Gwynn weighs matters

Tony Gwynn has long been one of Southern California’s best-loved players. And since he retired from the San Diego Padres five years ago, there’s been, well, more of him to love.

Before his induction into the Hall of Fame on Sunday, Gwynn publicly signed up to try to shape up, consenting to have his progress documented in the Wheaties “Fit to Win Challenge.”

Over a 12-week period, Gwynn lost 19 pounds, along with a total of 17.25 inches off his waist, arms and chest.

Other statistics released by a spokeswoman for Wheaties: Gwynn reduced his body-fat percentage by 9.8%, increased his bench press from 40 pounds to 200 pounds and went from five push-ups to 25. His flexibility rating went from poor to above average, and his cardiovascular efficiency improved dramatically.

It’s a start, and Gwynn hopes you can do it too. But you’ll still be about eight batting titles short of seeing yourself on a Wheaties box.

Trivia time

“The Glory Days,” an exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York through Dec. 31, celebrates an extraordinary period in the city’s sports history.

What era was that, and what ended it?

Cooperstown chatter

If there’s a down side to being in the Hall of Fame, we’re guessing it’s having everyone comment on how much you’ve aged, how much weight you’ve gained, how much hair you’ve lost and why Rollie Fingers still wears that handlebar mustache.

But there might not have been anybody at the ceremony -- not even Richard Gere -- looking better for his age than 68-year-old Lou Brock.

He looked as if he could swipe a base today.

We’re talkin’ beepball

The National Beep Baseball World Series is being held in Rochester, Minn., this week.

And that’s “beep,” not “bleep.” It’s not for swearers, it’s for the blind or visually impaired.

The game involves a blindfolded batter trying to hit a beeping baseball -- thrown by a sighted pitcher and caught by a sighted catcher -- and then run toward buzzing bases.

Here’s the catch: Unlike Major League Baseball, the umps can all see.

It’s a little different to be a fan, though. They have to remain quiet.

This just in

Sometimes, the news isn’t so new. Christine Daniels, The Times’ “Day in L.A.” blogger, offers three headlines that never seem to go out of style:

“Kobe unhappy”

“Clippers lose”

“Beckham doesn’t play”

Trivia answers

The exhibit commemorates the decade between 1947-57, a period when there were seven Subway Series, and at least one of New York’s three major league teams played in the World Series every year except 1948.

The era ended in 1957 when the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants played their final seasons on the East Coast before moving to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

And finally

Natalie Gulbis, fresh off the first victory of her career, is giddy about playing in the Women’s British Open on the Old Course at St. Andrews this week -- the first time a women’s professional tournament has been staged at the birthplace of golf.

“I’ve seen it so many times in major events on TV and watched Tiger win here and all of these players play here. And to be able to play the same hole and be in the same bunkers that they were in, and I walked over the bridge today. I mean, I have a picture of Jack Nicklaus in my office standing on that bridge, and I got to stand on that bridge today.”

Gulbis called the tournament a milestone for gender equality, and she’s right.

Now LPGA players get to hit it into the Road Hole bunker too.

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robyn.norwood@latimes.com