HALL OF FAMER TONY GWYNN’S DAZZLING CAREER & LASTING LEGACY
ARE DOCUMENTED IN MLB NETWORK PRESENTS: MR. PADRE ON JANUARY 30 AT 8:00 P.M. ET
New Documentary Captures How Gwynn Captivated the City of San Diego and
Baseball Fans Across the Country During & Following His 20-Year Hall of Fame Career
Watch Preview Here
January 23, 2018 - On the eve of the 2018 National Baseball Hall of Fame election announcement, MLB Network today announced it will premiere Mr. Padre onTuesday, January 30, marking a new installment of the acclaimed MLB Network Presents documentary series profiling one of the top-10 Hall of Fame vote-getters of all time, Tony Gwynn.
Mr. Padre tells the story of the life, career and untimely death of Gwynn, a lovable superstar and the greatest hitter of his generation. The hour-long documentary chronicles Gwynn’s unwavering dedication to become the best complete player he could be, from his late shift to baseball from basketball in college to his pioneering use of video to further perfect his natural hitting ability and the enormous effort he put into becoming a Gold Glove defender. Interviews with former Padres teammates and manager Bruce Bochy, Tim Flannery and Jack McKeon, longtime Padres broadcaster Ted Leitner, and former opponents including Hall of Famers Tony La Russa andMike Schmidt, and Harold Reynolds indicate the lasting impact of Gwynn’s incredible on-field achievements and his approachable off-the-field attitude.
The film also looks at how Gwynn’s devastating loss to cancer in 2014 at just 54-years old was felt across the country, from his family and friends to the entire baseball community. Through interviews with his family, including his wife of 33 years Alicia Gwynn and their children, former Major Leaguer Tony Gwynn Jr. and daughter Anisha, Mr. Padre gives an in-depth profile of the man who endeared himself to the community of San Diego through his 20-year career as a Padre and his 12-year career as head coach of the San Diego State University (SDSU) baseball team.
Former SDSU player, 2009 #1 overall MLB Draft pick and Washington Nationals All-Star pitcher Stephen Strasburg said of playing under Gwynn, “If it wasn’t for Coach Gwynn, would I have gone on to get drafted after my junior year? Probably not. He was like a second father to me.”
Mr. Padre premieres on MLB Network on Tuesday, January 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. Launched in January 2015, MLB Network Presents has produced programs covering many subjects across baseball, including the Emmy-nominated The Story of Billy Bean as well as Mike Trout: Millville to MVP, Holy Cow! The Story of Harry Caray, 56: The Streak, The Bird, The Colorful Montreal Expos and The Nasty Boys: The 1990 Cincinnati Reds.
As previously announced last week, the results of the 2018 National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot will be announced exclusively on MLB Network, MLB.com and MLB’s official Facebook page tomorrow, January 24 live at 6:00 p.m. ET, part of a five-hour announcement show beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET.
THAT dude could hit! He wasn't much to look at from an athlete's perspective, but he had a wicked offensive arsenal.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite non-Mets player ever, he was an intelligent person that could speak with Ted Williams on hitting tools and that is something I've never heard anyone be able to do. His eyesight was phenomenal, he worked his butt off to become a gold glove outfielder, and even though some mocked his rotund shape, he was a consistently successful base stealing threat. First ballot Hall-of-Famer and they didn't even need to vote.
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