'The Kid' - Gary Carter dies of Cancer at 57

[Mowich]

"Nobody loved the game of baseball more than Gary Carter. Nobody enjoyed playing the game of baseball more than Gary Carter. He wore his heart on his sleeve every inning he played," Mets Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver said.

Carter's bubbly personality and eagerness to excel on a ballfield made him a joy to watch at the plate and behind it.

Even his Hall of Fame bronze plaque at Cooperstown shows him with a toothy grin and bears his boyish nickname – the "Kid" forever.

"His nickname `The Kid' captured how Gary approached life," the Mets said Thursday in a statement. "He did everything with enthusiasm and with gusto on and off the field. His smile was infectious. ... He was a Hall of Famer in everything he did."


Gary Carter Dead: Hall Of Fame Catcher Dies At 57

Gaia bless and keep you, Gary. Thanks for all the wonderful memories.

 

[talloola]

I have great memories from watching him with the expos, very uplifting, lots of energy, looked like he
was always having fun, and a great great player.

 

[Mowich]

I have great memories from watching him with the expos, very uplifting, lots of energy, looked like he
was always having fun, and a great great player.

Gary Carter is the reason I got interested in watching baseball. I remember that PM Trudeau once remarked that he was glad Gary wasn't running for Prime Minister - very astute comment considering Gary's popularity. :smile:

 

[lone wolf]

From experience, I know how sad it is to watch as a vital human being goes from being sharp and active to a near vegetative state in such a short time. My heart goes out to they who can only watch.

Rest in peace, Kid....

 

[Walter]

God bless your family, Gary. RIP

 

[damngrumpy]

It is always sad to see the icons of our present generations pass before us at a younger age.
I think it is a sense of inner message we receive that lets each of us know we are not as
invincible as we sometimes think we are and it gives us pause for reflection. A life chapter
closes. Whitney Houston is an example as well, we can be in praise or in a critical mood but
when the end comes our own sense of respect is renewed.
RIP you brought enjoyment to millions, that will not be forgotten.

 

[gopher]

Defo one of the best ~ very popular in NYC where quality baseball is highly appreciated. Will be sorely missed.

 

[shadowshiv]

Rest in peace, Mr. Carter. At least he was able to make it into the Hall Of Fame before he had passed, and it wasn't awarded posthumously.

 

[wulfie68]

I have never been a baseball fan, but I remember Gary Carter being in the news as the premier player in Canadian baseball. He always seemed like a likable guy in his media clips on top of being an extremely talented player. 57 seems young to me, now that I am in my forties... odd how that changes over time...

 

[gopher]

There is yet another great irony to Carter's untimely death - his Mets team mates were all notorious for their heavy drinking and excesses. But they are all still alive. Carter - the guy who drank very little, went to church, and lived a wholesome life was the first to go. How very strange.

 

[JLM]

There is yet another great irony to Carter's untimely death - his Mets team mates were all notorious for their heavy drinking and excesses. But they are all still alive. Carter - the guy who drank very little, went to church, and lived a wholesome life was the first to go. How very strange.

That's one of the ironies of booze, some it kills, others it preserves. One of the drunkenest old curmudgeons in the village where I lived as a child went to about 93!

Gary Carter is the reason I got interested in watching baseball. I remember that PM Trudeau once remarked that he was glad Gary wasn't running for Prime Minister - very astute comment considering Gary's popularity. :smile:

A very astute comment coming from Trudeau! :lol:

 

[Nuggler]

That's one of the ironies of booze, some it kills, others it preserves. One of the drunkenest old curmudgeons in the village where I lived as a child went to about 93!



A very astute comment coming from Trudeau! :lol:

Trudeau had many astute comments. Some you would appreciate, some not. Most of them, perhaps not understand.


Used to watch Gary Carter in a lot of the Expo games. Certainly a helluva player. RIP.

 

[coldstream]

I lived in Montreal during part of his stay there. That damned Olympic Stadium killed the game in the city. Montreal was great baseball town, it just needed a downtown dedicated stadium to weave it into its sports culture.

But Gary was a terrific player, glad he finally got his World Series Ring.. unfortunately with the Mets not the Expos.. and lived to see his induction into the Hall of Fame, wearing the Expos cap. RIP, Gary.

 

[Mowich]

CANADIANS PAY TRIBUTE TO FORMER EXPOS STAR CARTER

Canadians mourned the passing of a man who was once this country's biggest baseball star with tributes in the House of Commons, a flag lowered to half-mast, and talk of renaming a public space in Montreal after the late Gary Carter.

While politicians delivered their praise in Ottawa's federal Parliament, people in Montreal were suddenly reminiscing about baseball once again, sharing fond memories of a professional game that left the city eight years ago.

A flag was lowered at Montreal's Olympic Park outside the cavernous, now-mostly-vacant stadium where the Hall of Fame catcher spent years thrilling crowds.

Park management announced plans to consult with Carter's family and undertake steps to name a space in the area after him.

One federal politician, Liberal Denis Coderre, raised the possibility of renaming the metro stop at Olympic Stadium, replacing the current name of Pope Pius IX.

If there had been any doubt that Canadians remembered Carter, a son of California who spent nearly half his career playing in New York City, it was wiped away on the green parquet floor of the nation's Parliament on Friday.

Members from different political parties read tributes Friday to the big-hitting catcher who died the previous day, of cancer, at age 57.

They recalled an era when Canada had only one baseball team, the now-defunct Montreal Expos, and the Californian dubbed "Kid" was its most popular player. The politicians described Carter's generosity with fans and his perpetual enthusiasm.

Coderre called him one of his idols as a child -- a winner on and off the field. He said in winter, he would pretend to be Habs hero Guy Lafleur; in summer, it was Carter. Coderre tipped an old Expos cap, as a tribute to Carter in the House of Commons.

"Gary was a complete man, with uncanny charisma, of great generosity who gave his heart and soul to his sport, his family and his community," said Coderre, who finished his speech by quoting Carter and tipping the cap.

"He was a winner. He always made you feel important. He left no one indifferent, and was a source of inspiration to us all."

The NDP's Jamie Nicholls said Carter was one of the greatest players ever to play in Canada. He said Carter personified the franchise he played for.

Nicholls concluded a poetic speech with a mock home-run call, celebrating a Carter round-tripper.

"His passion for the game was contagious," Nicholls said.

"Gary Carter was the Expos. He was baseball. He was Montreal."

Carter's passing was front-page news on all three of Montreal's daily newspapers Friday, as the city that lost its Expos in 2004 shared memories about the franchise's heyday, long before the team was killed by fire sales, strikes, on-field heartache, and an unpopular east-end stadium.

The front-page headline in the Montreal Gazette said: 'The Kid' Was Light Of Expos.

La Presse also referred to the former Expos and Mets catcher by his nickname, saying: The Kid Is No More.

In Le Journal de Montreal, there were front-page headlines like: A Brother; The Real Thing; and Thanks For Everything.

The Montreal Canadiens also planned to honour Carter before their hockey game Sunday.

There was a movement on Twitter suggesting that the Expos' former mascot, Youppi!, who now entertains Habs fans, should also bring out his old tricolour jersey for Sunday's game.

Carter played in Montreal for 12 of his 19 big-league seasons, from 1974 to 1984 and again in 1992.

In his final game, he drew a long, emotional standing ovation from a crowd that began clapping even before he delivered a double, a game-winning hit that drew deafening cheers in one of the most memorable moments in the history of that star-crossed franchise.

Canadians pay tribute to former Expos star Carter