Hall of Fame Catcher Gary Carter Dead at 57 - East Idaho News
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Hall of Fame Catcher Gary Carter Dead at 57

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280459?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1329430817376T. G. Higgins/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter died Thursday at his home in Florida. He had been suffering from brain cancer. Carter was 57.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum made the announcement. “It is with profound sadness that we mourn the loss of Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter. Gary’s enthusiasm, giving spirit and infectious smile will always be remembered in Cooperstown,” Jane Forbes Clark of the Baseball Hall of Fame said in a statement Thursday. “Our thoughts are with Sandy, Christy, Kimmie, DJ and the entire Carter family on this very sad day.”

Known as “The Kid,” Carter was immortalized among baseball’s greatest stars in 2003, when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Carter played for the Expos, Mets, Giants and Dodgers over his 19 seasons in Major League Baseball.

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“When you think of the great baseball field generals, you think Gary Carter,” Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson said. “He ran the game from behind the plate with strong leadership and passion. The Kid’s contribution to our National Pastime is big, but his heart was even bigger. We’ll always remember his caring way, ever-present smile and strong devotion to family, community and the Baseball Hall of Fame.”

Mets chief executive Fred Wilpon, team president Saul Katz and chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said in a joint statement released by the team Thursday that Carter’s nickname “captured how Gary approached life.”

“He did everything with enthusiasm and with gusto on and off the field.  His smile was infectious. He guided our young pitching staff to the World Series title in 1986 and he devoted an equal amount of time and energy raising awareness for a multitude of charities and community causes,” they said. “He was a Hall of Famer in everything he did.”

In a statement, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig called Carter “one of the elite catchers of all-time.”

Selig said, “‘The Kid’ was an 11-time All-Star and a durable, consistent slugger for the Montreal Expos and the New York Mets, and he ranks among the most beloved players in the history of both of those franchises.  Like all baseball fans, I will always remember his leadership for the ’86 Mets and his pivotal role in one of the greatest World Series ever played.”

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

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