HBT: Gary Carter's condition 'extremely grave'

[Umpire-Empire Reporter]

HBT: Hall of Fame catcher's "condition was visibly worsening" in his fight against brain cancer.

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[Kevin Finnerty]

One of those great players who's also a great human being. I knew I was watching a Hall of Famer early on, and I am glad he got to live several years of his life as a Hall of Famer.

I lost an old friend like this in 2010. We spent his last weekend together. And there were many visits in his two-year battle. Let me tell you, brave is not close to describing what kind of battle Carter is waging.

Thank you for everything, Gary Carter. We love the game, so we love guys like you.

[johnnyg08]

That sucks. Tough to read about...don't ever want to know anything about that condition.

[Kevin Finnerty]

I attended a Dodgers-Mets game in 1988 with two of my cousins. An older cousin grew up with then-Dodgers catcher Rick Dempsey, who left us some tickets. The younger cousin absolutely idolized Gary Carter. Before the game, we were beyond the Dodgers' dugout talking with Dempsey at the fence, while the Mets were hitting (Scioscia was starting, so Dempsey had time to kill ). That's when the subject of the boy's admiration of Carter came up.

A short time later, Dempsey jogged over to Carter at the batting cage, and chatted with him for a few seconds. When Carter finished hitting, he went in the opposite direction to the Mets' dugout, and then came out and jogged all the way over to the area beyond the Dodgers' dugout where we were. He greeted my young cousin warmly, "Hi Anthony, I'm Gary Carter; it's a pleasure to meet you. Thanks for coming out." The kid was a catcher because of his admiration of Carter, and Carter actually thanked him for that when he gushingly told him. Carter then produced a baseball, bummed a pen and signed it for him right there. He also signed the kid's Gary Carter model catcher's mitt, and the bill of his Mets cap.

It was one of my all-time favorite baseball moments, and I've had many. It was also an almost unheard-of gesture by a big league star right before a game. Carter is a true great.

[KLAH316]

I grew up a die-hard Mets fan.... (My dad was so that's the rule) and I remember the '86 World Series as the Greatest up to that point (only surpassed in my mind by the 2001 Diamondbacks).

Gary Carter was great to watch back then!! So sad for him and his family!!!

[Kevin Finnerty]

Carter lined the two-out single that kept the Mets alive in Game 6, and scored the first run of the comeback.

[johnnyg08]

We mourn the passing of Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, who passed away today at the age of 57. Carter appeared in 311 Minor League games before going on to his Cooperstown-worthy career

[Umpire in Chief]

[cuban]

Carter lined the two-out single that kept the Mets alive in Game 6, and scored the first run of the comeback.

Damn right he got that hit. Gary Carter ain't gonna make the last *#^%ing out of the World Series.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Mets first base coach Bill Robinson later said that Carter, Kevin Mitchell and Ray Knight all said the same thing when they retreated to first after their two-out hits.