SAN DIEGO -- Tony Gwynn could handle a bat like few other major leaguers, whether it was driving the ball through the "5.5 hole" between third base and shortstop or hitting a home run off the facade in Yankee Stadium in the World Series. He was a craftsman at the plate, whose sweet left-handed swing made him one of baseballs greatest hitters. Gwynn loved San Diego. San Diego loved "Mr. Padre" right back. Gwynn, a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest athletes in San Diegos history, died Monday of oral cancer, a disease he attributed to years of chewing tobacco. He was 54. "Our city is a little darker today without him but immeasurably better because of him," Mayor Kevin Faulconer said in a statement. In a rarity in pro sports, Gwynn played his whole career with the Padres, choosing to stay in the city where he was a two-sport star in college, rather than leaving for bigger paychecks elsewhere. His terrific hand-eye co-ordination made him one of the games greatest pure hitters. He had 3,141 hits -- 18th on the all-time list -- a career .338 average and won eight batting titles to tie Honus Wagners NL record. He struck out only 434 times in 9,288 career at-bats. He played in San Diegos only two World Series -- batting a combined .371 -- and was a 15-time All-Star. He had a memorable home run in Game 1 of the 1998 World Series off fellow San Diegan David Wells, and scored the winning run in the 1994 All-Star Game despite a bum knee. Gwynn never hit below .309 in a full season. He spread out his batting titles from 1984, when he batted .351, to 1997, when he hit .372. Gwynn was hitting .394 when a players strike ended the 1994 season, denying him a shot at becoming the first player to hit .400 since San Diego native Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Gwynn befriended Williams and the two loved to talk about hitting. Gwynn steadied Williams when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the 1999 All-Star Game at Bostons Fenway Park. Fellow Hall of Famer Greg Maddux tweeted, "Tony Gwynn was the best pure hitter I ever faced! Condolences to his family." Gwynn was known for his hearty laugh and warm personality. Every day at 4 p.m., Gwynn sat in the Padres dugout and talked baseball or anything else with the media. Tim Flannery, who was teammates with Gwynn on the Padres 1984 World Series team and later was on San Diegos coaching staff, said hell "remember the cackle to his laugh. He was always laughing, always talking, always happy." "The baseball world is going to miss one of the greats, and the world itself is going to miss one of the great men of mankind," said Flannery, the San Francisco Giants third base coach. "He cared so much for other people. He had a work ethic unlike anybody else, and had a childlike demeanour of playing the game just because he loved it so much." Gwynn had been on a medical leave since late March from his job as baseball coach at San Diego State, his alma mater. He died at a hospital in suburban Poway, agent John Boggs said. "He was in a tough battle and the thing I can critique is hes definitely in a better place," Boggs said. "He suffered a lot. He battled. Thats probably the best way I can describe his fight against this illness he had, and he was courageous until the end." Gwynns wife, Alicia, and other family members were at his side when he died, Boggs said. Gwynns son, Tony Jr., was with the Philadelphia Phillies, who later placed him on the bereavement list. "Today I lost my Dad, my best friend and my mentor," Gwynn Jr. tweeted. "Im gonna miss u so much pops. Im gonna do everything in my power to continue to ... Make u proud!" Gwynn had two operations for cancer in his right cheek between August 2010 and February 2012. The second surgery was complicated, with surgeons removing a facial nerve because it was intertwined with a tumour inside his right cheek. They grafted a nerve from Gwynns neck to help him eventually regain facial movement. Gwynn had been in and out of the hospital and had spent time in a rehab facility, Boggs said. "For more than 30 years, Tony Gwynn was a source of universal goodwill in the national pastime, and he will be deeply missed by the many people he touched," Commissioner Bud Selig said. Fans paid their respects by visiting the statue of Gwynn on a grassy knoll just beyond the outfield at Petco Park. Gwynn was last with his San Diego State team on March 25 before beginning a leave of absence. His Aztecs rallied around a Gwynn bobblehead doll they would set near the bat rack during games, winning the Mountain West Conference tournament and advancing to the NCAA regionals. Last week, SDSU announced it was extending Gwynns contract one season. The Aztecs play at Tony Gwynn Stadium, which was built in the mid-1990s with a $4 million donation by then-Padres owner John Moores. Gwynn was born in Los Angeles on May 9, 1960, and attended high school in Long Beach. He was a two-sport star at San Diego State in the late 1970s and early 1980s, playing point guard for the basketball team -- he still holds the game, season and career record for assists -- and in the outfield on the baseball team. Gwynn always wanted to play in the NBA, until realizing during his final year at San Diego State that baseball would be the ticket to the pros. He was drafted by both the Padres (third round) and San Diego Clippers (10th round) on the same day in 1981. After spending parts of just two seasons in the minor leagues, he made his big league debut on July 19, 1982. Gwynn had two hits that night. After Gwynn hit a double, all-time hits leader Pete Rose, who been trailing the play, said to him: "Hey, kid, what are you trying to do, catch me in one night?" In a career full of highlights, Gwynn had his 3,000th hit on Aug. 9, 1999, a first-inning single to right field at Montreals Olympic Stadium. Gwynn retired after the 2001 season and became a volunteer assistant coach at SDSU in 2002. He took over as head coach after that season. He and Cal Ripken Jr. -- who spent his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles -- were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007. "I had no idea that all the things in my career were going to happen," Gwynn said shortly before being inducted. "I sure didnt see it. I just know the good Lord blessed me with ability, blessed me with good eyesight and a good pair of hands, and then I worked at the rest." Gwynn also is survived by a daughter, Anisha. Boggs said services were pending. Cheap Shoes UK 2020 . Grimes signed a $32 million, four-year contract to remain with Miami. 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Shoes Online UK Review .DeMarco Murray got his 20th carry late in the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead, not long after Dez Bryant made his final catch of the day.Sure enough, a 44-17 win over Washington didnt change Dallas post-season position.Kansas City, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - The top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks will begin their stay in the Big 12 Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon when they take on the eighth-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys in the quarterfinal round at the Sprint Center. Watch Kansas vs. Oklahoma State live on TSN2 starting at 2:30pm et/11:30am pt. The winner advances to the semifinals on Friday to play the survivor of the Iowa State/Kansas State matchup. Oklahoma State opened up its tournament with an easy 80-62 victory over Texas Tech on Wednesday. The Cowboys have now won five of their last six games overall to surge to 21-11 overall, further solidifying their NCAA Tournament resume after a disastrous seven-game slide earlier in the season put their fate in peril. Kansas was the class of the conference during the regular season once again, as it finished 14-4 in league play to earn the outright league championship, the No. 1 seed and a bye into the quarterfinals. The Jayhawks, who are 23-8 overall, have earned at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title in 10 straight seasons, coming out as the tournament champion six times in that span, including last season. The squad has stumbled a bit coming into tournament play however, having lost two of its last three. Oklahoma State bested Kansas back on March 1 in Stillwater, 72-65, to even the season series at one game apiece. The Jayhawks still have a comfortable advantage all time, 108-55. The Cowboys barely broke a sweat in the earlier round, running out to a 23- point lead at half before cruising to victory, shooting 48.9 percent from the field and forcing 17 turnovers in the process. Marcus Smart filled the stat sheet with 18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and six steaals, Markel Brown led the way with 20 points and Phil Forte and LeBryan Nash added 14 and 10 points, respectively.dddddddddddd On the season, Oklahoma State has displayed impressive balance on both ends of the floor, shooting 46.8 percent from the field for 80.7 ppg while allowing 68.8 ppg on just 40.5 percent shooting. Smart has made a habit of putting together multi-faceted performances with 17.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.8 and 2.8 spg. Brown is an outstanding second option with 17.3 ppg, while Nash (14.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and Forte (13.2 ppg) are also regular contributors. KU dropped its regular-season finale at West Virginia, 92-86, as its comeback from 25 points down in the second half fell just short. Freshman sensation Andrew Wiggins put up a career-best performance in spite of the setback, shooting 12-of-18 from the field and 15-of-19 at the line for 41 points, while adding eight rebounds, five steals and four blocks for good measure. Perry Ellis and Frank Mason were also solid with 14 and 10 points, respectively. The Jayhawks have enjoyed great offensive production this season, scoring 79.6 ppg, while ranking tied for fifth in the nation in field-goal percentage (.497), and their defensive effort has been solid as well, yielding 69.7 ppg on just 41.3 percent shooting. The squad will be shorthanded for the near future however, as Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Joel Embiid (11.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.6 bpg) will miss the tournament with a back injury. In the absence of Embiid, as even larger load will be put on the shoulders of fellow first- year player Wiggins, who tallies 16.8 ppg and 5.9 rpg. Ellis (13.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg), Wayne Selden Jr. (10.1 ppg) and Naadir Tharpe (8.9 ppg, 5.0 apg) are also capable playmakers. ' ' '