July 23, 2007

Tony Gwynn has always shared a special bond with his son, Anthony

By: JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer

Anthony Gwynn's father had to sneak into the gym to see his son play basketball at Poway High.

And he would hide behind the trees in deepest right-center field when Anthony patrolled the pastures for the Titans' baseball team.

It's not that Tony and Anthony Gwynn didn't get along. Tony would go into stealth mode because he didn't want his presence to detract from his son's performance.

"I can't tell you how much I enjoyed watching Anth play basketball in high school," Tony Gwynn said of his son, whom the family calls Anthony.

Tony Gwynn, who will be inducted today into baseball's Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, N.Y., was Mr. Padre, ending a 20-year career in 2001 with 3,141 hits and eight National League batting titles.

So when Tony showed his face at a prep event, he was usually mobbed by fans and autograph seekers. Too polite to say no, and learning that people really didn't respect his plea that he attended games to watch his son, Tony would arrive at Poway basketball games just before tipoff, keep his head down and his collar turned up, and go directly to the top of the bleachers.

There, he would videotape Anthony's games.

"Oh, man, I loved doing that," Tony said. "Basketball in North County when Anth played was pretty darn good. And those Poway teams were good. So I got to see some good basketball."

But like his father before him, Anthony realized that while he was a good basketball player, he could be a great baseball player.

And when Anthony had a breakout week at the Area Code Games in Tony's hometown of Long Beach during the summer of 1999, he knew baseball was his game.

It was at that national showcase for high school players, under the watchful eye of pro scouts and college recruiters, that Anthony showed that the skinny basketball player could hang with the best baseball players in the country.

Still, he went undrafted following the 2000 season. After first committing to play college baseball at Cal State Fullerton, Anthony changed his mind and decided to follow in his father's footsteps at San Diego State.

Coincidentally, Tony also had considered Cal State Fullerton before settling on San Diego State when then-Fullerton baseball coach Augie Garrido wouldn't allow him to play basketball and baseball in college.

"My pops was hurt when I chose Fullerton over San Diego State," Anthony said. "I thought about it for a couple of days, then called Coach (George) Horton at Fullerton and said I was changing my mind and going to San Diego State. He was good about it."

Anthony changed his mind partly because his father was lined up to coach the Aztecs.

After Anthony's freshman season, longtime Aztecs baseball coach Jim Dietz announced his retirement, and Tony was named as his replacement starting with the 2003 season -- Anthony's junior year.

Tony served as a volunteer coach in 2002 and learned a lot.

"That sophomore year, you could see Anth was starting to turn into a pretty good college player," Tony said. "Seeing him play that entire year, I knew it would be fun. I didn't know it would be that much fun.

"He really grew up his junior year. He got off to a slow start, and he wasn't the one panicking. I was. He knew he was going to get drafted and one day get there, and seeing him play every day, I did, too."

The Brewers drafted Anthony in the second round in 2003. He signed almost immediately and was assigned to Beloit of the Midwest League.

In those minor-league days, father and son kept in touch nearly every day.

"I'd call my pops after almost every game," Anthony said. "I needed his advice on hitting, on life in the minors. I know my dad is Tony Gwynn. I knew even then he was going into the Hall of Fame. But he's my pops, he's the man who knows me best. You tend to trust the advice of the people you love."

Anthony and Prince Fielder, the Brewers' slugging first baseman, are best friends. And Anthony has seen firsthand the relationship -- or lack thereof -- that Prince has with his father, Cecil, the former big-league slugger.

"My father is dead to me," Prince Fielder told the Detroit News in 2004. And their relationship hasn't gotten better over the years.

"Prince and I talked a lot about his relationship with his father when we were in the minors together," Anthony said. "We'd talk off the field, in the clubhouse, everywhere. Yeah, we talked quite a bit. We don't talk about it so much now. He'd rather leave it alone for now."

Tony won't be alone in Cooperstown when he takes the podium to deliver his Hall of Fame induction speech. All of his family, including Anthony, will be in attendance.

Now that he's in the big leagues, Anthony was worried that the Milwaukee Brewers wouldn't give him the time off to see his father join baseball's immortals.

"Are you kidding me? That was a no-brainer," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. "He didn't even have to ask. We want him to be there, to be with his father and family and experience one of the great moments in his father's life. We'll work around it for a couple of days."

The Brewers are in St. Louis this weekend; Anthony flew out after Friday's game. Milwaukee has Monday off, so Anthony will rejoin the team Tuesday at home.

Tony was there for his son when Anthony collected his first major-league hit on July 19, 2006 -- exactly 24 years to the day after Tony Gwynn banged out his first big-league hit. Anthony was born Oct. 4, 1982, a day after the season, so Tony didn't have to miss a game.

Father and son are close. But there is one thing Anthony won't do -- wear his father's No. 19.

"No way," Anthony said. "That's his number."

So Anthony wears No. 22 for the Brewers.

"Being there means a lot to me," Anthony said. "My pops was always there for me, and I want to be there -- with my mother (Alicia) and sister (Anisha) -- for him. Believe me, he'll get emotional when he gets up to deliver his speech, so he'll need our support.

"Personally, I've never been to Cooperstown, so I'm really looking forward to the trip."

Tony said that while he's going into the Hall of Fame, he feels his son is a hall of famer.

"I'm so proud of him and how he has handled being my son," Tony said. "Now that he's in the big leagues, he doesn't call home as often as he did when he was in the minors, but he still calls. I love the fact he can call home and say, 'Dad, I pulled off a ball today; what did you see?' And then I tell him what I saw.

"Someday, he's going to get that chance to play every day, and like my dad before me, I'll have my chest out to here when that happens. But while I'm proud of him as a player, I'm most proud he's a good person. He's a homeowner, a husband and soon he'll be a father.

"Soon, I'll be a grandfather, and that will be one great day."