Robyn Norwood has a nice update in USA Today on Tony Gwynn, the ever-smiling baseball Hall of Famer, and the cancer that, for time, robbed him of that famous grin. From her piece:
LONG BEACH — Tony Gwynn couldn't smile. The idea that the Hall of Fame outfielder who spent 20 years in a San Diego Padres uniform needed smile therapy was like saying the eight-time batting champion couldn't slap a single between short and third.
But for a time, the effects of treatment for cancer of a salivary gland discovered last August robbed Gwynn of what he called "a big part of who I am."
"I can smile again. I can laugh again," said Gwynn, coach of the San Diego State Aztecs the last nine seasons, as he sat in the dugout before a game against Long Beach State this month on a field where he played many games during his Long Beach youth.
"People who know me love to hear you laugh, see you smile," he said. "For a while, I couldn't do either. That was really concerning."
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