“Most 10 year-old boys walk through life searching for a hero. I found mine in the form of a chubby singles hitter from San Diego State University.” From Deadspin: I Was Tony Gwynn’s Bat Boy.

+ Jason Kottke has compiled an excellent collection of remembrances about Tony Gwynn, an athlete who did something all to rare when you met him. He surprised you on the upside.

+ And on the downside, there is the fact that many baseball players are still hooked on the smokeless tobacco that killed Gwynn.