The Kid

It didn't take me more than a day or two to come up with an even better photo for the Gary Carter card.  Kid was one of my all time favorite players.  He made the game seem fun during an era where players became increasingly unapproachable and surly.  Kid always found the time for the fans.  His best years were spent in Montreal, where he carved out his HOF niche' as the best catcher of his era, succeeding Johnny Bench.  I had the good pleasure to have met him 2 years ago up in Cooperstown for the 2nd annual Father's Day HOF game and parade.  After playing 7 innings in the field and obviously tired, he spent the next 30-40 minutes signing autographs and talking to fans.  He came over and signed Eric Stouber's son Michael's cap (Mets manager in KOD15).  He asked us what our greatest memories were of him as a fan.  I think he was shocked when I said, "That day in 1989 in Philly when you went 5 for 5 during his final season as a Met where nothing seemed to go right".  I drove down that morning to meet a friend.  Kid was hitting about a buck sixty battling injury and bad knees.  It was late August and the Mets needed some sort of jump start to get back in the race.  I left Veteran's Stadium that day feeling like he turned the clock back and all would be good.  After all, this is the guy who got a 2 out in Game 6 of the '86 World Series to hold off elimination.  Sadly, it was not going to be Kid's year, nor the Mets year.  Both the team and it's aging superstar were no longer the same.  Father time marches on and it's neither kind nor gracious to anyone, including the great ones.  Kid was one of the great ones.  He was a superstar player and a Hall of Fame human being.

Here are my pictures of Kid signing autographs after the HOF game exactly 2 years ago (see below).  I stood right next to him and he looked like the picture of health.  Who would know that only a few months later he would announce his battle with cancer.  I had to think he already knew what he was up against and wanted to be in Cooperstown one last time to be amongst baseball fans.  Everyone loved Gary Carter, and in turn Gary loved us all.  He was bigger in life than he was on the diamond.

Can't mistake the famous "Carter smile" for any other smile

Inviting fans onto the field to chat

Graciously signing autographs for fans