This blog was created to vent about coaching decisions that I don’t agree with and players who are overrated in their sports. It certainly does not exist to discuss major issues such as illness or death, but every once in a while exceptions need to be made and today is one of those days. Having been born in 1978 I first started to be aware of sports stars some time around circa ’81. Being just 3 years old or so I only knew of one player from each sport that I watched and that player was as big as the game itself. Back then to me anyways, hockey was synonymous with Wayne Gretzky, tennis was John McEnroe, basketball was Dr. J., and baseball meant Gary Carter. As I grew older and realized that there were more than just one player in the league there was still something about The Kid that appealed to me. As I started playing the game myself and watched Major League baseball a little more closely, Carter stuck out among the other major leaguers as having something special that really spoke to me – he played the game like one of us. While the other stars of the era were at the ballpark doing their jobs, Carter was there playing a game with the same boyish exuberance and “its getting dark, next run wins” kind of attitude that was common to me and my inner circle of 6 year olds, but very rare in The Show. Professionals don’t jump up and hug each other the way kids do with each run scored, but as a Major Leaguer playing at the highest level, Gary had a way to celebrate the game in a way that inspired an entire generation. It is no coincidence that there are a disproportionate number of professional or semi-pro catchers from Montreal that began playing the game in the late 70's and early 80’s, and it is no coincidence that if you Google Image the ’86 Mets, one of the most talked about teams in the history of any sport, the greatest algorithm available to man will undoubtedly return a picture of Carter jumping up and down with an expression of joy that is unusual yet refreshing to see on a grown man’s face. The Olympic Stadium in Montreal may be one of the greatest architectural disasters in the history of western civilization as we know it, but that notwithstanding it still had its great moments over the years and The Kid was seemingly always in the center of them. From its opening in 1977 when Carter put on a show against the Phillies, to the Expos’ only playoff run in ’81, to his last game's standing ovation in ’92, and finally Gary Carter Day in 2003, Carter always put more asses in the seats than $1 beer night which says a lot in a City whose population remembers the O’keefe brand with more fondness than the Expos, and a stadium that was surprisingly built in an unpopulated, out-of-the-way and generally speaking run down part of town. That Stadium has been nicknamed “The Big Owe” for the financial burden it put on the city, but if anyone ever wanted to put a positive spin on that place they could rightfully and unequivocally dub it “The House The Kid Built”. Having lived in both Montreal and New York I can tell you first hand that despite their geographical proximity you cannot find two populations more different from each other, yet Carter always related to both crowds. From his youthful Joie de Vivre that struck similarities to “the weekend starts on Wednesday” majority in La Belle Province, to his tireless work ethic that was respected by the 16 hour work day folk in The Big Apple, Carter was a fan and media favorite wherever he played. Carter’s passing earlier today is a reminder of the cruel realities that the Expos are gone forever and the Mets’ glory days are long behind them. More significantly, two cities will mourn one of their favorites, and whether you followed baseball or not, everyone local knew and cheered for #8.
AND THAT'S THE BRUTAL TRUTH
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