Player collection update: Tony Gwynn

Having taken care of getting my Tigers PCs all scanned and posted, I've moved on to tackling the major 90s quartet of Griffey/Gwynn/Maddux/Ripken.  Where I'm at with this project right now is starting with all of each player's cards found in my complete sets (in addition to what's already been scanned and posted otherwise--think hits, better inserts, and stuff from trades).  I've scanned and labelled those cards for each guy and can now get them posted.  I began that task with Ken Griffey Jr. in a post in late July, coinciding with Junior's Hall of Fame induction.

I didn't choose today's player because of anything related to his career.  Instead, I decided it would be great to honor one of Fuji's all-time favorites on the same day I show off a trade package from him over on TMM.

Naturally, the player in question is Tony Gwynn.  If you were a baseball fan at all in the 80s and 90s I don't need to tell you a thing about him--you already know you witnessed a legend.  And in case you're too young to have watched Mr. Padre play, I'll try to sum him up as best as I can.

Gwynn was his generation's answer to Ted Williams' hitting ability, without the complicated relationship with the media and fans.  He brought a passion and respect for the game that rivaled the greats.  If your favorite hitter studies video of each at-bat obsessively after or even during games, he has Tony to thank--and keep in mind Tony was working with video the quality of VHS tapes!  And, perhaps best of all to his fans, he was a home-grown star (San Diego State) who played every single one of his 20 years for his Padres.

So here's a look at some of the more interesting cards of Gwynn I scanned for this project:

Tony was an oddball:

Tony's game was like a work of art:

Tony could hit:

Tony could run:

Tony could field, too:

Tony appeared in some of my favorite sets:

Tony was featured on some great inserts, too:

Tony was a portrait of a professional:

I'm proud (and lucky!) to have witnessed a large part of Tony's career and joined the ranks of his fans.  And I'm also proud to have boosted his PC count over 200 to a healthy 221.  Keep in mind I still have lots more to scan because of other cards I've purchased or acquired from generous traders.  That's next on the agenda after showing off my set pieces from the last two players in that holy 90s quartet!