Major League Baseball

Gwynn says he's doing 'good'

Published Jun. 1, 2011 4:10 a.m. ET

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Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn said Tuesday that he's doing well seven months after revealing he has cancer in a salivary gland.

Gwynn underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatment, and he said his test results have come back OK.

''I'm doing good,'' he said at Dodger Stadium, where he visited his son Tony Jr., a reserve outfielder for the Dodgers. ''I plan on being around here for a while.''

Gwynn will undergo another round of testing in a couple weeks.

The 41-year-old former Padres outfielder recently wrapped up another season as baseball coach at San Diego State. He said his energy level was an issue early in the season, but he improved as the season wore on.

In October, Gwynn announced he had cancer and he said he was concerned that it could be linked to his career-long practice of using chewing tobacco.

The cancer was diagnosed after Gwynn had a third round of surgery since 1997 to remove a tumor on the parotid gland. The previous procedures found no malignancies.

Gwynn resumed the practice of using chewing tobacco after the first two surgeries, but he said he gave up the habit nine months ago.

''That's probably been the hardest thing I've had to deal with,'' he said. ''The cravings are still there. I've had to try to fight them.''

He tried a tobaccoless product, which he described as ''just awful.'' Instead, he chews sunflower seeds and gum, and drinks a lot of water.

''I have a pack of gum that's got a thousand pieces in it in the car,'' he said. ''My taste buds aren't completely back yet, so I've got to deal with certain things.''

Gwynn said his thoughts are with Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, who was diagnosed Tuesday with a malignant brain tumor called a glioblastoma and will treat it with chemotherapy and radiation.

''Very sad,'' he said. ''That could have been me, sometimes that's how it works. You want him to be comfortable the rest of his life and not have to worry about things. I hope that'll be the case.''

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