Gwynn Service On TV
Fox Sports San Diego will air the memorial service for Tony Gwynn beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Tony Gwynn, who played his entire 20-year career for the San Diego Padres, will be remembered Thursday night at a memorial service in Petco Park.
The ceremony begins at 7:19, a start time that gives a nod to No. 19, the number Gwynn wore while hitting his way into the Hall of Fame.
Gwynn was the head baseball coach at San Diego State University at the time of his June 16 death at the age of 54 following a long battle with cancer.
The eight-time National League batting champion and right-fielder blamed his salivary gland cancer on his career-long habit of chewing tobacco.
Since his death, several major league players have sworn off smokeless tobacco products, including former Aztecs Stephen Strasburg of the Washington National and Addison Reed of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who both played under Gwynn.
The Padres said Thursday's event will celebrate Gwynn's life, accomplishments and contributions to the team, San Diego and the sport of baseball. It will feature special guests from throughout his lifetime.
Former teammates and opponents, Major League Baseball officials and San Diego civic leaders have praised Gwynn's talent and character, while hundreds of fans have left flowers, balloons, pictures, notes and memorabilia at the base of a statue of the prolific hitter in Petco Park.
Gwynn, who retired at the end of the 2001 season, belted 3,141 hits, had a .338 career batting average and was a 15-time All Star. He also won five Gold Gloves.
The Padres honored Gwynn last week before the team's first home game following his death. The Seattle Mariners, who were hosting the Padres when he died, and the San Francisco Giants, who were playing the Friars this week at AT&T Park, also held pre-game ceremonies. The Padres are not playing Thursday.
A private service for Gwynn was held at San Diego State University on Saturday.
For Thursday's public service, gates at Petco Park will open at 5:30 p.m. Fans can enter through the Home Plate or Park Boulevard gates on Park Boulevard, as well as the Gaslamp Gate on Seventh Avenue or the East Village Gate on 10th Avenue.
Parking
Free parking will be provided at the Parcel C and Tailgate lots on Imperial Avenue, on the southeast side of Petco Park, the Padres Parkade garage at 10th Avenue at J Street, and the structure at Sixth Avenue and K Street.
Trolleys
The Metropolitan Transit System will add Green Line trains from Qualcomm Stadium beginning at 5:45 p.m. Post-event trains will be offered as needed.
Buses
Bus routes 11, 901 and 929 stop at Petco Park and bus routes 3, 4, and 5 stop nearby. All buses will run on a regular schedule, according to the MTS.
Additionally, the Rapid 235 line, which began service on June 8, can take fans from the Escondido Transit Center and other transit stations along the Interstate 15 corridor to downtown San Diego. It operates from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
Trains
An added northbound Coaster train will depart the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego at 10 p.m. to accommodate riders attending the service, according to the North County Transit District.
