There was a time when I was a baseball fan and in my opinion, Gwynn was the best pure hitter I ever saw (modern era players, not including film of old-timers). Better than Carew or Boggs, who were the only other two that I'd put in the same conversation with Gwynn. I haven't watched baseball since the players went on strike, sometime in the mid-90s, so I have no idea if there's been anyone as good since then.
Like A.D., my love for all things MLB took an ugly turn after the strike. I catch the occasional Braves game but don't follow the game anything like I did before the strike. For those who want to read about how amazing and respected Gwynn was, read George F. Will's "Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball". He has an entire section on Gwynn and his muscle memory skills. Though it has been some 20 years since I read it, I still remember Will making a case for Gwynn being the greatest hitter since Ted Williams.
Never much of a baseball fan but loved playin the games on original p.s. n gwynn was my fav guy to hit with
RIP Tony Gwynn........ amazing player and good guy from what I hear. Died way to young. I loved to watch this guy hit.