Nov. 21, 2002
By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO - Tony Gwynn was in his element on Friday. His new element, that is.
In the campus stadium that bears his name, Gwynn finally got to run his San Diego State baseball team through its first official practice.
"It's great. We've been dying," said Gwynn, who took over at his alma mater when the man who coached him as an Aztecs player, Jim Dietz, retired at the end of last season.
"It's like opening day for me. Going to work," said Gwynn, who jumped straight from his 20-year career with the San Diego Padres to San Diego State, serving as a volunteer assistant during Dietz's last season.
The real opening day for the Aztecs isn't until Jan. 24 at Arizona State. Friday started a 10-day fall practice period, and Gwynn said the Aztecs have plenty of work to do.
"They've been playing intrasquad games on their own for four weeks, but we as coaches, we don't know what we have yet because we haven't seen it all together. We're anxious to see what's going on."
Plus, Gwynn will get his first taste of one of the unpleasant tasks of coaching.
"I dread having to cut guys but that's what you've got to do," said Gwynn, who has to cut from 48 to about 40 during fall practice.
Before Friday's practice, San Diego State's draft-eligible players were scrutinized by dozens of professional scouts.
"It's like taboo for a lot of these guys to talk about the draft. But having been in the business, I realize that this is what a lot of these guys are thinking about," Gwynn said.
"As a coach you want to be more open about the things you've got to deal with - scouts, agents, information cards, tests. They want a lot of stuff. So if you give them a day when they can get a lot of this stuff done, then maybe it won't be so bad once the season starts, because I don't want them messing with my guys once the season starts."
It's definitely a different atmosphere than the major leagues. As the scouts took notes, the Aztecs' marching band could be heard practicing on a nearby field for Saturday's football game against No. 21 Colorado State.
One of Gwynn's prize players is his son, Anthony, an outfielder.
Anthony Gwynn said his dad has a good temperament.
"He's a mixture. He's been coached by so many different guys, he kind of brings all of them to the table. Larry Bowa, Bruce Bochy, Jim Riggleman, all those cats he used to play for, he definitely takes a little bit from each one of them and brings it on the field. It's awesome. He's not ranting and raving, he's not too calm, so it's perfect."
Gwynn, a future Hall of Famer who retired from the Padres with 3,141 hits and eight NL batting titles, also has to be a promoter and a fund-raiser.
He's been busy pumping the home opener against South Alabama on Feb. 11.
"Not just us at San Diego State, everybody in San Diego County, we play a good brand of college baseball," Gwynn said. "We'd like to get the people out and go watch some college games before the big leaguers get back to town. It's really interesting stuff.
"And, of course, we're never going to turn down any checks, we're never going to turn down any money because it's tough."