Show The Love - Tony Gwynn

Tony Gwynn.  Maybe the best contact hitter I have ever watched.  Of course, I wasn't alive for Joltin' Joe or Tyrus Cobb.  But, for my money, Tony Gwynn Sr. just may be my favorite hitter ever.

Gwynn didn't even look much like a baseball player.  His body shape was not unlike fellow Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett.  Round-ish.  Not pretty, at all.  But, what made Gwynn was not his body type, it was his keen batter's eye.  Really, the dude could just about hit anything.  You could probably pitch him some grapes and he'd smash 'em right back at ya.

Anyway, Tony doesn't really seem to get the love from collectors.  Much like the aforementioned Ozzie Smith, Gwynn's auto and memorabilia could be easily afforded.  For instance, I could hit up the eBay right now and score a certified Gwynn auto for about 25 bucks.  If I wanted a SS baseball...well, that would set me back 75-100 bucks.  These are great friggin' prices for memorabilia of one of the greatest hitters that ever lived.  Collector's just forget about players past and always jump on the hot young stars of the game.

Don't forget your history, my collector friends.  Gwynn, Smith, Kirby Puckett, Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Mattingly, Sandberg, and Dawson should all be on your "to get" list.  Most, except maybe the deceased Puckett, could be had at a fairly reasonable cost.

So, anyway, Tony Gwynn was awesome.  He played for one team his entire career.  Three thousand hits.  Hall of fame.  Seemingly pretty humble and of good character.  What else do you want here, folks?

Tony Gwynn.  Amazing f-ing hitter.

That is all.