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.
Remembering Gary Carter 
It’s hard to imagine the 1986 NY Mets as Champions without Gary Carter getting that 3-2 hit to center and seeing his sigh of relief while clapping his hands at first base. I’ll never forget Gary. May God bless his family! R.I.P. Gary!
Gary Carter was one of the greatest catchers in Mets History. The New York Mets & Major League Baseball lost an icon in #8. I have an idea on how the Mets can honor his memory. The Mets should retire his number at Citi Field next to the other retired numbers (37, 14,& 41). After all, it’s been 24 years since a Met player, Tom Seaver, had his number retired in Flushing. This season, the Mets should also put his picture under the 1986 World Champions banner and under his picture these three words: “In Loving Memory.”
My heat goes out to his family and friends. I remember being a Kid and being glued to the TV in 1986, watching Gary come through with the clutch hit or the tag out at the plate to give the team the win. If anyone was more deserving of being a role model, it was number 8, and today’s “stars” don’t even come close to shining as bright. My heart broke, and my eyes teared when I heard the news yesterday, for a truely wonderful person was gone, but in true form, fought until the end, a real champion. A piece of my childhood ended. No matter what cap is on his plaque at the H.O.F., he will ALWAYS be a Met.God bless him.
I’ve been a Met fan all my life starting with the 69′ Mets. Cleon Jones was my favorite Met. I wear number 21 till this day. I became a Mets season ticket holder the day the Mets traded for Gary Carter in 85′. Who would have thought the Mets would win the World Series the following year. What timing, I was there to watch the greatest come back game of all time in game 6 when Gary Carter started the 2 out rally. I will remember that for ever. I work at Long Island MacArthur Airport where I met Gary Carter flying out of Islip going to Fla when he was managing the LI Ducks. He was always smiling and gracious to say hello. I will always remember Gary because I was born on the 8th. Rest In Peace, ‘KID’
God bless you Gary. We’ll alway see you in Blue and orange. Thanks for being a Met
I remember the team in the 80’s evolving into a perennial contender after suffering through the teams of the last 70’s and early 80’s. I was ecstatic when they traded for Gary Carter. To me that was the last piece of the puzzle in getting the team to the world series. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him play. Giving 110% every game. The way the game should be played. A Hall of Fame player, a real class act. I will never forget him. God bless Gary and his family at this terrible time.
If I were in NYC right now I’d place some flowers and a catcher’s mitt at Citifield parking lot on home plate where Shea used to be…..and put a #8 on that base.
We were all blessed to have Kid as a part of the Mets in the Championship years. We will be forever blessed to know he is in a better place. Having lost my father 29 years ago at age 52 I am deeply saddened by this news. Today I am 55 and look forward to many years ahead, God willing. I extend my prayers and thoughts to the Carter family, the Mets organization and to all Mets fans for having known the taste of victory and the agony of defeat. God Bless you Gary
I remember the home opener in 1985. It was so so cold, but after he hit the homer in the bottom of the inning, we didn’t care. One of my best memories of Shea. He will be missed. I hope the Mets retire his number this year. He deserves it.
All my condolence to Gary Carter’s family. May is soul rest in peace. Thank you to the Kid for the great moments that you have provided in the Expos uniform . Your personality and your talent made the Expos a solid team in the first half of the 80’s and baseball reached at that time an equal popularity as hockey (which is the number 1 sport in Canada)…especially in Montreal where the hockey team the Montreal Canadiens which is the team after the New York Yankees to have won the most championship in an North american team sport. Your lost is felt all deeply in the city. You got involved in the community, you learned french, you have shared some winters during the off season with us and you showed us your great talent as a baseball player. Much respect to you. You would often say Merci beaucoup mes ami (es) and I say to you Merci Beaucoup Gary for all those years for the Expos at the Jarry Park and after from 1976 at the Olympic Stadium !
May the greatest catcher of the 1980’s rest in peace. Gary Carter will always be remembered as a great team leader. It was a joy to see him play such a huge role on the 1986 World Championship team. “The Kid” constantly played the game correctly. He will always serve as a source of inspiration for all Mets and baseball fans.My condolences go out to his family,friends, and teammates.Please take solace in knowing that this hall of famer will always be remembered.RIP Gary “The Kid” Carter
I am pretty sure Gary Carter is the reason my husband married me. My husband and I met in college, he came to my house for the first time and in my bedroom was hanging my autographed picture of Gary Carter. I was madly in love as a teenager – those eyes and blonde curly hair – I loved him. My husband and his family were true Mets fans, and I think when he saw that photo, he knew I was the girl for him. Years later, we brought our two boys to Mets Spring Training and Gary Carter was there as a coach. He came over to me and the boys, asked them their ages and their names and talked to them for a few minutes and signed two baseballs for them. Something the boys and I will never forget! Gary Carter was one of kind and a hero to the fans!
Been really hard to hear this news as Gary was my favorite player as a boy. I attended my 1st game in 1985 proudly wearing my Met jersey and have been a fan every since. He was a great player and an even greater person. I am very sad and wish his family peace and healing in this difficult time.
A wonderful baseball player, an even better man. An example of a life well lived.
Rest in peace, Gary.
My late husband, Dennis, loved the Mets–especially a fan of Gary Carter. May they both talk baseball forever. Rest in peace.
We Will Miss you so much Gary (Kid), you will always be Number 1 in my books.
A very Sad Loss indeed.
I’m from England but Lived near him in Ronkonkoma when I lived there,
RIP Kid.
Gary Carter was an inspiration to many METS fans. The WILPONS should retire his # 8. He was the best catcher the METS ever had. He will be truly missed by Mets fans all over. REST IN PEACE #8 you will not be forgotten.
To the Kid…may you rest in peace. Thank you for giving us fans some great Mets baseball You will be forever in our hearts. To the Carter family, my sincere and deepest condolences.
Just heard the Keith Hernandez interview with Francesa. One of the most difficult interviews I’ve ever heard. God Bless Gary Carter and his family. Why does cancer always seem to afflict the good ones?
GARY IS WITH ELVIS,MJ AND WHITY HOUSTON NOW MAY THEY ROCK ON FOREVER IN HEAVEN.
pEACE lOVE r.i.p yall
I grew up watching him play for the expos, marveled at his skills and clutch play, and was thrilled when he came to the Mets! There are a very select small group of professional athletes that when they are playing you just know that your team always has a chance. Gary Carter was definitely one of those few people! It was obvious how much he loved playing baseball, and the sport of baseball is much better off for it! Sincerest most heart felt condolences to Gary’s entire family!
i knew only 1 catcher as a kid and it was C.G#8,HE WILL BE MISSED!!!
I wasn’t around when Gary and the Mets won the world series in 1986 but i have had the chance to look back on some of those clips and watched the Specials about the 1986 world series. i have also been a life long fan of the Mets. i just want to say that Gary Carter is and always will be on of my favorite Mets of all time. He will be missed deeply. Goodbye Gary.
As a die hard Mets fan I salute ‘The Kid” in all his triumphs and mourn him on his passing but in truth it should be celebrated because he is in a better place. I met Gary once and he was such a kind and good hearted person. We’ll miss you ‘Kid’. My condolences to his family, friends and team mates. May he rest in peace. God Bless you.
May God bless Gary Carter and his family. Today is the first time I am proud to be a Mets fan in along time. Rest in Peace NO8 you will be missed. And as any true Met fan knows nobody else should ever wear No. 8 again even if the Wilpons don’t retire it that No. is reserved for you “Kid”
He is the reason I became a baseball fan… I knew nothing bout the mets or baseball. Then I heard my dad talking to a friend of his, who was a expos fan, about a trade that brought Carter to the Mets. I wanted to find out who he was and who the mets were. The rest is history. RIP The Kid
2 outs nobody on, gary carter up. anybody else in that line up,n its game over. NEVER FORGET “KID” R.I.P
I CAN ONLY HOPE AFTER READING AND HEARING SUCH MOVING COMMENTS
FROM MY FELLOW LIFELONG MET FANS (I’M 51) THAT THE WILPONS
RECOGINIZE THAT THE RIGHT THING TO NOW IS RESPECTFULLY RETIRE
GARY’S NUMBER. WHAT A JOY TO WATCH, AND THAT SMILE
WE’LL MISS YOU KID!!!!
My own memory of Carter, and Bobby Murcer … now connected in the worst of ways.
I am also, a Mets fan and extremely sad at the loss of Gary Carter, he was a great person, great player, husband, father, and we are the richer that he was in our lives and so much the poorer at his passing. I send my deepest sympathies to his family, wish I had an address or I would send a card. I will never forget the 1986 World Series and that first hit of the bottom of the 10th, my heavens, it was amazing and what he meant to the team. I will always love and honor the memory of a great star, Hall of Famer and great guy.
I also have been a Mets fan all my life. I remember going up to bed after Hernandez and Strawberry made out in the ninth inning of game 6 of the ’86 World Series thinking the Mets were done. Only to hear my Dad and brother making noises downstairs, so I came back down to see the finale. It was typical Gary Carter to start one of the greatest comebacks in World Series history. A great player and a great man. There is a big hole im the hearts of Mets fans everywhere right now. RIP, Kid.
I fondly remember when the METS traded for Gary telling my dad (a Mets fan since ’62) “The Mets are gonna win the World Seriies!” After Gary hit that homerun on opening day off Neil Allen I had no doubt in my mind Gary was the final piece of the Mets’ championship puzzle. I went to at least a dozen Mets games that year and we only lost once during my visits to Shea. I’m sure I watched at least one of Gary’s 32 homers that year. We came short that year but won it all the next. I will also remember Gary’s homer in the WS. I will certainly miss him and all my deepest sincerity goes out to his family. My deepest hope is that the METS will have a GARY CARTER day on April 8th (his birthday) at Citifield with his family attending and throwing out the first pitch while his number 8 is retired.
the first baseball game i saw was in brooklyn.when dodgers left the house went sad and dark no baseball till the mets.spent most of first season at shea stadium.gary carter was a great player and will always remember him.not first player i cried for thhat was duke snider and peewee reese when they left new york
Thought and prayers go out to the family of Gary Carter. Gary was a player who all young catchers wanted to be while I was growing up. His time with the Expos made him a star. His time with the Mets made him a Super Star. I will always remember him taking the time and signing a program for me when I was 10. Gary’s love for the game was pure.
I’m a 46 year-old man who has been a Mets fan my entire life and I am not embarrassed to admit that I am crying right now after hearing this news and reading just a few of these posts. He was such a joy to watch play; I wish we could all approach life that way. One last curtain call from the dugout steps in heaven…
I have been a Met fan all my life and Gary Carter was/is my favorite of all-time because of the example he set on and off the field. Some of my favorite memories growing up have been at Shea (my “2nd home”) cheering him and The Mets on. The world lost a great ballplayer and an amazing man. God must have wanted to watch a ballgame up in heaven. My prayers go out to his family.
We were living in New York during the1986 series and I waspregnant with my first child! My husband and I are BIG Mets fans and the excitment was off the charts during game 6! I remember my son who I was pregnant with kicking and rolling like he knew what was happening! He is now 25 and one of the BIGGEST Mets fans there is even though he grew up in the midwest! My other 2 children are big Mets fans and we were so sad by the loss of Gary Carter yesterday. If the politicians all had Garys attitude and enthusiam the world would be a better place! Thank you Gary for the pleasure of watching you play and for the upstanding person you were! You will be missed…..
I remember every time Carter would get a hit the replay would show him swing, make contact and then the camera would follow him as he ran to first base, took a wide turn toward second and then as he ran back to first he would excitedly clap a few times, showing that genuine enthusiasm and seeming to say to his teammates in the dugout “Ok, I got a hit. Now EVERYBODY hits!”.
Grew up in Montreal watching Gary Carter and the Expos almost making it in 1982, thanks for the memories, condolescences to the family, rest in peace,
Jeff
I’ve been a Mets fan for as long as I can remember because of my father.. One of my dads favorite player was Gary Carter and it hard to believe that he is in a better place now, We love you Gary and thank you for some great memories and thank you for giving my dad and I something to believe in, in the way the Mets won that 1986 World Series… you will truly be missed!!!…
Gary Carter était notre KID et Monsieur Expos.
Merci beaucoup Gary!!!
Gary Carter was OUR Kid and Mr. Expos
To Gary Carter’s wife and children my sincere condolence on the passing
of a great baseball player and human being. Gary not only helped bring
baseball to Montreal but inspired us all with the winning attitude in sports
and life. May G-D bless your family.
Bernard L. Bratz, Montreal.
I’ve been a Mets fan since Daryl Strawberry came up from Tidewater. I do clearly remember the ’86 World Series and the contributions Gary Carter made to the Mets. Gary was not just a catcher. He was a tremendous team leader. He brought more to the game then just being a catcher. He was a great role model and an inspiration to not only his team mates but to anybody who watched the game . He never went on to the field without giving the game his 110%. He is not just a Hall Of Famer on the field but off the field as well. Gary played the game for the love of the game. Gary Carter will be greatly missed in the Mets orginization as well as baseball as a sport. May God rest his soul.
I have been in a fantasy baseball league for over 40 years. During that time I was fortunate enough to draft a rookie named Gary Carter and have him as my catcher for his entire career. He was always one of my favorite players and I wish I could have met him in person. I know he was a very special player and person and I was deeply upset to hear of his passing. My wife of over 25 years died in September of 2010 from the same (brain tumor) illness. She only lived three months after she was diagnosed with a stage 4 tumor (that was also not possible to be removed). I will always remember Gary Carter and I hope he has a chance to meet my wife in heaven since she was also a very caring wife, mother, and grand mother. – – – Jerry
from a n.j native now living in n.c, shock does’t cover it.first time i shed a tear for a baseball player.r.i.p kid,r.i.p.
Gary, you were one my favorite players growing up and the reason why I chose to be a Mets fan instead of a Yankee fan. You gave the City such joy at a time when we needed it, and made what are still some of my happiest memories as a baseball fan. You played the game with such class, joy, and heart and I spent my little league career trying to do it just like you did – it feels as if a bit of my childhood died with you yesterday. Rest in peace, Kid, and thanks for the memories – you really did it the right way and now belong to the ages.
Its hard to believe that Gary only played 5 of his 19 seasons with the Mets, doesn’t it? Seems like he was one of “ours” all along.
He homered to win his first game as a Met and he won over the city right there. THAT’S how you enter a town.
I also firmly believe that if anyone else had come to bat with 2 outs in the 9th against the Red Sox in ’86, that the game would have ended right there. Carter only hit a single but I think he was the only Met player and/or fan who was idealistic and optimistic enough to really believe that it WASN’T over.
He was loved and sometimes mocked for the spark he brought to this organization but his personality was a huge part of the history of the Mets. What more can a fan of a team want than a great player who is a good guy and who exudes nothing but joy and positivity?
The glue the Mets needed came through in ’86. money wasn’t the most important thing to this guy. I bet he would have played for nothing if it meant saving another guy from getting over the hump.
A part of my childhood is now gone. The Kid was my favorite player growing up in the 80’s. I collected everyone of his baseball cards and was even lucky enough to have him sign my Mizuno catchers mitt. My dad had researched the exact model of mitt Carter wore during the 86 season and purchased one for me. I still have it and will pass it on to my son. It’s saddening but beautiful all at the same time as he is now in the arms of his Savior Jesus Christ.