New Padres Fan Tradition: Rub Tony Gwynn's Statue's Knee, "ease his pain"

When we took our trip to Chicago this past summer to see the Padres beat the Cubs at Wrigley we stopped in Springfield to visit Abraham Lincoln's grave. In front of the monument stands a large bronze bust of Lincoln. Visitors often rub his nose for good luck. As a result his nose shines golden while the rest of the bronze has aged naturally. I wondered how traditions like this were started.

That experience gave me the idea that we should do something similar at Petco Park. We decided that we would come up with a list of new traditions for fans and this will be the first.

Padres fans should rub Tony Gwynn's Statue's left knee every time they attend a game.

It will be a symbolic gesture where fans acknowledge the fact that Tony Gwynn suffered knee problems his entire career. His left knee was the most troublesome for him and was one of the primary reasons he decided to retire when he did. The rubbing of his knee will be a form of catharsis for fans, while symbolically comforting the great Gwynn who must have felt pain with every swing. Fans will be able to relieve some of their emotions that swell in the presence of his larger than life statue.

The only problem I foresee is that the knee is probably 6 feet off the ground, so short people will have to really reach or get a boost without climbing on the statue which is both against the rules and sacrilegious.

If we can make this happen, years from now his knee will shine like an unwavering beacon of light. Future fans who tour the park will ask their guides the story about the golden knee and be told about Gwynn's knee injuries and about a weird Padres blog of yore.

Perhaps, if we're lucky, for unexplained reasons the statue's knee will start leaking knee fluid, like those weeping miracle statues. Like Gwynn's real knee fluid it will cure the sick and return sight to the blind. One can only hope.

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