Thursday night in a ceremony that would have

SAN DIEGO -- Tony Gwynns sweet swing was matched only by his incandescent smile. The Hall of Famer was saluted at Petco Park on Thursday night in a ceremony that would have made "Mr. Padre" light up. Though, that wasnt something Gwynn had trouble doing. "It was so engaging," former teammate Steve Garvey said of Gwynns grin. "There are a few guys in sports that have it. You always think of Magic (Johnson), and Tony was baseballs Magic as far as that smile was concerned." Gwynn, a Hall of Famer who spent his entire 20-year career with the Padres, died on June 16 from oral cancer, a disease he attributed to years of chewing tobacco. He was 54. The 15-time All Star averaged .338 over a career in which he had 3,141 hits and won eight NL batting titles. A two-sport star at San Diego State before getting selected by the Padres in the third round of the 1981 draft, he was beloved for his achievements on the field and his humility on and off it. Gwynn never hid his affection for San Diego, embracing his "Mr. Padre" nickname and declining to leave San Diego as a free agent on numerous occasions. After retiring from the Padres following the 2001 season, Gwynn became SDSUs baseball coach. Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson and ex-Padre Trevor Hoffman were among the speakers who addressed the crowd of about 20,000 from a stage erected in right field, just in front of the No. 19 carved into the outfield grass. A podium was placed between three No. 19 Gwynn jerseys, two from the Padres World Series appearances in 1984 and 1998 and one from San Diego State. The left-field scoreboard showed a collage of pictures that ranged from Gwynn tipping his hat to the crowd and to him clutching his Hall of Fame plaque. And, of course, one displaying that warm smile. "We all know Tony was a great player, a great Hall of Famer," Jackson said. "That is known when he got 97 per cent of the vote -- that puts him in the top four or five. ... "He was a genuine man, a quality man, a 100 per cent family man. A great son, a great husband, a great father, a great friend and a great teammate. He was an example of what we all want to live and emulate as a person." Thursdays tribute, which started when 19 white doves were released, was open to the public following the private service Gwynns family held Saturday at SDSU. Gwynns fans, many wearing his brown-and-yellow No. 19 jersey, were given a chance to pay their respects to someone they felt they knew. He was an anchor of not only the Padres two World Series teams, but in the community as well. After leaving the Padres, he coached at SDSU, was a member of the Padres broadcasting team and remained active in various charities. A stream of people walked past Gwynns statue in the adjacent Park at the Park, with a line snaking past memorabilia of his storied career. Gwynn, whose No. 19 is retired by the Padres, batted at least .300 in 19 straight seasons. In 1994, he was hitting .394 in August when the season ended prematurely because of the baseball strike; in 1995, he struck out only 15 times in 577 plate appearances. But it was the way Gwynn carried himself that endeared him to countless fans. And not just those in San Diego. Gwynn has been honoured around baseball since his death. Tony Gwynn Jr., his son, was given a standing ovation Tuesday in Philadelphia in his first at-bat with the Phillies since taking a leave following his fathers death. "Even though he was on the other team you still had to admire the way he went about his business," said Joe Torre, an executive vice-president for Major League Baseball and former Yankees manager. "Unfortunately we dont have many, maybe any -- maybe Derek Jeter -- that conduct themselves in a similar fashion. "Honestly, what you saw is what you got: he was a good hitter and never tried to show anybody up." Gwynn became and stayed a star in San Diego. He never thought it would shine brighter elsewhere. "Im a Padre, a San Diego Padre," Gwynn once said. "And Im proud of it." Near the end of the tribute Hoffman, in a halting voice, talked straight to Gwynn, his former Padres teammate. "Thank you for representing San Diego," Hoffman said, "with such class." Cheap Baltimore Ravens Jerseys . - Diego Fagundez scored his team-leading 13th goal of the season in the 76th minute to lift the Revolution to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Crew on Saturday night that kept New Englands playoff hopes alive. Cheap Houston Texans Jerseys . Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves to backstop the Penguins to a 2-1 victory over the Flames, handing Calgary its team record sixth consecutive home regulation loss. http://www.usnewjerseysoutlet.com/?tag=c...caneers-jerseys. "For the past several weeks, Logan has been dealing and playing with an upper body injury," said general manager Doug Wilson in a statement. 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Cheap Washington Redskins Jerseys . -- The way Ted Ligety carved into turns looked so easy.MIAMI - All the Miami Heat had to do to secure their first home winning streak in more than a month was hold onto a 23-point second-half lead against a team with the NBAs worst record.And even that proved too difficult.Michael Carter-Williams scored 20 points, Luc Mbah a Moute added 19 and the Philadelphia 76ers went on an enormous run to turn the game around and stun the Heat 91-87 on Tuesday night — winning consecutive games for the first time this season.It aint going to get no worse than this, Heat guard Dwyane Wade said.Miami was up 69-46 midway through the third quarter.Philadelphia — yes, Philadelphia, the team that started the season with 17 straight losses, one of those coming by 53 points — outscored the Heat 45-18 the rest of the way.A very unlikely win, 76ers coach Brett Brown said, with incredibly unusual circumstances.The 76ers only had eight players available because of illness, injuries and roster moves. Carter-Williams played every minute of the second half, Mbah a Moute played 20 of those 24 minutes, and despite basically everyone logging heavy minutes Philadelphia forced Miami into 28 per cent shooting after halftime and outrebounded the Heat 25-18.I think we just keep fighting, Carter-Williams said. Were losing — theres not much we can do but keep plugging, trying to come back, especially when theres time left in the game.K.J. McDaniels scored 13, while Jerami Grant and Robert Covington each had 11 for Philadelphia.Wade scored 17 of his 23 points in the first half for Miami, which was outscored 49-30 after halftime and plays host to LeBron James and Cleveland on Thursday in a Christmas Day showdown.And this was anything but the way the Heat wanted to go into that one.Obviously, thatll be a common theme that we were looking ahead, but all of a sudden do you start looking ahead halfway through the third quarter, Oh, lets start thinking about the Christmas game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Thats not it. You have to credit their defence.Shawne Williams scored 17 and Mario Chalmers added 11 ffor the Heat, who missed four 3-pointers that would have given them the lead in the final minute.ddddddddddddMiami also turned the ball over 22 times, helping Philadelphia score 21 points.Miami led by 13 after the opening quarter, by 15 at intermission and pushed the lead to 69-46 — a 23-point cushion — midway through the third quarter.Someone forgot to tell the 76ers that the game was over.Carter-Williams made a 3-pointer with one-tenth of a second left in the third to get Philadelphia within 78-73, and the 76ers run never really stopped.Us looking ahead? Man, were 13-15 coming into this game, Wade said. Theres nobody looking ahead.___TIP-INS76ers: Before the game, the 76ers announced the signing of F Malcolm Thomas, who played five games in Philadelphia before being waived last month. Ronny Turiaf was waived to accommodate the Thomas signing. ... Philadelphia blocked 10 of Mamis 21 missed shots in the first half, making the 76ers the third team this season to have that many blocks in a half (joining Oklahoma City and Milwaukee).Heat: Centers Chris Bosh (strained calf) and Justin Hamilton (concussion) were sidelined, Bosh for the sixth straight game. Hes done some shooting but the Heat arent certain if hell be ready for Thursday. ... Miami hasnt won two straight since Nov. 22-23, and hasnt won two straight at home since Oct. 29-Nov. 2. ... Wade started the night 65th on the all-time NBA scoring list. He moved to 62nd on Tuesday, passing Lou Hudson, Calvin Murphy and World B. Free.OUT OF LASTThe 76ers still have the worst winning percentage in the NBA, but theyre no longer the team farthest from first in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia (4-23) is 17 games back of Toronto in the East — a half-game closer to the top than the New York Knicks (5-25, 17 1/2games back).SECOND-HALF SLIDEMiamis 10 second-half field goals were the fewest by a Heat team in a regular-season game since making eight against the Knicks on April 2, 2013.UP NEXT76ers: At Portland on Friday.Heat: Host Cleveland on Thursday. ' ' '