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Tony Gwynn honored by MLB prior to World Series Game 3

Mark Townsend
·Yahoo Sports Contributor

Baseball fans were simply stunned when MLB declined to honor or even mention Tony Gwynn during July's All-Star game broadcast on Fox.

It was nearly one month to the day after Gwynn died at age 54 following a long battle with salivary gland cancer, and it was almost expected that a few moments would be set aside to pay tribute to one of the game's purest hitters and one of its most respected ambassadors. A Hall of Famer in every sense both on and off the field.

Instead, Fox's cable sports network Fox Sports 1 aired a video tribute to Gwynn during its All-Star game pregame show, and that was that.

It was a nice video that would have sufficed, but airing it on the pre-game show didn't have the same impact as a moment-of-silence or the video airing during the game he starred in 15 times would have. Gwynn's exclusion from the broadcast felt strange, especially given the timing, and it left an empty feeling following an otherwise enjoyable game.

That was then though. This is now.

Prior to Game 3 of the World Series, MLB and Fox righted the wrong from July by honoring Gwynn in conjunction with the league's Stand Up To Cancer campaign. The on-field ceremony included a special video tribute, which highlighted his two World Series appearances in 1984 and 1998, as well as his 3,000th hit at Montreal's Olympic Stadium back in 1999. Gwynn's widow, Alicia, was among those acknowledged at the ceremony. Gwynn's four grandchildren were there as well, as was Commissioner-elect Rob Manfred.

It was the acknowledgment Gwynn deserved three months ago, though there's no denying this was a bigger stage. It may have worked better for the family as well, who in July may not have been completely ready . On Friday, they were strong and together, and they were very appreciative of the tribute.

"It was very nice," Alicia Gwynn said about the video and ceremony, which were warmly received by the capacity crowd. "That's the first time I'd seen that one."

Alicia saw her first ballgame since her husband's death in late September, when her son, Tony Jr., was in the lineup for the Phillies at San Diego's Petco Park. She also attended the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at the end of July, accompanied by her daughter, Anisha.

"It's all been tough, it's been very tough," said Alicia, who began dating Tony when the two attended Long Beach (Calif.) Polytechnic High School. "You know, I'll never be OK with it, but I have to learn how to cope. Little by little I'm learning how to cope."

Gwynn's memory was also a big part of the league's powerful Stand Up To Cancer moment, which has become a yearly tradition at the World Series. Gwynn's widow, Commissioner Bud Selig and several others in the Commissioner's box were standing for Gwynn.

Having Gwynn's family there to stand up in his honor made a touching moment even more impactful.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!