Adrian Gonzalez: On a scale from Zero to Tony Gwynn... Part 2

The Zero to Tony Gwynn scale is a rating of a Padres' importance to the San Diego Padres and their fans. The scale works to determine the relative importance of a particular Padre based on the assumption that Tony Gwynn is the perfect representation of the San Diego Padres.

Last year we ranked Adrian Gonzalez on a scale from Zero to Tony Gwynn, but at the time his career with the San Diego Padres was still active and in good standing. Now the book on him is closed forevermore and it's time to rank him again using all that we've learned in the past year.

As you know by now, Adrian put his baseball future into God's hands. As it turns out God wanted him to play first base for the Boston Red Sox and make obscene amounts of money. Must be nice that His plan coincided with Gonzalez's thirst for recognition and money.

When Adrian was a Padre, he always talked about how playing for the Padres fulfilled a childhood dream. He failed to mention that he also had another dream, which became our nightmare, playing for his, previously unmentioned, favorite American League team.

As good of a player that Adrian was for San Diego, he had two major limitations in his game. First he refused and denied a leadership role on the club. The second, was that he is slow. Microsoft Windows boots faster than Adrian runs to first base. Even Gwynn with two bum knees could probably still beat Gonzalez in a foot race. I refuse to believe that Adrian's lack of speed is a physical limitation, it's simply a lack of hustle.

When Tony the Gwynn retired after 20 years with the Padres, he made an emotional speech and circled the ballpark shaking hands with all of his fans. He then got back to work only a few miles away coaching the SDSU Aztecs. He never really left.

When Adrian Gonzalez left San Diego, he did it on a private jet. He left a full-page ad full of cliches that ignited a string of "Stay Classy" comments from everyone outside of San Diego. Maybe the full page ad was addressed to us, the fans, but it didn't feel like it was written for us. He told the press that he'd still keep his philanthropic organization in San Diego along with his quaint winter home, but he'd take his talent to Boston.

How will Adrian be remembered in San Diego years from now? Will fans have the same love for them that they do for Mr. Padre? Or will he be remembered as the one-time Padre who cared more about his personal ambitions than his hometown team?