Friday brought some sad news from the game of baseball, as it was reported Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter may have a malignant tumor on his brain. Via Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com:
"Following a thorough examination and assessment of Gary Carter, biopsies were performed (Friday) morning from a tumor located in Mr. Carter's brain," Dr. Allan H. Friedman and Dr. Henry S. Friedman, co-deputy directors of The Preston Robert Tisch Brian Tumor Center at Duke, said in a statement. "The preliminary results are that his tumor appears to be malignant. Once the pathology report is available, which will take several days, we will discuss treatment options with Mr. Carter and his family."
Though probably best know for his role in bringing the 1986 New York Mets a World Series championship, Carter played 12 of his 19 big league seasons for the franchise now known as the Washington Nationals (I'll give you a second...yep, Montreal Expos is the correct answer). Carter is among the Top 10 in virtually every offensive category in the Nationals-Expos record book, ranking in the Top 3 all-time in home runs, runs batted in, bases on balls and total bases. Heck, "the Kid", as he was so affectionately know, even ranks ninth all time in triples for the ExpoNats (and if you have ever seen Gary Carter "run", that stat should blow your mind "Scanners"-style).
As word of Carter's news has spread, former teammates and players he has managed have chimed in, all citing Carter's influence on their lives and the game they played. The guy was an old-time warrior, the kind of player I wanted to emulate as a kid - the energy, the hustle, the attitude...and that uncanny knack for the big time knock.
Hang in there Kid, we're all pulling for you.