After Tony Gwynn’s passing in 2014, Channel 4 San Diego re-aired the five One on One editions (from 1997-2007) back-to-back several times to allow fans to hear his story, hear his voice, hear his laugh and honor his life during their grief.

What a gift we had in longtime Padre. What an opportunity we had to share his story and legacy with others. The positive response echoed what I had long believed — that viewers (die-hard and casual sports fans alike) appreciate hearing the journeys of those past and present athletes who have been part of San Diego’s, and the nation’s, sports and community landscape.  With that, the vision to re-visit the archives was realized. In 2015, I was asked to return to Channel 4 to create the One on One LEGENDS series.

Of course Tony Gwynn was on the list of 12. We had the most recent one-hour version from our trip to Cooperstown with him in 2007 and the 2014 memorial service thousands attended and even more watched live on Fox Sports San Diego. Between that and learning of his final efforts to curb smokeless tobacco use, other honors at SDSU, and the new Tony Gwynn Baseball Classic, we had a rich amount of elements to remember his vibrant life, re-experience the poignancy of the tributes, and share how his legacy continues in new ways, too. (My thanks to:  SDSU and Jason Bott for providing video, to the Padres and Fox Sports San Diego for the memorial service, and to the folks  at the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society who confirmed one of Gwynn’s last contributions with information here  http://pbats.com/gwynn-contributed-to-anti-tobacco-film-in-months-before-death/

Watching the memorial service recording for the first time brought tears to my eyes; how do you sum up a life in a few hours? Everyone who participated, and those who watched and listened, enveloped who the Hall of Famer was. Some stories sounded familiar. Some were new. But as I watched and selected what to include, I wanted to make sure we touched on the many facets that made Tony Gwynn loved, respected and admired. Each will hold his or her own memories of the 15-time All-Star, but when someone watches this for the first time — whether they knew of him of not — I hope this hour informs and inspires. For those who knew him, or felt like they did because of who he was, I hope this allows you to celebrate and remember Tony Gwynn the man, the legend.

If ever there were one person who epitomized my motto, “Perpetuate the Positive. Be part of the Good Sports Story,” Tony Gwynn was it.  I’m grateful the powers that be at Cox/Channel 4 San Diego saw the value in sharing the archives and allowing me to tell his story “full circle” as a remarkable person, a Legend, indeed.

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Here’s the show.

Usually legends have a few decades of life and experience under their belts, but for the One on One series featuring the Legends, we make an exception for the Blue Bombers. The Park View Little League team battled its way to the top to become the Little League World Series Champions in 2009. At the time, they were 11- and 12-year-old boys. In 2015, they are all high school graduates with most of them entering their sophomore year in college. But what has transpired for them after the spotlight, through high school and now? Revisiting their journey and updating their stories was a lot of fun even if it was a bit like herding cats!

In 2010, the parents and coaches gathered all the boys in our studio for a wonderful interview experience for me, and I think for them. This time around, with some in high school, others in college both locally and out of state, getting them together was a bigger task. So, we did the best we could and five (Bradly, Seth, Markus, Oscar and Jensen) were able to rendezvous with photographer Dan Roper and me at the Park View Little League field to talk about being there and life since 2010. I had seen most of them in 2012 at a small reunion, but now they are really young men! They are just as personable, respectful and nice as ever.

The others who couldn’t make it answered questions for me in emails and along with pictures, we were able to piece together where the dazzling dozen are now. (Many thanks to the parents and to Rod Roberto for helping me get in touch with everyone!)

This video jigsaw puzzle is one of my favorites – realizing what a production it was back in 2010 to weave their wonderful adventure and reflections into a one-hour show to celebrate a wonderful achievement. Then, to be able to follow them and see how they still appreciate their success with humility and pride makes me glad we could dedicate time and resources to share such a “good sports story.”

On another personal note, the moms used to call me “Mama Jane” as an adopted part of the family. Now, I really am a Mama Jane, and listening to how the parents described their boys as babies makes me appreciate, even more, how special it is to have and be a loving parent, happy to help my little one grow and develop, have fun and follow her passion.

In order to do justice to their stories, we left out the story of the 1961 Little League World Champs, but that story will be uploaded to YouTube to view again, too.

Show Summary:

One on One with Jane Mitchell: Legend Park View Little League Champions The story of the Little League World Champions, their journey to the top, hometown hoopla and where they are now after graduating high school.

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I first interviewed him in 1998 and paired his story with Randy Jones. We were featuring two Padres Greats with the show airing just as the Padres and the Channel 4 San Diego team were heading in to the very exciting post season.

As we were planning this new Legends edition of One on One it was a natural to re-visit both Randy and Rollies’ stories. Their interviews were so interesting and compelling; the decision was easy to give them each a half hour program.

Rollie lives in Las Vegas now, but he was going to be in Palm Desert for the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational. Photographer/Editor Dan Roper and I met him a day early at the private BIGHORN Golf Club www.BIGHORNGOLF.COM where he would be golfing with guests from the University of Nebraska.* It was a beautiful setting to see him in his post-baseball element. Helping to coordinate the shoot was Alan Skuba, Director of Member Relations at BIGHORN. Alan was the Mayor of Escondido from 1968-1976, owned a few radio stations, and knows some of the older San Diego broadcasters and Padres folks from his work and involvement in the community. He had watched my show over years and (thankfully!) enjoyed it, and was very accommodating so we could connect with Rollie that day.

Rollie was as friendly and easy-going as I remembered him from 1998, from Cooperstown (when we were there for Dave Winfield, Jerry Coleman and Tony Gwynn) and from seeing him (and taking some pictures) at the Drew Brees/COX Celebrity Golf Tournament in 2011. He is a very humble man and seemed grateful we wanted to re-visit his story then and now. I appreciate how he, a Hall of Famer, respects the TV story-telling process, and responded with answers to my follow-up questions or request for pictures. (By the way, he’s also in the montage of players on my book cover!)

It might not come through television the same as sitting there with him, but I could hear his voice crack, see a little lump in his throat and that he was a little teary eyed when he talked about living his dream. It is subtle but beautiful emotion coming from someone who, like a lot of kids, imagined playing in the World Series, and might not have had he not listened to a scout who saw something in him and had a manager, Dick Williams, who handed him the ball every day and kept him in the game. Good stories. Good memories. Good man. Enjoy the show.

*side note: One of the people at BIGHORN with the University of Nebraska group was none other than former Chargers Head Coach Mike Riley! He wasn’t playing in that group, but Alan made sure I saw him so we could say hello. It’s been more than a decade since we featured him One on One. He was friendly and down to earth as ever.

One on One with Jane Mitchell: Legend Rollie Fingers

Life story of Rollie Fingers known for his trademark moustache and Hall of Fame pitching career, including golf, charity and emotional baseball memories.

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My father died of this in 1994. It’s an awful disease. But, a silver lining? My family and I had two and a half years with him, and I had a conversation with him the night before he died. He cared, he loved, he contributed, he taught, he left a legacy of compassion and honor both as a 3-time war veteran and as a father.

October 21st — what would have been my dad’s 93rd birthday — the Greater San Diego Chapter of the ALS Association gathers for the 12th year for the Walk to Defeat ALS. It’s a day of hope, enlightenment and encouragement. UCSD, where there’s an ALS clinic and the hub of research, will be there along with some 100 teams of families and friends of those afflicted with ALS.

Join me as part of my team Wally’s Walkers, or form your own team. Either way, visit our site and spread the word, please. We need you.

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It was the beginning of an unexpected trajectory of success beyond his vision or imagination. Dr. Mike, as he’s called, has connected with patients and people who want to make a change in their health by losing weight. Many are gaining confidence that they can. And along the way they are feeling good about–as he urges so passionately– just moving!

Mike and I were guest speakers at the 2012 San Diego Women’s Week. He was one of only a few men in a room full of women, and with his charisma, humor and credibility, offered some fairly simple remedies for what each of us can do to take care of ourselves and improve our health.

While he is often busy spreading the diet and walking word to groups in the national media, and through his books, his message is sincere and from the heart, because he is a doctor first. In fact, as if 12-14 hour days weren’t long enough back in 2008, his commitment led to his unique “prescription.”  Rewind to December 2009 when I first told the story on our sports Postgame show. It was a story I thought important for fans of all ages and athletic inclination to hear because it could help and inspire so many. Indeed it has, and it all began with a first step.(Read the script below or watch the video as it originally aired.)

During Mike’s first year of the “Walk with Your Doc” idea, he became a regular guest on the nationally syndicated show “The Doctors” www.thedoctors.com  In 2010, in conjunction with “Dr. Phil”  www.drphil.com Mike released the first of his “17-Day Diet” books, in several languages, helping millions people all over the world.

He suggests a minimum of 30 minutes of walking or exercise at least 2-to-3 times a week. For more on his books and tips to get and stay healthy,  go to his new website www.drmikediet.com   Get walking! Your health and heart will thank you for it.

The story transcribed: Jane’s Narration in BOLD

Dressed in scrubs and a smile, Doctor Michael Moreno zips up the stairs of his Kaiser clinic in Rancho San Diego greeting every work day as an adventure

JANE What do you love about your job?

MIKE It’s different. It changes, from one exam room to the next. You can go from seeing a 3-year-old to a 90-year-old. I learn probably as much or more from my patients as they learn from me.

JANE  Like what?

MIKE  I have a lot of elderly people that I take care of and a lot of them have been married sixty or sixty-five years and… it just blows me away

Mike to patient Is there any history of cancer or other conditions in your family?

And he always asks a patient if they’re exercising.

MIKE And if there’s a stall I know the answer’s no because to me it’s a “yes-no” question.  It was a patient of mine who said they had stopped exercising because they didn’t have anyone to exercise with and I thought to myself, well you know, I don’t exercise with anybody. I said, but you know, you could exercise with me if you wanted to.

The light bulb went off in the fall of 2008. Flyers went up: “Come Walk with Your Doc… Tuesdays and Thursdays 7AM.” Dr. Mike began his experiment under moonlight and with anticipation of who would show up by daybreak. 

MIKE The first day we had about eight people. It was great.  Then it grew and then there were fifteen and then there were twenty. The most we had was about thirty-five people. People will bring their dogs. And there are parents pushing strollers and it’s quite a scene.  Sometimes they ask medical questions, sometimes about their own situations and sometimes about friends or family members.

Mike Moreno’s sincere bedside manner comes from his life experience. The youngest of seven children, he was raised by his parents in California’s San Joaquin Valley and Visalia. His mother, especially, encouraged education.

MIKE She was a teacher for forty years.   My father worked in janitorial, worked in high schools, grocery stores and things like that.

The young Mike was fascinated by science, inspired to follow in his oldest brother Mark’s footsteps of becoming a doctor when they lost another brother, Jerry, in a motorcycle accident.

MIKE Sort of the whole idea of life and the quality of life, and loosing someone or having the ability to save someone: it kind a struck that chord.

From UC Irvine, to medical school in Philadelphia, residency in Fontana, and a decade of family practice in San Diego…

MIKE I’ve been fortunate, or unfortunate, depending on how you look at it, to have been through a lot of things and a lot of experiences.

Including losing his 82-year-old father to heart disease. Bianca Pitti’s father, who has diabetes, is Dr. Mike’s patient.

BIANCA He’s always on my dad’s case to try and get out and try to get him working and exercising. So that’s why I — that’s the only reason why — I started (walking). He’s been on my dad’s case to get out, so we’re gonna. We’re gonna work on it.

Even on our second visit to a Walk with Your Doc, the enthusiasm is evident. 

Linda Bittner Oh, he’s terrific. He’s a good doctor and he’s a lot of fun and he’s busy and active, so it makes you want to do something. I see all kinds of people. Young and old. And it’s just great to get everybody together and it’s fun to visit along the walk.

JANE Are you feeling a difference by coming out and doing this in the mornings?

DONNA 1 Oh my goodness, yes, just feel absolutely wonderful. In fact we go the second mile.

JANE Oh, really.

DONNA 2 We usually make two laps around. We leave everybody else in the dust. So we figure we better go around twice to make up for it.

Dr. Mike’s mantra: Exercise is a great stress reducer.

MIKE It’s the cheapest medicine there is. It has the least side affects, it’s nothing but benefit and it’s that one wonder pill that we’re all looking for and it doesn’t come in a pill! And it’s free and it fixes. It doesn’t fix — but it helps a lot of things. And I think it can make a big difference.  And where this country’s headed in terms of its healthcare, there are just so many different things that it will affect.

Colleagues applaud him.

Dr. NEETHI Ratnesar (Kaiser, Pediatrician) He’s just very motivational and charismatic and I think that it’s really drawn a great crowd. Not only of his patients, but of other physicians’ patients and his staff. So it’s been really a positive effort.

MIKE Why can’t doctors exercise with their patients? It takes a little time, but it’s not a lot of time and the benefit that you get is tremendous. It started at this little clinic. And it started with us doing our little walk and you know? Eventually I would love to push it to other clinics and throughout San Diego and as far as it will go. 

Mike to patients Thanks for coming! See you next time!

***

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