Gwynn Thoughts: Hard Work In The RF

Questions of mortality often rekindle the fondest memories . . .

My bedroom walls were wallpapered with posters of sports heroes. Music and movie posters as decor came much later, as I developed a level of sophistication that can only arrive upon entering college. But as a youth it was sports posters. Walter Payton, Don Mattingly, and Tony Gwynn.

One of the other thoughts that raced through my mind the other day was a poster of Tony Gwynn called Hard Work In The RF. I'm pretty sure that was it. It may have been a give-away at a game but regardless of its origins I think it celebrated Tony Gwynn's 1987 Gold Glove. It showcased the RF wall of a dimly lit Jack Murphy Stadium. There on the warning track stood a pinstriped Gwynn looking down at the ball in his glove. The poster was awesome. Alas, I cannot find an image of it anywhere.

So my good buddy Rob (mentioned in the previous post) also had this poster but with a slight difference -- it was autographed and personalized with a metallic silver Sharpie pen. 


Rob was Tony Gwynn's neighbor and for a Christmas present his parents had walked over to Tony's house and had him sign it. I coveted that poster and made no allusions otherwise. Rob said he would try to get my poster autographed too but the day never came. In hindsight I would have done well to have just knocked on Tony's door myself -- who can refuse a kid*?

*This strategy worked with Ed Whitson. Ed answered the door fully clothed and with nary a hint of craziness in his eyes he gladly obliged my brother and I.

Absent an image of that epic poster here's another one I had on my wall:

I think this spring I'll round up a poster and sharpie and head over to an Aztec game, pretend I'm a kid again.

19 Reasons: The Things We Carry

The introduction to 19 Reasons can be read here. Here's reason One and reason Two. And Three. And Four. Officially, this is Reason Five.

It was 1987. Friends had hopped on a plane to visit their long lost friend in San Diego, California. We journeyed to the beach, zoo, and other notable points of interest discovered over my first year living here.

And then we went to a Padres game at Jack Murphy Stadium . . .


While sitting in batting practice my best friend Matt caught a ball. A real ball. Touched by big-leaguers. I was incredulous! Why not me! I put aside my bitterness, congratulated my friend, and took solace in the consolation that my day would come soon enough.

Twenty-four years later I finally got a ball. 

The 2011 season was the one in which I finally left for home with a ball from a Padres game. The when, where, and how of this ball was a bit unique, and if we're speaking candidly, illegitimate [I wrote about it here]. I'm not about to apologize for this ball, it's mine. But I also thought it to be an omen of sorts -- perhaps a harbinger of balls to come during the season. I had one but I still wanted the thrill of catching a ball during a game.

My seats were good in 2011, perfect for caroming foul-balls. In the spring, I brought my friend Mark to a game. I erred when I gave him the seat closest to the aisle . . .

How could I have known? I was happy for him. With a gentle nudge, he decided to give the ball to the young girl sitting with her father behind us. Before the offering we did get this picture for posterity, though. 

There would be another close call in 2011 where a ball ricocheted off a stairwell, flew over the person's shoulder in front and to the right of me, skinned off my left ring finger, and continued over the shoulder of Rick from RJ's Fro. There would be a mad scramble for the scuffed ball in the aisle behind us, but again nothing for me to claim.

I got one ball in 2011 (illegitimate as it may be) and fell short on a couple of other occasions as I did in 1987 with Matt. Getting a foul ball at a game would be a thrill (I imagine) but the more memorable part seems to be the recounting of the circumstances, who you were with during the moment, your friends. When it comes to baseball games those are the things we carry . . .

Barry Larkin and Jack Murphy Stadium

Former Cincinnati Red, Barry Larkin was voted into baseball's Hall of Fame, receiving the honor after accumulating 86.4% of the votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Larkin also receives the distinction of entering the Hall of Fame as a player who played his entire career with one club, a feat becoming more rare with each passing year.

How do you remember Barry Larkin*? I thought the occasion called for a not so thorough examination of his numbers when visiting San Diego . . .

 Here's Barry Larkin's slash-line at the time he retired:

.295

.371

.444

.815

He finished with 2,340 hits and 198 home runs after winning 1 World Series, 1 MVP award, 3 Gold Gloves and 9 Silver Sluggers. It bears mentioning that the Silver Slugger is awarded to the top offensive player at his position as voted on by coaches and managers -- and that Larkin has won more Silver Slugger awards than any short stop to play the game.

Alright, so what did Larkin do while playing at Jack Murphy Stadium / Qualcom Stadium**?

His slash-line in San Diego is as follows:

 .288 / .364 / .420 / .784

Slightly below his career norms but not bad at all.

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How about his best season at Jack Murphy?

During the 1990 season he absolutely destroyed Padres pitching to the tune of:

.436 / .436 / .641 / 1.077

These were his best numbers at any park in 1990 and if you got yourself out to the Murph that year you witnessed Larkin at his best.

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Best game at The Murph in 1990?
On July 23rd Larkin went 3 for 5 with 2RBI/2R/ 2*2B in a 9-2 Reds win. He pretty much destroyed the Padres in each game he played that season.

***

Any guesses on the Padres starting line-up on July evening? 
 I'll start you off: hitting 9th was your starting pitcher, lefty Dennis Rasmussen. Deposit your guesses in the comments.

***

Congratulations to Barry Larkin on his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

* I remember Barry Larkin a a fantastic shortstop but to truly appreciate here's a bit of context provided by Jay Jaffe at Baseball Prospectus.
**Barry Larkin only played three games in PETCO Park going 3 for 13.