Among players to debut since 1970, only Cal Ripken Jr. went to more All-Star Games than Tony Gwynn’s 15. Yet MLB chose not to honor the departed Hall of Famer during Tuesday’s contest at Target Field.
Instead, what we got during FOX’s All-Star Game broadcast was all of the Derek Jeter we could handle, a performance of Forever Young from Idina Menzel, and a Ken Rosenthal interview with commissioner Bud Selig that delayed the start of an inning. Obviously, the game wasn’t being played in San Diego or even a National League city, so perhaps the fans at Target wouldn’t have been so moved by a Gwynn ceremony. Or maybe they would have been. After all, they had their own Hall of Fame outfielder die young when Kirby Puckett passed on at 45.
UPDATE: FOX says it ran a feature on Gwynn
Gwynn died June 16 at age 54 after battling salivary gland cancer. A brief video tribute and a moment for silence was the bare minimum MLB should have done in his memory tonight. Flying in Phillies outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr., if he were amenable, would have been a nice touch, too. Why MLB did nothing at all is a question that needs to be asked of Selig next time he’s interviewed.
