Hail To The Kid

Sadly, Hall of Fame masked man Gary Carter passed away last Thursday from complications related to tumors discovered last May.  Carter was known as The Kid for his youthful energy and passion for both the game itself and his teammates.  His skills behind and at the plate were recognized in his enshrinement in Cooperstown in 2003.  The cap on his plaque was the first with the Montreal Expos logo (Andre Dawson followed the Kid’s lead in 2010) as Carter spent 11 seasons in Montreal through 1984 before returning to finish where he started in 1992.  The Kid’s awards definitely reflect an all-around game, which is nearly the only way to earn a spot in the Hall donning the tools of ignorance.  Carter made 11 All-Star games and won 3 Gold Gloves along with 5 Silver Sluggers.  Befittingly for a guy named the Kid, he nearly won Rookie of the Year in 1975, coming in second to a pitcher of course, John Montefusco of the Giants.

Carter is one of just 16 catchers in Cooperstown, which includes 13 Major League and 3 Negro Leagues players.  Considering there has been over 17,000 players in MLB history alone, he is in the rarest of companies.  Plus, among the HOF MLB catchers, he is fourth with 324 HR, fifth with 1,225 RBI, and third with 2,092 hits.  He also had four seasons with at least 100 RBI, which is hard to do for anybody, let alone for a guy who sits on his legs all day.  Defensively, he led the N.L. three times in Caught Stealing Percentage and was in the top 3 seven times.  He also led the league in catching putouts eight seasons and assists in another five.

Those numbers are impressive to say the least.  Gary Carter was GREAT on the baseball field.  And even greater off of it.  I had the pleasure and thrill of meeting him briefly during the 2004 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend in Cooperstown.  Fans can have any item signed for a fee of course, but that is a necessary requirement to keep the crowd sizes manageable.  I brought a baseball as Carter was sitting at a long table with Johnny Bench on the other end.  The Kid looked like a kid enjoying himself and the fans, young and old.  He was friendly and talkative and, other than having the forearms and thick paws that surely represented a couple thousand games of slugging and blocking pitches in the dirt, seemed like he could be your longtime neighbor.  Don’t get me wrong, just about all of the guys that make it back to Cooperstown for fan intervention are friendly and enjoy themselves.  It is fun.  You can see it even from the distance.  However, Carter stood out as humble and respectful even in a crowded room of fans and the likeable legends of Yogi, Bench, Carlton Fisk, and other HOFers as I spent two afternoons obtaining the autographs of four living legends of catching.  Surely, no one could fake the impression I got in a hot and noisy lobby.

That memory of my own experience combined with hearing John Kruk, the notorious hitter and easy-going former Phillie, say on t.v. last week that he wished he enjoyed the game as much as Gary Carter did are two things that bring to light how much the game needed Gary Carter just as much as he loved it.  Kruk’s statement says a lot about a guy who remained grounded, played the game the right way, and lived up to the importance of being a good family man who also did countless hours of charity work.  The comment is a modern day and third person version of the legendary Joe DiMaggio saying that he always played hard everyday because that day’s game might be the only time some kid sees me play.  Gary “The Kid” Carter played hard everyday and acknowledged that it was all worth it upon being elected to the hall despite the pain and injuries as he said, “I don’t have any pain in my knees right now.”  Well said by a true a great.

R.I.P., Kid.