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Tony Gwynn Jr. wants to give back

Younger Gwynn hosting youth camp this weekend as he looks to honor his father’s legacy

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Tony Gwynn Jr. has reflected on many things since his father died five in June.

His father’s legacy and his own place in the San Diego community are two areas that Gwynn Jr. has given considerable thought.

To that end, Gwynn Jr. this weekend will host Tony Gwynn Camp 19, a two-day instructional camp for kids ages 8-18. The camp will be at the Presidio Little League Fields in Mission Valley.

“I’ve started thinking about all the things that now I’m going to miss about my dad,” said Gwynn Jr. “And then you start thinking about what kind of hole it leaves for people who have spent the better part of their lives in this city.

“The whole point of me doing this was to give San Diego another way to keep my dad’s legacy going.”

Early in his playing career, Tony Gwynn was very involved with the San Diego School of Baseball. As head coach at San Diego State, Gwynn also was involved with youth camps organized by the Aztecs.

“He was big on it,” said Gwynn Jr., who is currently a free agent. “He enjoyed spending time with the kids.”

And passing on his knowledge of the game.

“At the end of the day, that’s all I want,” said Gwynn Jr. “I want kids to be able to go into whatever they do next, whether it’s Little League, travel ball, or whatever, and feel like they got better after coming to the camp.”

Tony Gwynn Camp 19

What: Two-day camp providing wide-ranging instruction of intermediate to advanced baseball skills and knowledge.

When: Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: Presidio Little League Fields (west of Hotel Circle Place, north of Interstate 8)

Ages: 8 to 18

Cost: $195 (includes catered lunch both days and camp T-shirt)

Instructors: Tony Gwynn Jr., Landon Burt, Quintin Berry. Also, San Diego State and San Diego Christian players.

Guest speakers: Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg and Seattle Mariners director of player development Chris Gwynn

Website: camp19.com

Gwynn will be assisted at the camp by former SDSU teammates Landon Burt, who is now associate head coach at San Diego Christian, and Quintin Berry, an outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles. SDSU and San Diego Christian players will help out as well. Guest speakers for the camp are Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg and Seattle Mariners director of player development Chris Gwynn.

“There’s so much you can do to have an impact on a young person’s life,” said Gwynn Jr. “After my dad passed, I remember reading a lot of articles about something as simple as stopping and signing an autograph, how much of an impact that had on someone’s life. When you can give an hour or two or three, you can impact that much more.

“What it boils down to is my dad was a people person. ... He just enjoyed life. He enjoyed people. Obviously, he’s my dad, so I’m going to take on some of his characteristics. That’s one of them that I’ve taken on.”

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