I Almost Prayed in Albuquerque: This Side

In Summer 2007, I drove from San Diego to Cooperstown for Tony Gwynn’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This is Part 2 of a nine-part series covering the first day of my journey. My decision to drive from San Diego to Cooperstown for Tony Gwynn’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame was an easy one to make. Although I’m a relative newcomer to Padres fandom (having “found religion” in the mid-’90s), I’ve long appreciated Gwynn’s contributions to his team, his city, and baseball. For an organization that is ignored or dismissed by much of the national sports media, Gwynn represents an irrefutable affirmation of his team’s place in baseball lore. His inclusion among the inner circle of greats who have played the sport since those gentlemen in Cincinnati first donned red stockings in 1869 brings legitimacy to the Padres’ existence as a big-league franchise. When future generations of baseball fans make their pilgri...