Good-Bye Gary Carter.......From a Long Time Admiring Mets Fan

I just heard on MLB network that Gary Carter passed away from complications of a malignant brain tumor diagnosed last Spring and I'm sad.

Not just because he left us too soon at age 57, but another part of my teenage years died today, too.

I was 17 and a senior in high school during that amazing 1986 season and he was a huge part of it.

His enthusiasm for the game and smile was contagious.  He seemed to enjoy playing a boy's game and more importantly, he seemed like he cared!

Perhaps Gary Carter was the final piece of that puzzle when he was acquired prior to the 1985 season in a trade with the Montreal Expos.  Not everyone can play in New York, what with the massive scrutiny and intense media spotlight from print, TV and radio. 

But he showed he belonged when on Opening Day, in his first day as a Met, hit a walk-off homer off Neil Allen on a chilly afternoon at Shea Stadium.  He also started the two out 10th inning rally in Game 6 of the World Series with a single to left field when it seemed like the Mets season was going to end prematurely and with massive disappointment.

In the mid 80's, the Mets owned this town.  Derek Jeter was not even a teenager yet and the Yankees, somewhat irrelevant, frequently played to a half-empty stadium.  You saw Mets hats all around town and t-shirts with the names Carter, Hernandez, Strawberry and Gooden on the back were everywhere.

It seems like eons ago.  The game seemed a little simpler, too.

They probably should have won more than just that '86 Championship.  Today, the New York Mets are a mess.  The Wilpons are an embarrassment to the franchise and there is little to be hopeful or optimistic about for the upcoming season.

Like many Mets fans, I think we all wish it were 1986 all over again