SAN DIEGO -- Tony Gwynn will be on everybodys mind during All-Star Game festivities, perhaps no more poignantly than how his death affected American League starter Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox.He actually made a very big impact in my life. I chewed tobacco from 2007 until the day he passed away, Sale said at a news conference Monday. I remember seeing that, and just being so shocked. He was a larger-than-life person. He was an inspiration to the game for many, many people for a lot of different reasons. But I quit that day, and I havent touched it since.In a sense, I owe him a huge thank you for not only myself but for my family and, you know, hopefully I can maybe sway somebody in the right direction as well like he did for me.Gwynn died of salivary gland cancer on June 16, 2014, at 54.Gwynn was one of the most beloved figures in San Diego sports history, as well as the face of the Padres for two decades. At the time of his death, he was in his 12th season as coach at his alma mater, San Diego State.The All-Star Game will be played Tuesday night at Petco Park. Gwynn had as much to do as anyone with the downtown ballpark being built. He played for the Padres his entire 20-year, Hall of Fame career, retiring after the 2001 season. The ballpark was approved by voters just two weeks after the Padres were swept by the New York Yankees in the 1998 World Series. Gwynn batted .500 in those four games, including hitting a home run off the right-field facade in Yankee Stadium in Game 1 off San Diegan David Wells.Gwynn will always be remembered as the greatest Padres player ever. He never played in Petco Park but there are plenty of reminders of him. Days before Gwynn was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007, the Padres unveiled a larger-than-life bronze statue of Gwynn beyond the outfield. It depicts him in the middle of his sweet left-handed swing. One of the streets outside Petco Park is Tony Gwynn Drive. His No. 19 is one of the teams retired numbers that greets fans as they enter the ballpark.Without giving details, the Padres said Gwynn will be honored during pregame ceremonies Tuesday.Gwynns death stunned baseball.Still, there are many happy memories of the Hall of Famer, who had 3,141 hits, a .338 lifetime average and won eight NL batting titles.Some All-Stars have direct connections to Gwynn.Cole Hamels of the Texas Rangers grew up in San Diego and played at Rancho Bernardo High. Gwynns son, Tony Jr., played at Poway High.Most of my memories of Tony Gwynn are because he lived very close to where I grew up, Hamels said. Being able to see him driving down the street in that Porsche that he had, youd see him go by. Playing against his son, hed go hide out in the outfield to watch his son play because he didnt want to get bothered, and it was kind of cool to know that Tony Gwynn was watching your game, even though he was watching his son. But we always convinced ourselves that Tony Gwynn was there to watch us, too.Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals was an unpolished player at West Hills High in suburban Santee, but blossomed under Gwynn at San Diego State, becoming the first overall pick in the 2009 draft.Strasburg recalled Gwynn as one of the greatest hitters of all time, No. 1, but one of the greatest people of all time, as well. I grew up a huge Tony Gwynn fan being here. Playing for him I got a chance to develop that relationship with him. I learned a lot, how to be not only the best baseball player, to be a real pro, but also to be, hopefully, a good human being.---Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson Aaron Holiday Jersey . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. Custom Indiana Pacers Jerseys . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. http://www.cheappacersjerseyssale.com/kids-bojan-bogdanovic-pacers-jersey/ . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Thaddeus Young Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Victor Oladipo Jersey . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros have traded right-handed reliever Josh Fields to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league first baseman Yordan Alvarez.The deal between playoff contenders came Monday.The 30-year-old Fields had a 6.89 ERA in 15 games for Houston this season. With Triple-A FFresno, he was 1-0 with one save and a 1.dddddddddddd.65 ERA in 23 games.The 19-year-old Alvarez was signed in June by the Dodgers as a free agent from Cuba. ' ' '