The legendary San Diego Padres right fielder Tony Gwynn passed away at the age of 54 on this past June 16th–and his life was celebrated when Toni Atkins–who is the normal California Assembly Speaker–made it Tony Gwynn Day in the state. Atkins had stepped in to be the Governor of California for a single day while Governor Jerry Brown was out of state. That made her the state’s first lesbian governor, too, but the Tony Gwynn Day thing is even cooler.
But what is with the rotating governors thing? Calfornia Governor Jerry Brown is in Mexico for a trade mission but shouldn’t he still be the governor? It seems odd but Atkins is from San Diego and wanted to make sure that Gwynn got his day after having 3,141 hits in 20 seasons with the Padres. Gwynn passed away in June at the age of 54 from oral cancer.
At some point, the Padres should do even more for Gwynn besides a patch on the jersey and the retiring of his No. 19 uniform which happened ten years ago. There was the public memorial tribute but it seems like something is missing. Maybe it was Tony Gwynn Day that tops it all off. It was a good move by Atkins and one that everyone in San Diego must have enjoyed.
Yesterday Was Tony Gwynn Day In California
