The Kid, Gary Carter, passed away five years ago today. What a wonderful person and a hell of a ballplayer. He was one of the leaders of the Mets last successful World Series victory in 1986 and he was a Hall of Fame catcher.
Among his many accomplishments include, 11 x All-Star, 3 x Gold Glove, 5 x Silver Slugger and the 1984 NL RBI leader. He was voted to the Expos and Mets Hall of Fame on top of his selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
"He made the Mets better the day he arrived." --George Vecsey We miss you Kid!
As Met fans, one of the greatest days in our team's history was when we traded for Gary Carter. I remember at the time thinking we gave away a lot in a good hitting short stop in Hubie Brooks,big-time pitching prospect in Floyd Youmans, outfielder Herm Winningham and catcher Mike Fitzgerald, but you had to give up a lot to get a future Hall of Fame catcher.. Carter became the Met missing ingredient, their Dave DeBusschere.
I will miss him as a player---he conjures up so many great memories especially in Game 4 and Game 6 of the '86 World Series. More importantly than baseball, he will be missed as a person. Seemed like a wonderful man from all accounts who touched a lot of lives in a positive way. That is really the true measure of success in life.
As a Met fan, I have such wonderful memories of Gary Carter especially from the 1986 run. He played the game with such unbridled enthusiasm. He was not just a steady influence behind the plate every day but he was a great all-around catcher. Sure, he had all-time great offensive numbers for a catcher, but people forget what a great defensive catcher he was. Pete Rose once said of Carter, "I don't think he has any weaknesses defensively." My thoughts are with him and his family during this difficult time.
In honor of his great career, here are some all-time great quotes by and about Gary Carter.
"I've never seen Gary Carter take a bad swing."
--Whitey Herzog
"We're all wearing the hats of a Hall of Famer, It doesn't matter what logo is on it."
--Gary Carter, asked if he wanted to be enshrined as an Expo or a Met (he ended up going in as an Expo)
"You hate him when he's on the other team and you love when he's a teammate."
--Davey Johnson
"You can count on the fingers of your right had, the number of times I've hit a homer to the opposite field--About ten."
--Gary Carter
"Carter is a great player. I'd love to see him catch for the Phillies."
--Mike Schmidt
"With Gary, it is as genuine then (as a rookie) as it is now (end of his career)."
--Steve Rodgers, on Carter's enthusiasm for the game
