In Memoriam: Gary Carter 04/08/1954-02/16/2012

It's been a busy/exhausting 48 hours for me but I wanted to be able to write something brief about Gary Carter, who lost his battle with brain cancer yesterday at the age of 57. I don't have to recall his hall of fame career, laden with awards and accolades. I also don't have to speak on his personality or deep faith or love of the game. If you want any of those well deserved sentiments, you can find them in seconds online.

I wanted to speak on what the life of Gary Carter, the kid, means to me on a more personal level. It's a general and uncomplicated idea, but it's also rare. Carter took the field to perform for his fans and to exhibit his love of baseball, which was explanation enough for his incredible skill to shine through. It goes without saying that kindness, humility and child like enthusiasm are a rare find on a stage where the incentive to excel is rooted in fame and huge amounts of money. Therein lies my inspiration to write to honor and esteem Gary Carter. Thank you for being "the kid". Thanks for reminding young people that baseball can stay fun even if you do it for a living. Thank you for forging a career that takes the cynicism out of people, like myself. Rest in Peace.