Tony Gwynn Quotations

I try to keep it real simple. I try not to add a lot of frosting on what I'm doing. Just take the swing and don't muscle the swing, because if you get in the hitting position and you take the swing, I generate a lot more bat speed, and that works for me.

I'm coaching 'swing at this, don't swing at that,' and in the middle of it, a kid looks at me and says, 'Coach, I think I'm going to fail history.' Or maybe their girlfriend just dumped them. These are kids, and once I embraced that, this became a lot more fun.

I'm a chemistry guy. I believe you've got to play together to have a chance to win.

When I wake up in the morning, I don't think of myself as being better than anybody else. I think of myself as a good hitter.

When you sign your name on the dotted line, it's more than just playing baseball. You have a responsibility to make good decisions and show people how things are supposed to be done.

Steroids do not guarantee you're going to have success. I think a lot of people think that they will, but they don't.

It's about getting in position and taking a swing. I don't care if you're taking steroids or not; if you don't do those two things, it's not going to matter anyway.

Knowing the strike zone is very important, but I think the first thing is knowing yourself, knowing what things you do well.

Remember these two things: play hard and have fun.

Sometimes technique works better than a whole lot of other things.

I had no idea that all the things in my career were going to happen. I sure didn't see it. I just know the good Lord blessed me with ability, blessed me with good eyesight and a good pair of hands, and then I worked at the rest.

I think if you enjoy teaching, if you enjoy talking about your craft, that's probably the best way to do it... because once a player starts to get it, once he figures it out, he'll never forget it.

I think the ability to hit - some guys have it and some guys don't - but I think how dedicated you are to trying to get the most out of yourself, I think kind of determines how good you are and for how long. I was born with the ability to hit, but my work ethic has taken it to the next level.

When I was a kid, man, my dad used to buy me the Ted Williams glove at Sears with the Ted Williams shoes with the eight stripes on 'em. I used to play Little League, and I was Ted Williams-ed out.

Either you have the ability to hit or not. But I also think you have to work at it.

Like a lot of kids, you kind of think baseball's boring - that's the perception.

What drives me is trying to be perfect.

I hate to say it, but, yeah, I'm a tobacco junkie.

I was a contact hitter my whole career but I learned how to handle the ball inside. And Ted Williams played a big part in that. He gave me the advice on how to handle inside pitches.

The only thing I do to my bat is put some tape around the handle to build it up a little bit because I broke my finger about six years ago and can't really close it the way I want to. Other than that, the same bat, same Louisville Sluggers.

Nobody talked about my defense or that I used to steal bases, too.

Ted Williams is one of the best hitters ever to play the game, and I didn't get a chance to see him play, so all I could do was read books and look at pictures.

Lots of guys took them. They were everywhere.

So I'm a little bit ahead of the game, ... Plus, I'll have all my clips from the North County Times.

Now that the contract has been signed, we can concentrate on moving ahead toward our goal of becoming a nationally recognized program.

He might just be very comfortable doing what he's doing. If he is, he's at the top of the list, then. He's a master of his craft.

He said we would bounce around. I think it's a great idea and I'm not going to have a problem with it.

He walks in my office and he's ready to hit the grind,'' Watson said.

Harold is the Pied Piper of Little League baseball,

Just going up to the plate and having quality at-bats has been the biggest issue.

I remember watching the Oceanside team in 2001. I fell in love with that little left-handed hitter with the great stroke (Matthew Cerda). It'll be fun to see who the stars are this time around.

We were winning late. (Colin) Tanabe hit a ball into right-center field that we thought the right fielder should've caught, didn't, and we ended up getting beat and that left a bitter taste in your mouth.

When you faced the Cardinals, it was a seven-inning game. You better have the lead after seven. If not, here comes Sutter and that was it.

They haven't gotten to that point where baseball is the most important thing in their lives. They got other things going on and as a coach, you have to step back and let them live their lives, let them do things that they have to do and at the same time trying to get them focused playing winning baseball.

It's a crazy time, and I bitch and moan about being too busy. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

For a lot of these guys, that light doesn't go on until they leave college. For some kids' cases, it's too late. For other kids' cases, it happens in the nick of time. As a coach, you have to able to adapt, trust these guys even though sometimes they don't trust you. I know it sounds crazy having said that, but I love my job.

It makes Spring Training so much better. You get fed good food, you get first-class treatment. As an athlete, what more can you ask for?

Sure, I always thought that, in this game, the objective is to be the best player you can be. He knows he can get singles. See if you can do that and be like Edgar, ... If you're worth your salt as a player, that's what you want -- to be the best you can be.

It kind of fits, but we've been talking about it, so from our standpoint, we'd like to get it going again.

It's tough, because you're messing with how you make a living, ... But I needed that upgrade. Just to show I could do it.

I had the Angels game Wednesday, then the Little League World Series,

I like the pro game, too, but I feel like I'm at the right place in my life. I'm doing what I want to do and that's more important.

because that would make me no different than roadies stealing autographs for free.

For the coaching staff, when we pulled in and saw the ballpark, man, memories just start.