So Hard to Say Goodbye...

By David Rubin Whenever I hear the name "Gary Carter," two things come to mind- that smile and the song "You've Gotta Have Heart" from the musical "Damn Yankees." Labelled by some as "insincere" in his exuberance, anyone who ever met "The Kid" or watched how he played the game knew that, in the cynical world of sports, Carter was a truly special person, a "real" person, who loved his fans not just as a means to an end (endorsement deals) but because he never lost site of the fact that on any given day, some kid (or adult) worshiped their favorite player, often Carter, and he felt he owed it to his fans to make himself available to them - even if it meant pissing his fellow players off by holding the bus from leaving while he signed a few last-minute scorecards. Gary Carter was an athlete who every mom could point to and say "I hope you grow up to be like him" when they lug their kids gear to yet another practice at a ridiculous time of the morning; he was the player that every manager wished they had when the game was on the line; he was the partner that every pitcher wished he shared 60 feet, six inches with... Met fans were lucky to have him for the short-time that we did; he helped legitimize our team, much the way Keith Hernandez did a few years prior; a big-time star coming to the New York spotlight, NOT in the Bronx, and actually performing up to, and beyond, expectations...imagine that??!! Expos fans were lucky to have him- he will probably remain the face of that (former) franchise, along with Andre Dawson, for as long as fans are around that still remember the Montreal franchise... The Baseball Hall-of-Fame IS lucky to have him as a member, because he was/is a class individual who displays everything that is right and good about America's past-time... His family was/is truly blessed to have him in their lives, and the devotion that the entire family showed "The Kid," especially in his final days/hours, were reflective of how great a man Carter was and how beloved he was... The out-pouring of emotion on Facebook, Twitter, various Met-related blogs, will be voluminous over the next 24-to-48 hours; there will be great memories revisited, his career will be carefully scrutinized, and his legacy will be discussed over and over... What Carter represented to me, personally, was all about that song...

See boys, that's what I'm talking about.
Baseball is only one half skill, the
other half is something else.....something bigger!

You've gotta have....Heart!
All you really need is heart!
When the odds are sayin' you'll never win, that's when the grin should start!
You've gotta have hope!
Musn't sit around and mope.
Nuthin' half as bad as it may appear, wait'll next year and hope.
When your luck is battin' zero, get your chin up off the floor.
Mister, you can be a hero.You can open any door.
There's nothin' to it, but to do it.
You've gotta have heart!
Miles and miles and miles of heart!
Oh, it's fine to be a genius of course!
But keep that ol' horse before the cart!
First you've got to have heart!

Carter was truly the "missing link" in that World Series-winning team in 1986; he will always remain the guy who grabbed Jesse Orosco when that final out was made, in the most exciting World Series of all-time, and whose enthusiasm represented each and every Met fan who had suffered through the horrible years... One of my two best friends' lost his mom to the exact same disease, also living in Florida, and it was beyond horrible for his family (and by extension, all of us who loved him and her so dearly) to have lived through...I could only imagine what Carter's family went through, and on behalf of everyone at Mack's Mets - heck, on behalf of every single Met fan around the world- we're offering our prayers, thoughts and love to the Carter family right now. I know that "The Kid" is in a better place right now, and as soon as he hit those pearly gates, he looked around to find another 17 ex-players so he could get one more game in before he gained those angels' wings...