Sadly, once we found out last May that he had inoperable brain cancer, we knew this day was inevitable. That didn't make today's news any easier to hear. I think we were all holding out hope that "The Kid" would find some way to beat cancer. Baseball fans everywhere are sad today. The entire baseball world is sad today.
He spent most of his 19-year career with the Montreal Expos (12 seasons), but to me, Gary Carter will always be a New York Met. For a young kid growing up on Long Island in the late '80s, the Mets were rock stars. And Gary Carter was Ringo. He wasn't the lead singer, but any band worth anything has a great drummer. More than that, he was the first person I ever idolized. I always will. The first game I remember going to (in that I was aware I was at a baseball game) was a Mets game in 1988. I don't remember who they were playing. It doesn't matter. I wanted to see Gary Carter. And I did.
I was four years old in October of 1986, but I've seen the highlights and Mets Classics so many times that I "remember" it just as well as if was old enough to have the actual memories. The 16-inning game against the Astros in the NLCS. The two home runs in Game 4 in Fenway. Game 6. The two-out single that got everything started in the bottom of the 10th. All he wanted to do was avoid being the last out of the World Series. Little did anybody know. Then two nights later, a called third strike to Marty Barrett, Jesse Orosco's glove goes flying into the air, and Carter's the first guy to jump on him.
Carter was the last piece of the championship puzzle. When he came to the Mets in '85, all the stars were aligned for that magical 1986 season. He wasn't as supremely talented as Doc Gooden. Or as brash as Darryl Strawberry. Or as charismatic as Keith Hernandez. But he was exactly what the Mets needed. He was their heart and soul. They wouldn't have won that World Series without him. And they knew it.
He was a hard-nosed, blue-collar guy who fully appreciated the fact that his job was playing baseball. A kid's game. You never saw him without a smile on his face. That's why he was called "Kid." His enthusiasm and love of the game were infectious. And it rubbed off on his teammates. That's what made those Mets teams so fun to watch. That's what made him such a lovable player. Is there a single player that went against him that ever had a bad thing to say about Gary Carter? Is there a single fan who didn't like him, or at least respect the way he played the game? Even Cardinals fans appreciated the way he played.
Those will be my lasting images of the man who, in my opinion, is the greatest position player in the history of the New York Mets. I've said for a long time that No. 8 belongs on the wall at Citi Field. Hopefully the Mets come to their senses and retire his number soon. It would be a fitting tribute to one of the classiest men ever to play the game.
As I got older and grew to understand and appreciate baseball more and more, my admiration for Gary Carter grew. I'm proud to say that he was my first-ever favorite player. More than that, I'm proud to say that Gary Carter had a lot to do with my becoming a baseball fan. Rest in peace, Kid. We're gonna miss you.
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