, part of my job is to make them remember something in our conversation, and I, a lot of times, I go out of my way trying to do that.

Nestor Aparicio 3:46
I guess the last 510, years, a lot of guys walked in and out of that clubhouse at the Murph, and probably want to wet themselves when they come up to you. I mean, I think I’ve seen that with Clemens or Ripken, or, you know, Griffey and Bonds – they all get to that point. Is he going to be friendly to me, really like me? What can I do? He’s on my team now.

Tony Gwynn 4:02
Yeah,

Nestor Aparicio 4:02
I’m going to be the guy helping Tony Gwynn win. That’s, that’s, that’s a lot, is

Tony Gwynn 4:06
just to make people feel comfortable, you know. And most of the time, on an unassuming guy, just kind of mind my own business until you ask me for help, and then that’s when I really perk up. I really enjoy that’s

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Nestor Aparicio 4:19
what, that’s why you should be. I

Tony Gwynn 4:21
know, that’s why I know coaching is a perfect fit for me.

Nestor Aparicio 4:24
Can you help other people?

Tony Gwynn 4:25
No question.

Nestor Aparicio 4:26
I think the hardest part, and I think great players, you know, and you’ve heard this a million times, no one’s going to hit 340 at the major league level over 18 years the way you have, that you know, then they’re doing things wrong and you’re telling how to do it right, and they don’t have the ability. If nobody had the ability, they would be you, right?

Tony Gwynn 4:42
You’re right in coaching, that’s one of the hardest things you’re going to have to fight, is expecting everybody to go about it the way you did, and, but I’ve learned patience, patience is a wonderful thing, especially here at the big league level, because guys will, you know, they will work, and you know, try. To do things right, and not quite get it, and are satisfied with that, you know, you know, it’s not. It’s like they don’t want to push it to the edge to find out exactly what’s it going to take for them to be the kind of player that they want to be. They get to that point where it doesn’t feel comfortable, and when it doesn’t feel comfortable, that’s when they break. That’s when they go back to doing what they’ve always done fall back into the hole, exactly. And that’s as a coach, it’s my job to give them confidence, to make them believe that they’re going in the right direction. And when they get there, they’re going to prosper. Have

Nestor Aparicio 5:30
you seen guys stop once they made the money? I mean, yeah, once you, you’re a made guy. Yeah,

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Tony Gwynn 5:36
yeah, I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it be hit 260s worked really hard to get the money, and then when once they got the money, they didn’t work. Hitting 262

Nestor Aparicio 5:43
70 is okay.

Tony Gwynn 5:44
Being satisfied with that. Yeah, I’ve seen that. You sent up, you

Nestor Aparicio 5:47
sent a resume out to San Diego State. Have you said it yet? No,

Tony Gwynn 5:51
I’m gonna take it over.

Nestor Aparicio 5:52
Okay. How did this work? To wipe story is

Tony Gwynn 5:56
real simple. You

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Nestor Aparicio 5:57
sat on the computer, did this? Yeah,

Tony Gwynn 5:58
I did. I sat on the computer, right? You have to have, yeah, but it’s real. This is legit. It’s legit because I’ve had one job, one job as well. I worked at the county park, where I was as a softball coach, and I taught arts and crafts, and we played ping pong. I was 13 uniforms before we go any further. You brought me to a great point. I own a mustard and menorah brown, right, standing up project jersey. I’m basically wearing it right now, and I love this old jersey, and I love the old Padres jersey in the polyester. Run us through a travel log of Padres you have right there is the same uni we wore that was when you were issued Walla Walla Padres when it first started. That’s the same uni we wore, and then we went to Amarillo, and we wore the unis they wore the next year, which were almost exactly like that, except for the gold trim around the neck, it was brown, and the gold socks, you know, gold sandwich. Where did the garb

Nestor Aparicio 7:10
is in the gossages, and all that come in with the 84 Well, 84

Tony Gwynn 7:13
they all came in, and

Nestor Aparicio 7:16
rainbow thing in there, for well, they,

Tony Gwynn 7:17
you know, they had the, they had the, the orange and brown with white trim and the exactly and so it wasn’t. Who

Nestor Aparicio 7:27
came up with that? I

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Tony Gwynn 7:27
have no idea. Do you know who to blame? I know who to blame in 85 because the next year Steve Garvey designed those jerseys. They were, he called it taupe, they were taupe gray brown pinstripes, and they were bad. And you know we had the brown tops in 84 then we changed to these taupe gray. Where did Garvey get the

Nestor Aparicio 7:44
poles in interior design? He got

Tony Gwynn 7:45
us to the sort of world, right? It’s good, that’s where the pole came from, right, delivering the biggest hit in this organization. He got a

Nestor Aparicio 7:52
national championship ring at home,

Tony Gwynn 7:54
and he was the reason why, no question.

Nestor Aparicio 7:56
You told me you’ve never worn ever either one of your World Series rings from 98 or from 84 Why

Tony Gwynn 8:03
I’m not, that’s not my thing. I don’t like if

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Nestor Aparicio 8:05
it was a world championship, when

Tony Gwynn 8:07
we’re not still put in my trophy case.

Nestor Aparicio 8:09
It’s a trophy case, a trophy,

Tony Gwynn 8:10
that’s where that belongs. I think you know, I take that back, because if I don’t want a World Series, I think I might have, I probably would have sported that one. And I’m seeing you with your Baltimore Ravens thing around your neck, and that’s what the game is all about. And I know you know people think of the money, they think of the exposure, they think all other stuff, but you show anybody that that thing around your neck, and you realize that’s what you play the game for, really. It’s about, you know, having some success, but having collective success, so that you can get to that point to have an opportunity to win it. How

Nestor Aparicio 8:43
much to kill you? It didn’t happen,

Tony Gwynn 8:45
not much. I had two cracks at it, which is a lot more than some guys who’ve played as long as I’ve played have had. And both times we lost, we lost a great team. So, the 84 Tigers, 98 Yankees, both of those were two of the better teams I saw in my career. And I have no shame. I mean, you know, we battled the Yankees, but you know, they just flat out beat us.

Nestor Aparicio 9:04
It’s been a privilege over 48 hours to sit first with Cal and then sit with you in two different cities on two different coasts. I was in Baltimore, now in San Diego. Cal is the one guy you’re talking about. He’s a guy that had that cracking 83 one and never got back. At least you got that little cup back in 98 you had that chance to go into Yankee Stadium and create some magic, hit that home run in game one. Talk about Cal a little bit, and how your past never really crossed. You never played any game against Cal Ripken in the course of your entire career, other than All Star games, even a spring training game, and that’s going to change now, apparently, allegedly, and I guess more than that. Most guys play against other guys because they change leagues, they change teams, they change divisions. Now, all of a sudden, they’re going to reroute this whole thing. Is it the strangest thing that Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, over 40 years of combined baseball and 6000 hits, and whatever it’s been, never played a meaningful. Regular season or any game against each other, that’s

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Tony Gwynn 10:02
amazing. It really is. 20 years, you know. I remember when Cal came up with the Orioles. I was, I was in, I was in college, I think I was my living 82 and no, 82 I was in the minor leagues, and I remember him coming up because I’d seen a story about him when he was in the minor leagues, and you know something about it just intrigued you. You know, his dad was one of the coaches, and you know, you just kind of keep an eye on him and see how he’s doing. And I mean, really, right from day one, he was, you know, solid player, dominant player, and you watch from afar, and you appreciate the thing I appreciate the most, I think, about Cal is, you know, we all know what a great player he is, but how he dealt with the fans, I think, really led the rest of the league, he set an example for the rest of the league, and we really tried to follow, and I watched him at all-star games, you know, I watched him deal with people, and one of the things I remember about Cal, who’s it was an all-star game somewhere, and Roberto Hernandez slipped, and that was Philadelphia, raked him across the nose, broke his nose in the middle of the streak, and we’re all sitting on the National League side, and he came over to say hello and told us what happened, and I think that’s the first time we all thought about, you know, something like that. I mean, something like that happens to all of us at some point, and you know, you had a guy this year cut his hand open, open a DVD, you’re right, you know, and he played through that, you know, and then that’s when I think a cow, that’s what I think about, I think about the way he dealt with people and the way he went about his business, regardless if he was going good or bad, regardless if you know the best pitcher in the league was pitching or the worst pitcher in the league, he wanted to take his crack and he wanted to show people that he could play. And later on in his career, you know, people started to criticize him for wanting to play every day, should take a day off, and he just, he fought that, and he got through that, and he set this record that I think will never be broken, and he’s been like, you know, just one of those guys you really have to admire, because he went about his business the way it’s supposed to be done in this game, and a lot of times as players we forget that, you know, without the fans, we can’t, we don’t get the opportunity to play this game, and how you deal with those fans, I think, has a direct reflection on, like, both of us are coming down the wire of our careers, and the response that we’re getting is a direct reflection upon him leading the way, and the rest of us following. There are a lot of

Nestor Aparicio 12:36
players as good that played as good as you did in one way or another, but they’re not getting what you’re getting right now, we’re getting it back, and I say, as you say, what you give, you get images,

Tony Gwynn 12:45
exactly right. And that’s he’s the example, he’s the guy that led the way, and some of us followed, I followed, and the response that I’m getting this year is a direct reflection on how we, how people feel about us, and the way we deal with people, and that’s it’s a beautiful thing. I can’t describe to you what it feels like to be a visiting player on the road and pop my head out of the dugout to go to the on deck circle to pinch hit and get a standing ovation. People put down their nachos, their hamburgers, their hot dogs, their sodas, their beers, and let you know how they feel about you. And this is wonderful. And I don’t think, for me, I don’t think this would happen if I had gone somewhere else, if I’d, you know, kind of jumped off the ship when we were, when we were drowned, and if I’d have jumped off, and it was the Titanic at one point, at one point, yeah, it was, it was, but you know, I chose to stay here and stick it out, and now I’m being rewarded for it at the end, and a lot of that, you know, I had to get a cab, because to me he was a guy that set the example of how we deal with people in this game, and we forget, like I said, that the people who come to the ballpark, they’re the reason why we can play this game and make the money that we make.

Nestor Aparicio 13:51
Have you pulled guys aside during the course of time and say, “Hey, that’s a kid, that’s a fan, that’s a customer? Absolutely, that guy’s paying you, absolutely, and you’re being an a hole,

Tony Gwynn 13:59
absolutely. And you know what, and they look at me like I’m crazy, and I, and I’d be the first one to tell you, there are days where you just sometimes you just, you can’t deal with it, you know, and but rather than take it out on the fan, I will go in a different direction, you know. If I, if I have one of those days like today, I punched out, pinch hit, and, and you have one of those days, instead of going where the fans are going to be, I’ll go in a different direction, and go where there’s no, where nobody’s going to be, because it’s not, you know, I can’t take out my frustration of this game, because this game can be frustrating at times. It will take and take it out on the fans. Fans have nothing to do with it, you know.

Nestor Aparicio 14:33
You want to go instead of playing 65% of the time, you didn’t 6063

Tony Gwynn 14:37
point whatever, who’s counting? you know, I mean, I’ve enjoyed my career. I think I’ve been as good a player as I can be, and I worked really hard at it, and I was consistent, and I think I did it the way it’s supposed to be done, and I feel good about that. And so, come september 30, they’ll look at my numbers in a. Slice them, dice them, however they want to do it, you know. And I am completely out of the argument, and it’s a beautiful thing. Now, I don’t have to say what type of player I was. The numbers will be there, you can look at them, you can slice them, dice them any way you want to. And now it’s in the hands of the fans, and let them debate, because as far as I’m concerned, I’m out of it now, and I can concentrate on something else.

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Nestor Aparicio 15:20
You said going into other parks has been such a joy to be cheered, and yet you were one of the most outspoken guys back during the McGuire Sosa thing, that your fans in San Diego were cheering for them to kick your ass. I think

Tony Gwynn 15:33
that bothered, that wasn’t my quote, but I felt the same way, and, and, and I realized that, you know, the thing that’s more, sometimes what’s more important than winning and losing is the opportunity to see something done that’s never been done, and that’s what that race taught me, is that you know,

Nestor Aparicio 15:54
coloring your shirt doesn’t matter,

Tony Gwynn 15:55
doesn’t matter, it does not matter, and you know, and unfortunately when you’re the team that’s out there trying to, you know, trying to beat one of these guys who are, you know, we finished the year this year with San Francisco, and we could be in a situation where bonds is trying to hit, you know, 7071 or whatever, and you know what, yeah, we still want to win the game, but sometimes the magnitude of the moment is bigger than the game that we’re playing, and going through that, that’s what I realized, and so I learned to keep, like I said, I’m, I’m pretty outspoken about certain things, but sometimes when you’re wrong, you gotta admit you’re wrong, and you turn the page and you move on. Lipkin, how well do you know him? We’ve already been through the fact that you’ve never played, not real well, other than talking, excuse me, at the All Stock, and it was like that’s the most time I’ve ever spent with it, and he’s a great guy, he’s a humble guy, he, you know, at least my perception of him is, is that he keeps to himself, pretty much, you know, he loves the game, he loves the play, I think he loves all the things that come with the game, and he deals with it in a professional manner, but as far as is really having a drawn out conversation with him hadn’t happened until this all game.

Nestor Aparicio 17:05
You stayed in San Diego, LA guy comes out of San Diego State, 20 years later you’re still hanging around and you’re not going anywhere. And I can’t blame you. Now all I’d have to do, offer me one job in San Diego, I’d say pay cut fine, sign me up, you know. Lifetime supply of fish tacos, and I’m in San Diego. You know, but for you, obviously more than the weather. This has been a bad baseball club for, you know, a large stretch of the time you’ve been here, yet you’ve hung out, and obviously people are giving back to you, not just here but throughout everywhere you’ve been. Reflect upon San Diego, what kept you here? Well,

Tony Gwynn 17:40
I think the reason lots of things kept me here. I think you know, I came down here from Long Beach and went to school here for four years and started playing baseball, and I realized early on in my career that this place was perfect for what I wanted to do. You know, I had a game plan, I knew what type of player I wanted to be, but I knew how hard I had to work at it in order to get to that level that I wanted to be at, and not a lot of media, not a lot of hype, not a lot of taking time out from doing what I felt like I needed to do to talk about, because talking about what you do sometimes really gets tedious, but

Nestor Aparicio 18:15
you love to talk. Well,

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Tony Gwynn 18:16
now I do. When I first started out, I kept to myself, and there were

Nestor Aparicio 18:20
much to talk about, right? Oh,

Tony Gwynn 18:21
yeah, it wasn’t, you know, and so when I started having success early on in my career, I didn’t want to talk about it, because I didn’t know how long it was going to last, to be honest with you. In, but by 85 I started to realize that this is a perfect place for me. It’s a perfect place. I’d gone, you know, we’d gone to the big cities, and I’ve had to deal with, you know, explaining to people how I, how I was trying to do what I did, and I really didn’t do a good job at it, and I just felt comfortable here. And to me, in this game, there’s one – if there’s one thing that I think I had to have in order to be the type of player that I wanted to be, I wanted to be – I had to be in a situation where I had the freedom to do what I need to do on a daily basis, and this was it. You know, we’d gone around the country, been to Cincinnati, been to Pittsburgh, you know, big cities all around the country, and to me this was a perfect place. So, what I did was I just kept my, my ears and my eyes open and my mouth shut, and I just played baseball.

Nestor Aparicio 19:15
But in 9293 there was a sell-off point when you saw some quality baseball players go out of here, and there had to be a thought. Well, I might still be in San Diego, but there might not be a damn team here. Well, they called

Tony Gwynn 19:25
me in, and when Joe McIlvaine took over in 19, I want to say 90 or 91 Jack Clark was here, and we had been getting into it, and he called me in the office, and he asked me if this was where I wanted to be, and I told him, yeah, and he said, well, I’m gonna have to move one of you, and I told him, I said, you know what, I have no choice in that matter, you got to do what you got to do, but come july 19, I think it was 1992 I think it was, I became a 10 and five guy, I told him, come to come the 19th of July, I’m gonna be a 10. Five guy, and I’m not going anywhere, and so you do what you have to do, but when 19th comes and I become a 10 and five guy, I’m not going anywhere. This is where I want to be, and you know they traded Jack Clark during the winter, and I took a lot of heat here because Jack had traded, because, like I said, the year before we was feuding, and what you learn to do, I think, is just block out everything else and focus in on the job, and that’s what I did. And when I hit, when I hit the 19th of July, Joe McElveen came in the clubhouse, and he told me, you know, actually the 10 and five date for you was the eighth, but I wanted to let you wait till the 19th, so you thought it was 10 and five, but when I got to that point, I knew this was where I was going to be the rest of my career, but you know, you have contracts that come up, and you have discussions about, you know, you know, getting an extension, and sometimes they didn’t go exactly the way you wanted them to go, but I knew deep down this is where I’d be, and sure enough, here I am.

Nestor Aparicio 20:53
You and Jack Clark get into a dispute. How tough is that on the team when guys don’t get along? Well, especially the stars of the team, it’s tough,

Tony Gwynn 20:58
because you know, Jack had just come to our ball club, and you know, Steve Garvey told me a long time ago, like 1984 that every club has a go to guy, there’s a go to guy on every club, and when things happen, they go to the media goes to that guy, and so I got a lot of attention, but I got a lot of attention because I’d been here the longest, not necessarily because I was the best player, or whatever, and people misinterpret that, and to me, that’s how the whole thing started. It just got blown out of proportion, like lots of things do in this game, and Jack felt like, you know, I was a reason why we weren’t playing as well, or whatever. And you know, I just kind of.. it’s

8

Nestor Aparicio 21:36
almost laughable now. Jack Clark, Tony, but Jack Clarke was the other player. He was,

Tony Gwynn 21:39
no question. I mean, no question, he was a great player, didn’t go

Nestor Aparicio 21:41
out for him with fanfare and waving to the crowd, but there was a point where he was in this

Tony Gwynn 21:46
league, no question, and so the fact that we were feuding put a lot of pressure on the rest of the guys, because every day they had to deal with this, and it really got uncomfortable, and the thing, like I said, I tried to do was just focus in on the job at hand, and the job has always been the best part, as far as I was concerned, and so you know, spent a lot of time in the cage, a lot of time extra hitting, and a lot of time preparing to play those games, and, and we got through it, and it was, it was really difficult here, because San Diego, I really hadn’t seen anything like that at that point. This

Nestor Aparicio 22:18
is a laid-back place, people don’t disagree here, everybody gets along here pretty

Tony Gwynn 22:22
much, but now you know we had a little taste now of what it’s like to have some success, and I think we’re turning the corner at baseball wise. I know these fans are very knowledgeable now. You sat out there today and you watch the game, they’re into the game. We still get a lot of support, and even though this isn’t the most talented team we’ve had here, the people still come out, and it’s really a nice change. It’s nice to see people, you know, come out and be supportive every day for what we’re out there trying to do.

Nestor Aparicio 22:47
Ted Williams associated with Ted Williams, for, you know, I guess however many years it was that you guys got together years ago, it was you guys got together and did some fireside chats and whatnot. How meaningful, and I guess when it’s all over with, they’ll say one of the greatest modern hitters, or the greatest player alive, or whatever, but it seemed like it changed it. No, sorry, just to some degree. Yeah,

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Tony Gwynn 23:08
it made me talking with Ted Williams, no question, made me a better hitter, no doubt. How

Nestor Aparicio 23:12
long did you talk to him? How many conversations lifetime I would probably have

Tony Gwynn 23:15
had five or six,

Nestor Aparicio 23:17
that’s all. Yeah, I’ve talked to you more than you’ve talked to Ted Labs.

Tony Gwynn 23:20
Yeah, absolutely, and the first one we had, they

Nestor Aparicio 23:23
just all been captured on video in the whole world, because Ripken’s so equated with Kering, and you’re so equated with Ted Williams, and you’re sort of married, modern day married in that way. Well,

Tony Gwynn 23:34
I mean, I hope that’s a good thing as far as he’s concerned, because for me it’s been wonderful.

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Nestor Aparicio 23:38
You’ve had two hours of conversation, you’ve talked 92

Tony Gwynn 23:43
all-star game, we talked for all of about five minutes, and what he said that day had the biggest impact on my whole career, and that is, and he said, Son, Major League history’s made on the ball inside, and what he was saying was, and it took me a while to figure it out, but what he was saying was when you’re facing a guy that you faced many times before, and he decides he wants to bust you in. You got to do something with that ball, because if you don’t, he’s going to keep on coming in there. And it took me like two years to figure out what he was trying to tell me, but it’s almost mystical. I mean, it sounds like something. What veteran guys, that’s what guys who have had success in this game, that’s what they do. They don’t give you the answer, they just give you the information, they let you figure it out, and when you figure it out, you’re going to be a better player because of it. And he, he told me that, and it took me a while, and to put it into that, yeah, he’s what he’s saying is, excuse me, what he’s saying is, is that when you face guys that you face, you can’t be defensive, you got to be aggressive, and for 12 years, the first 12 years of 11 and a half years of my career, I was a defensive hitter. I would, I would take what they give me and try to do something with it. And he, what he said was, you need to be aggressive, you need to be aggressive, and aggressive hitting counts. You need to attack a picture, a pitcher, instead of, you know, being defensive, and it made me a better hitter, and from that. Point on from the All Star game in 92 which was here in San Diego. From that point to the end of my career, I was a much better hitter. No, I don’t think if you look at the numbers, they’re going to show you I was a much better hitter, and I knew in my mind I was a much better hitter, and it was all because of Ted Williams. Now I’ve had other conversations with other great hitters, but that one piece of advice, as far as playing the game, that piece of advice had a huge impact on my career. What about your basketball career? What happened there? Do we have to go there? Do we have to go there? I, you know, I love, I still love basketball to this day, but basically it was a decision. I was 510 Do I want to try to play in the NBA and not know how long I can play, or do I want to try to play major league baseball, which one did you love more? Basketball real estate, still love basketball. And if I was six two, I might have tried to play basketball, but I wasn’t, and I knew that, and I felt like my best shot was trying to play baseball. And you know, as it turned out, it was the right decision, but to this day, I, you know, there were lots of guys that I played against in college, you were in the NBA, and you know, you rack your brain trying to figure out whether or not you would have been good enough to play, and you know, I played against Danny Ainge four years at BYU. He says I couldn’t, but in my own mind, I know I could have played, you know, for a year. You might have said to him,

Nestor Aparicio 26:15
“You win the last in baseball, you know,

Tony Gwynn 26:17
I could have, but I didn’t. I kept it to myself, but you know, I don’t think I could have played nearly.. I couldn’t have played. I probably would have played a year or so, two years, and.. and I knew that, and so that’s why I chose baseball. Were you always a better baseball player in your own mind? I was a better basketball player, I thought, and.. and really, you know, I was one of the lucky ones, because I got a chance to improve while I was playing a major league game, because I really didn’t know all that much about baseball. Baseball was always something I did on the side till basketball season started again. And when I got drafted by the Padres, I knew I had a lot of work to do, and I just worked at it. And you can talk to scouts around the country who saw me in high school and college, and they’ll tell you I was a pretty good hitter, but that was really about it. And I really had to work at this game to have success.

Nestor Aparicio 27:03
Baseball’s so funny. I sat at a game today with you, and 1213, innings into a 00 baseball game. I turned to my cousins with us, said, “God, this is a great game. Sometimes you get all the sleep, and they’re bad games, and boring games, and jerks you meet, and great guys you meet, and, but, wow, what a great game! Yeah, and what do you love about base? That’s what I

Tony Gwynn 27:23
love about this game. I mean, you know, on paper, Randy Johnson’s going against Brian Lawrence. There’s no way we’re supposed to have a chance to win, but the game plan today was be patient, and against Randy Johnson is real hard, but you got to try to make him throw a lot of pitches. It’s just like you’re facing Tom Glavine.

Nestor Aparicio 27:39
Ricky Henderson got a standing ovation for fouling off six at

8

Tony Gwynn 27:43
bat, the first at bat, there were 11. That’s a veteran, that’s a Hall Samer, and that’s what that’s that’s that’s how you have to beat him. You got to hope your guy holds them down at the same time, we got to try to get his pitch count up so we could get in the bullpen, because really that’s our best crack. He’s three and oh against us, and probably have struck out 50 guys, and that’s your best chance to get him to against him, and we executed today, and you know our crowd was into it right for the first inning, because Ricky went up there and he fouled off about six pitches, then got the pitch, you know, he got it started, he got the pitch can out up, he eventually ended up walking, he stole second, and you know, Randy punched out the side like he normally does, but that’s the great thing about baseball, because even on paper, when it looks like a team has no chance, sometimes they can still find a way to win. And today was our day. Legs, if you have better legs, could you play

Nestor Aparicio 28:30
to your 50? Would you want to keep playing? No, you’re just done. You just want to be done. It’s done.

Tony Gwynn 28:34
It’s 20 years is plenty,

Nestor Aparicio 28:36
and you wouldn’t squeeze one more out of your hitting 350 and 550 bats this year. Just done psychologically, done as well as physically. Absolutely,

Tony Gwynn 28:43
yeah. It’s time. It’s time, but is it time?

Nestor Aparicio 28:46
Because the legs are telling you, it’s time, because the legs

Tony Gwynn 28:48
are definitely telling me it’s time. And when you think about my career, and really, how hard I’ve had to work at this game, it’s all it is is working. That’s why my legs are gone. You know, people think because I’m a big guy, that’s why my legs are gone, but you know, I played, I played, you know, seven years of basketball and baseball, and now another 21 years of baseball, and I hit every day, and that’s torque, and that torque is just yanking the cartilage right off my knee, and my left knee has been bad for 10 years, and now my right knee’s starting to act up, it’s time, and you have any knees left? Well, I don’t have any cartilage, that’s for sure. And you know, doctors are always telling me I’m a candidate for a knee replacement, and I don’t want a knee replacement. I want to be able to enjoy my family and enjoy the rest of my life, and do something as meaningful as playing major league baseball. And I think, honestly, I think the San Diego State gives me the best opportunity to do that. And so

8

Nestor Aparicio 29:41
I’m gonna talk to that athletic.

Tony Gwynn 29:42
I’m as excited about getting into the college game as I was about getting to major league baseball. To

Nestor Aparicio 29:47
feel good to be energized, and

Tony Gwynn 29:48
it’s that’s what I was gonna say. It’s a great feeling to be just as energized about that as it was being energized about being a major league baseball player.

Nestor Aparicio 29:56
Answer the critics, were you always in the best shape you could have been in?

Tony Gwynn 29:59
Yeah.

Nestor Aparicio 30:00
Always,

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Tony Gwynn 30:00
always,

Nestor Aparicio 30:01
no regrets, not at all,

Tony Gwynn 30:03
none, zero at all.

Nestor Aparicio 30:05
Did you take time away from a workout regimen, watching 10 hours of tape a day, or hitting, or no?

Tony Gwynn 30:10
Say that again.

Nestor Aparicio 30:11
Where did you spend the majority of your time? I had this vision of you spending an inordinate amount of time watching video. I did, and an inordinate amount of time working in the cage.

Tony Gwynn 30:19
I did that too, but also spent what’s left, an enormous amount of time in the, in the gym, you know. We built a gym in our house about 15 years ago, you know. I hired personal trainers, I did all of that, and you know, I know I don’t look like an athlete, but then again, I don’t see any skinny guys doing what I did either. And so that’s the one thing that people want to jump on my back about is that I was always overweight in a lot of people’s minds, but in my own I felt very comfortable where I was at. I’ve been for most majority of my career I was between 215 225 and I felt really good about where I was in and how I went about my business, and you know, I know, I didn’t look like you know I didn’t look like Griffey or A-Rod or any of these other guys, but you know, I was, I did my thing, man, I did it, I did the things that I wanted to do, and I feel good about it.

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Nestor Aparicio 31:10
Pinch hitting this season sucks,

Tony Gwynn 31:12
toughest job in baseball, but

Nestor Aparicio 31:16
you learn there’s something you had to learn, there’s something you didn’t know, right, that you learn, you’re

Tony Gwynn 31:20
right. There’s a wise old age. There’s a lot of things this year that I’ve learned that I didn’t know. Playing every day. Tell me, the first thing is our coaching staff watching how our coaching staff works a game. Well,

Nestor Aparicio 31:31
that’s what you want to be now. Well, now you’re paying attention. Truly, I paid attention to it,

Tony Gwynn 31:35
but pinch hitting is something that you know I did a little bit while I was playing, but you know, for years I heard this, I heard these guys on the bench talking about, “Hey, man, when you get a fastball, man, hit it, don’t take no pitches, be aggressive, and I can’t be successful that way. And this year, you know, I just, I just approach it like I would any other at bat. I try to be patient, try to work the camp, try to get myself in a situation where I have a better idea of what I’m going to see, and as you saw today, didn’t work, didn’t work out, and the thing about pinch hitting, the highs are really high and the lows are really low, because you get one crack, you get one crack at it, and when you fail, like I did today, like I failed like the last five or six times I pinch hit, the lows are a little bit too tough to deal with, and so that’s why I know it’s time, it’s time to let this go, and this is going to be the hardest thing I had to do in my whole life, is let this game go that I love to play, that I love everything about, really, and focus on something else. And is it scary? It’s kind of scary, because you don’t know exactly what’s going to happen with your future, but when you sit down and you decide that it’s time to do something else. I think in your mind you’re comfortable with that decision, because I am. I’m comfortable with that decision. The hardest part now is saying goodbye, saying goodbye to all these people that have been a part of my life for the last 20 years, all these fans, all my teammates, the coaching staff, the training staff, all those people that I’ve dealt with here for the last 20 years, saying goodbye is the hardest part, and I don’t look forward to that. The good thing is I hope to be in town, where I could come and see them every now and then, but that’s the hardest part. And coming down the stretch, man, I think about it every night. I don’t know how that last day is going to go here, but you know it’s going to be tough, no question.

Nestor Aparicio 33:21
Number 19, I guess. That’s going to be the legacy, that’s going to be the thing. You look up, you see Randy, you see Winfield, you see the numbers. Retired Jackie Robinson, of course, up on the left center field here at the Murph. Number 19. Why 19? That’s going to be this

8

Tony Gwynn 33:35
is just luck of a draw. I got called up in July of 1982 and when I got in the clubhouse, that’s what was hanging in my locker, number 19.

Nestor Aparicio 33:43
They didn’t ask you,

Tony Gwynn 33:44
Whitey Wheelman, who worked in our clubhouse, told me, says, you know, Tony, only one other player’s worn that number since the Padres have been in existence, and that is, and that was him, Whitey Wheelman. All right, Coach, with the Padres, and you know, took me 10 years before he said, okay, you done that, number five, you know, but yeah, and you know it’s this number 19 for the people here in this town. I think it’s for a lot of people is how I’ve conducted myself, how I’ve gone about my business for most of the world and most of the country. I think it’s Tony Gwynn with a bat in his hand, doing what he does, clicking the wrist in, whatever, whatever it is, whatever it is, you know, it’s still a positive, regardless of whatever they remember, it’s gonna, it’ll be a positive

Nestor Aparicio 34:30
play out that final week. Are you going to try to play every night? I doubt

Tony Gwynn 34:34
it. I, my knee, I actually, I need knee surgery, is what I need, and right now won’t allow me to go out there and play, and it’s really that’s the frustrating part, is that you know you’d love to get out there and play like five, six innings, you know, in a couple of these games, but that doesn’t look like that’s going to happen, so it’s probably going to be pinch hitting, it’s probably going to be one A B, and that last game here, you know, it’d probably be electric, they sold them out, now these. It’s been sold out for two months, and

Nestor Aparicio 35:03
it’s almost like, “Burch has to bat you, and you gotta get, yeah,

Tony Gwynn 35:05
he’s getting me an AB, you know, where I’ll know how the game’s gonna go. I don’t know who I’ll be facing, you know. We’re playing a Giants. It could be the game means something, and it will mean something. And so, you know, you hope you can deliver, because you know the lasting memory you want to give these people is you doing what you’ve always done, but there’s no guarantee when you pinch hitting. Trust me, it’s if you’re coming in in the ninth and they got one run lead and Rob Ninth on the hill boy, you know, and then it gets it really gets tough.

8

Nestor Aparicio 35:31
Since it’s like a movie where you know, put your grooves one and you know, I hope you get a little water. I hope

Tony Gwynn 35:35
not. I hope it’s, you know,

Nestor Aparicio 35:36
going after you.

Tony Gwynn 35:37
Yeah, absolutely. I want you know, I don’t want anybody laying any cookies in there, you know? I want to, if I have to battle, I want to battle, you know. If I fall behind the account like it seems like I’ve done my whole career, so be it, you know. And I’ll just just try to battle and try to find a way to get it done, but you know, if you had your druthers, it’d be a grounder, right between short and third in the left field for a base hit and round first base, and tip my cap, and I’ll walk out the field for that last time, and you know there’d probably be tears in my eyes, and I’ll sit on a bench and reflect on, you know, how great it’s been playing here for 20 years, but then you, you know, that after that game, you get on a plane and you fly to Colorado, you play four games there, and you go to San Francisco, you play three more games there, and really you don’t know how it’s going to end, but however it ends is still going to be has been great, wonderful trip, I

Nestor Aparicio 36:25
guess, for everyone. Everyone retires, I mean, you know, at some point, at

Tony Gwynn 36:29
some point,

Nestor Aparicio 36:29
and most people don’t get to retire on their own terms. Thrown out of this game, I think. If I hadn’t retired this year, last year

8

Tony Gwynn 36:40
it’s this funny thing that’s happened here is that when ever there was a contract, I mean, it’s like playing poker with the cards up, they know I want to be here, I know they want me here, they can play all the games they want, just like I could try to play all the games I want, and you

Nestor Aparicio 36:54
guys did, though, media and the fan percent watch you play, I’m like, this shouldn’t happen,

Tony Gwynn 37:00
it shouldn’t happen, and you know we’ve talked about it. Sure, both of you, is what I was thinking, and you’re right, you know. And I tried to talk to him at the end of the year, and they said they wanted to wait and see, you know, what the doctor said, and you know, evidently the doctor said there’s no way he can play anymore. And yet we still work something out, and here I am. And so now that I’m going out the door, I’m glad it worked out the way it did, because, like, I said, you learn. I’ve learned all kinds of lessons here this last year, and you know one of them is you got to go with your heart, man. You can’t, why dink around and play the game? I played the free agency game last year, and I talked to other clubs, and they told me, you know, what they were looking for, and, and when it got right down to it, you know, this was where I wanted to be, and I had to tell. I told John Hart, this is where I wanted to be, because he was serious. He wanted me to come and be a DH and be a part-time right fielder. And the way it’s turned out, I’m so glad I stayed here, because you might have gotten a ring there. You didn’t, well, yeah, yeah, I mean, yeah, I might have gotten a ring, but to me, would it have been as been worth more than get trying to get one here? I don’t think so, and so would

Nestor Aparicio 38:02
have been worth giving up Houston and St. Louis and Philadelphia and New York and all the things you’ve been through, because you go to Cleveland, you’re just another guy now. Here’s another Hall of Famer. Well,

Tony Gwynn 38:11
I’m starting all over too. Winfield

Nestor Aparicio 38:13
didn’t get this treatment, you know? I don’t know that Clemens is going to get this treatment. I don’t know that any of the guys playing the game are going to get this treatment that you call with God. I

Tony Gwynn 38:20
feel blessed. I feel blessed to be in this position to get this kind of treatment, because you’re right, it doesn’t happen to everybody, and when it happens to you, it’s embarrassing, but at the same time, it’s wonderful, because I’ve been in this game a long time, and I haven’t seen it happen to too many guys in this game, and so I, like I said, I feel blessed that I’m in a position where it’s happening for me.

8

Nestor Aparicio 38:39
You better make sure you talk about this radio crew. I got you on tape now saying that you want a career in radio.

Tony Gwynn 38:44
No, I said I’m gonna give it a crap. I’m gonna try. All right now, if you take any

Nestor Aparicio 38:48
radio job without calling me to get finally bed, there’s gonna be a problem, because you and I, we get some ratings. Well, you know, I’m a

Tony Gwynn 38:54
West Coast guy, you’re gonna have to come out here.

Nestor Aparicio 38:56
They make phone lines, man. We could do it coast to coast, we could do it without ever looking at each other, playing games, man. Tell them I’m in San Diego. I

Tony Gwynn 39:05
keep that in mind, you know. If I get this job at Seneca State, don’t be afraid to come visit like you do now. You know, I’m never afraid to visit. Okay, that’s closer to my aunt’s house. Just gonna tell you, I can walk there from my ancestor, and I’ll tell you exactly what’s going on, because the college game to me is a lot like the professional game, only the stakes aren’t as high as they are here, but the politics and all the other stuff that happens at the big league level definitely happens.

Nestor Aparicio 39:27
How crushed will you be if you don’t get that kick? I’ll

8

Tony Gwynn 39:29
be crushed, absolutely. You’ll be crushed. Yeah, no doubt. No doubt, that’s my alma mater up on the hill over there. That’s all that you see. They need, they need to go in a different direction. They’ve said that. They’ve said that for like the last three or four years, and I think I’m the guy who could take them in the direction they want to go. They want to, they want a team that’s, you know, hopefully will be in the hunt for a national title, that’s what they want. And you know, I think I have the credentials, they can get them where they want to go, but it’s not cake walk, it’s a lot of hard work, just like radio, it’s probably. 100 radio, you sure don’t get paid as much, but that’s to me the issue is, is it’s about that program, and it’s about those kids, pure and simple. You know, I had my ego stroke for the last 20 years, I don’t need anymore. It’s about the kids and that program, and in order to get where they want to go, they need some direction, they need some guy, a guy who’s going to be innovative, and I’m going to be innovative. I got lots of ideas in my mind, I got lots of ideas about the way things should be done, and I, you know, I want to crack at it and show them and try to prove that I can do it. And there are a lot of doubters in this town, lot of doubters in this town, and I think my major league career has proved positive that it can be done, and I think I can do it.

Nestor Aparicio 40:40
I hope you do it. Thanks for your time, Tony. I appreciate

Tony Gwynn 40:43
it. Thank you.