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- Is San Diego on track to meet the state’s housing construction goals for low-income residents? This tool will help you check.
- ICYMI, an all-star team out of Bonita is headed to the Little League World Series.
- An inmate at the San Diego Central Jail died just a day after being arrested.
Jennifer Vigil
News editor
Top story
Coach Gwynn: SDSU alum France, last of MLB players once guided by Hall of Famer, having standout season with Padres
Padre fan or no, the name Tony Gwynn probably means something to you as a San Diegan. He was the kind of athlete whose impact was felt beyond his sport.
The favorite son, 12 years gone – and way too soon at that. He died at just 54 in 2014.
Ty France loved him too – but he also got a chance to play for the Hall of Famer, not only regarded as one of baseball’s best hitters of all time, but a sage who put in the work to thoroughly understand the art.
When Gwynn had France on his last San Diego State team – Mr. Padre retired from baseball, then coached the Aztecs for more than a decade – he was convinced. The kid would be able to hit in the big leagues.
And he has, first with the Padres, then for Seattle and three more teams. But now he’s back in San Diego, and as contributor Barry Bloom tells us, he is the last man Gwynn coached still playing in the majors.
France is having an impressive year for a team that has shaken off its doldrums to push for a playoff spot. But if nostalgia has a pull on you (I’m that type too), it should do your heart good that the first baseman still thinks of the Padres star as “Coach Gwynn.”
San Diego likes to keep Tony Gwynn close – for instance, AleSmith Brewery honored him with Tony Gwynn Day Saturday – and as Bloom illustrates, watching how France plays the game is a throwback to the lost great too.
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In case you missed it…
Weekdays get busy—we know. And with so much from Times of San Diego, good stories can slip by. Here are a few worth your time:
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