Very impressive in front of the camera - classy, humble, spoke eloquently, and acted like an adult
I agree
Unfortunately the time I saw him in person after the SD State game where he was coaching following retirement, not so much.
Politely asked Mr. Gwynn for an autograph as he was leaving the field. He did not have time nor the inclination to honor my request.
Amazing how so many of these athletes have an on screen persona which stands in contrast to their derision of the common folk.
Other names come to mind, Michael Young, Derek Jeter, Willie Mays.
Thankfully baseball’s greatest living legend Nolan Ryan never lost his respect for the fans. I always remember him saying that he always wanted to go out and make the fans feel like they got their money’s worth when he pitched. I have met him numerous times and can vouch for his class.
Politely asked Mr. Gwynn for an autograph as he was leaving the field. He did not have time nor the inclination to honor my request.
Amazing how so many of these athletes have an on screen persona which stands in contrast to their derision of the common folk.
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You sure have read an awful lot into his denial of your autograph seeking.
Derision? He ridiculed you? Treated you with contempt?
Really? How so?
I want to defend Mr. Gwynn for refusing your request for an autograph. Had he stopped for you, there’s a good chance that others would have joined you and made their requests for an autograph. Then he would have been bound to honor their requests as well. That could have taken a half-hour or more. He wasn’t refusing you simply to refuse you.
A friend of mine got to sit in the Dodger dugout for a game once when he was a kid. He mentioned a famous player ignored him, but Koufax treated him well.
Reggie Jackson, who had a reputation for being one of the biggest A-holes in professional sports, always took time to sign autographs at Yankee Stadium. He even signed an autograph for me after he had to scold me: "Can you get that thing out of my face?" when I was waving a book at him in a mass of fans next to the dugout. LMAO.
I always found that players were more likely to sign autographs BEFORE a game. The crowds were smaller, they'd usually arrive early for batting and fielding practice, and it just seemed much more like "their time" when it came to this sort of thing.
You caught him at work, which may be why he didn’t honor your request. Tony lived in my community, and I encountered him numerous times — at a restaurant, the gym, shopping mall, etc. — and he was unfailingly polite to me and others who would approach him. He particularly would take time for the young fans, talk to them, sign an autograph. Last five years of his life not pleasant with the cancer, yet he still coached SDSU. Can imagine the disease took its toll on his physical, mental, and emotional states.