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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/berniewilsonMiami Marlins Gear . 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METAIRIE, La. -- Chuck Muncie, a Pro Bowl running back with both the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers, has died at age 60, the NFL clubs and a family spokesman said Tuesday. Muncie family spokesman Vintage Foster of AMF Media Group in San Ramon, Calif., said Muncie died at his Los Angeles-area home on Monday from heart failure. Muncie was the Saints first-round pick, third overall, out of California in 1976. He played 4 1/2 seasons in New Orleans before being traded in 1980 to San Diego, where he finished his nine-year NFL career. In 1979, Muncie became the first Saint to rush for 1,000 yards, finishing with 1,198 yards and 11 touchdowns, and his 1,506 total yards from scrimmage earned him the first of his three Pro Bowl selections. The 6-foot-3 Muncie, who played at 227 pounds, and fellow Saints running back Tony Galbreath formed what then-coach Hank Stram dubbed the "Thunder and Lightning" combination in the New Orleans backfield. Both running backs are now member of the Saints Hall of Fame. Saints owner Tom Benson said in a written statement that the Saints were mourning Muncies "untimely passing," adding, "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and other loved ones at this difficult time." Muncie was traded by the Saints at midseason in 1980 to the San Diego Chargers, where he played 51 games and was named to Pro Bowl rosters two more times, in 1981 and 82. In 2009, the club recognized him as one of the 50 greatest Chargers of all time. His accomplishments on the field came despite cocaine use, and in 1989, five years after hiis retirement from pro football, Muncie was sentenced to 18 months in prison for a cocaine distribution conviction.dddddddddddd Thereafter, however, he began sharing his life story with at-risk youth, highlighting his struggles with drug abuse. He created the Chuck Muncie Youth Foundation, the mission of which was to offer children mentoring, educational assistance and counselling. "His work with at-risk youth, the Boys and Girls Clubs and his foundation were the things that really made him shine," Muncies daughter, Danielle Ward, said in a written statement provided by Foster. "He was star on the football field but his most impressive work was done in the second chapter of his life where he lived his life with great transparency," added Muncies former wife, Robyn Hood. "He simply wanted others to learn from his mistakes. He carried that message with him everywhere he went. And as a result, he changed the lives of hundreds of kids. He made a difference." Muncies 43 touchdowns for San Diego, and 19 touchdowns in a single season, both rank second in Chargers history, eclipsed only by LaDainian Tomlinson. "Everyone at the Chargers is deeply saddened by the passing of Chuck Muncie, one of the greatest running backs in Chargers history," the team said in a written statement. "We will remember him as a tremendous athlete with a larger-than-life personality. Its a sad day for all of us and all Chargers fans." In nine seasons, Muncie finished with 6,702 yards rushing, 2,323 yards receiving and 74 total touchdowns. ' ' '