Saying goodbye to The Kid (1954-2012)
Baseball mourns the loss of Gary Carter, who helped the Mets to the 1986 title and was inducted in the Hall of Fame after a 19-year career with the Expos, Mets, Giants and Dodgers. “The Kid” passed away peacefully on Feb. 16, 2012, at the age of 57 in his home state of Florida after a courageous battle with brain cancer.
“Driven by a remarkable enthusiasm for the game, Gary Carter became one of the elite catchers of all-time,” Commissioner Bud Selig said. “‘The Kid’ was an 11-time All-Star and a durable, consistent slugger for the Montreal Expos and the New York Mets, and he ranks among the most beloved players in the history of both of those franchises. . . . I extend my deepest condolences to Gary’s wife Sandy, their daughters Christy and Kimmy, their son D.J., their grandchildren, his friends and his many fans.”
Major League Baseball invites fans to please leave any condolences and memories of Gary in this guestbook blog’s comments.
Rest in peace #8. You will be missed not ony in baseball but in your community. My thoughts and prayers are with the Carter famly. You will never be forgotten.
When I was a kid Gary Carter was one of the names that everyone new as a superstar. After he got to my Mets I could see why everyone loved him. I finally got to meet him at the Anaheim Fanfest a couple years back and for the couple minutes that he had to talk with me, I really felt I had just met not only a boyhood idol but one of the true “good guys” in American professional team sports!!! So Sorry to see you go.
I saw Gary Carter at a Memorabilia show about 10 years ago and I had a picture from 1986 and Gary not only gave a tremendous reminiscence about the picture but then wrote a lengthy note about love support and belief in God….He is missed by Baseball fans and nice people all over. Bye Kid
I remember me and my mom in 86 watching every Met game, and Gary Carter was our favorite player. He was the typical beat up catcher with the bum knees, close to retirement, but he was always there for us when we needed him. He is sadly missed. RIP kid…
Shea’s home plate, pitcher’s mound, and the bases are immortalized in Citi Field’s parking lot. There needs to be a bronze #8 behind home plate!
You just knew that he would bring us a championship coming to the Mets as the final piece of the puzzle. His demeanor….the way he carried himself as a professional. I recall a Kiner’s Korner after the last game of the ’85 season when the Mets won 98 games and fell short of the pennant as the Cards won. Gary said something like you’d expect 98 wins to get you a pennant, but we will be back next year. He radiated confidence. You’ll be missed Gary. RIP.
R.I.P. “KID” FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWING SEAS!
I watched the opening day tribute to The Kid. Who ever is responsible for the awesome acknowledgement of a super person should be commended over and over again. Having his family involved was terriffic. Great job!!
Gary was the reason I got back into baseball- I was a (shh, don’t tell) Yankees fan, until Thurman Munson died (hey, i was a little kid!). Then I happened to see Gary play a game and that was all she wrote for me Mega Mets fan forever! I loved to watch him play- he did it with his heart and you could tell. In 86 there were all kinds of memorabilia made including lithographs in limited number- I saved up for mine and got to talk to Sandy and Gary for a few minutes, including a photo of us; he was a true gentleman and the world is worse for his leaving. He suffers no more and is with The Lord, playing in His Field of Dreams. One day I’m gonna have me a game of catch with him,
When Kid hit homer 299, my friend Steve and I made a banner out of a white sheet that read “Come On Gary 300″ And then since it took forever for him to hit 300, we carried that banner to games for months. I am not the most polite Mets fan, so Gary knew about our sign. Finally he hit 300 in Wrigley. The next Shea game Steve and I were there with our banner and the Kid hit 301. After the game we stalked him and Gary Carter being the type of man that he is actually got out of his car, took the marker I had at the ready and signed “Sorry it took so long. Gary Carter.”
Classic story , at that time he would of hit number 300 sooner if were rested more , giving mackey sasser great fill in time , till gary was ready to hit # 300, 301 , & 302 all within 3 games if were rested properly . No ones fault , gary was a fighter thru homeruns slumps back then , his batting presence and hunger was still a force to be wrecken with despite the slumping averages . rest in peace gary .
I got to meet Gary at a card show in 1989. Shook his hand and said hello. He signed his rookie card for me. We had like a 3 minute conversation. He was just a heck of a nice guy.
I hope one day I became as good a ballplayer and catcher as that man for the Mets. I may have never got to see him play but he seemed like a great guy. I mean he smiled all the time, loved life, and on a team with many who smoked and drunk (thankfully many of them recovered) Gary never smoked or drunk. That’s admirable but it doesn’t make a great person. However Gary was a great person he would stay and sign autographs for as long as he could and then go play great baseball. He was a great baseball player but an even greater person. R.I.P. “The Kid”
One of the few Classy professionals. Really liked watching him play…all kinds of talent. I may be a Yankee fan, but I am also a baseball fan….and he WAS BASEBALL.
He led a life both on and off the field that many can only dream of. I was a fan when he played for the Expos well before he became a Met. He gave us many thrills and was truly the role model that many can look up to forever!! I will miss him terribly.
There is a Gary Carter # 8 plaque hanging in one of the Mets players resturant , this # 8 plaque has a colorized ‘tear” painted under the number . To janet black : he’s already terribly missed !