On WFAN: Doc, Darryl And More Remember Mets Great Gary Carter
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Mets great Gary Carter could always be counted on for a smile, a timely hit -- and in 1986, a championship.
On Thursday, Carter lost his battle with brain cancer. He was 57.
Those close to the catcher joined WFAN to remember "The Kid" shortly after his passing.
Dwight Gooden: "I knew Gary, for me personally, not only as a great teammate -- and really was an influence on my career -- but a great person and a true friend. And Gary was definitely was an inspiration for myself. A caring guy. Even when I was going through my struggles, Gary was always there and his main concern was always my health first and baseball second. And that's one of the things I admire most about Gary, that he was just a first class gentleman on and off the field."
MORE: Coutinho: 'The Kid' Will Remain In Our Hearts Forever | Keidel: Gary Carter Touches Home Plate
Darryl Strawberry: "It's tough. When you think about Carter and you think about -- not just the player, you think about the person -- of who he was in our clubhouse. In the midst of all the chaos of what this team was in the '80s, Carter was one of those players that was just an example of a baseball player with character. Live right, love the wife and kids, treated everybody with first class, never said a bad word to hurt anybody, never ran into altercations. ... You hear of his passing today, we knew it was coming, and you feel for his family. You pray, lift him in in prayers. Our thoughts are with him because of him as a man."
Ron Darling: "As a teammate he was as good as they get. What you want to be known as, as a player to other players in the game, is that you are a good teammate and that you are a gamer. And he had both of those in spades."
Wally Backman: "I remember Gary as not only a great player and a great teammate, but almost as a big brother figure. ... If you could mold yourself into a person that you really wanted to be, that's a perfect, pretty good mold that you'd want to mold yourself into is be a guy like Gary Carter."
Buddy Harrelson: "He was a good guy. He was a kind guy and very charitable. You know, he had a wonderful foundation. He was a good guy. He was fun to coach. ... He loved the uniform, he loved the clubhouse, he loved the guys, the players, his teammates. He just, he came to play."
Mets radio man Howie Rose: "I remember him first and foremost probably the way everybody else does and that's with a smile, because it was always there."
LISTEN: Doc Gooden | Darryl Strawberry | Ron Darling | Wally Backman | Buddy Harrelson | Howie Rose
MORE: Gooden with Boomer & Carton | Strawberry with B&C
Players, teammates and friends also took to Twitter to remember the catcher.
Francisco Cervelli: "My prayers go out to the family of Gary Carter who passed away today. A great catcher and a true inspiration."
Dwight Gooden: ""My batterymate, my friend, I am so blessed to have played with & can call Gary my friend he meant a lot to me on & off the field with the way ... he battled his fight to the end gives me alot of strength & faith to battle mine, we will always be connected at the hip RIP my brother....."
Phil Hughes: "What an honor it was to meet Gary Carter as my manager at the futures game. One of the best. Prayers to his family."
Tommy Lasorda: "Rest in peace Gary Carter. Gary played for me and was a Hall of Famer on and off the field. I respected and loved him."
Jay Feely: "Truly sad to hear my friend Gary Carter passed away. Enjoyed his stories and playing golf together at Honda classic last 2 years."
Leave your remembrances of "The Kid" in the comments below...
