State Senate Approves Senator Golden Resolution Honoring Baseball Hall of Famer Gary Carter

Brooklyn – State Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C-I, Brooklyn) is

announcing that the New York State Senate today approved Senate Resolution

J. 3367, in which he sponsored, honoring the life of the late New York Mets

legend, Gary ‘The Kid’ Carter.

Senator Golden, a Mets fan stated, “Many of us watched a memorial

service honoring Gary Carter that was attended by the best of baseball past

and present. Today, the New York State Senate joins all baseball fans in

officially remembering and mourning the loss of Gary Carter. New York has

lost a hero, and it is only fitting that the State Senate remember his

life.”

Golden continued, “The State Senate today paused to honor the many

accomplishments of #8, Gary Carter. A hall of famer, a World Series

Champion, and a great humanitarian, the legacy of Gary Carter should serve

as an inspiration to all. Gary Carter was a true role model and someone

that rightly earned this high praise.”

Gary Carter died on February 16th following a battle with brain

cancer at the age of 57. Mr. Carter was an 11 time All-Star and caught

2,056 games, 4th in history among Major League Baseball catchers. He was a

member of the 1986 World Series Champion New York Mets.

Senator Golden will present two copies of Senate Resolution to the

New York Mets organization and ask that one be forwarded to the Carter

Family.

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Senate Resolution No. 3367

BY: Senator GOLDEN

MOURNING the death of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Gary Edmund

Carter

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to the

memory of those exemplary athletes from the State of New York who

attained unprecedented success and achievement through their personal

courage, integrity and dedicated effort; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its

long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body mourns the death of

Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Gary Edmund Carter; and

WHEREAS, Gary Carter, the slugging catcher known as Kid for the sheer

joy he took in playing baseball, died on Thursday, February 16, 2012, at

the age of 57; and

WHEREAS, Born on April 8, 1954, in Culver City, California, Gary Carter

was both an infielder and a star quarterback at Sunny Hills High School in

Fullerton, California; he planned to play football at UCLA, but pursued

baseball instead when he was selected by the Montreal Expos in the third

round of the 1972 draft; and

WHEREAS, The Expos switched Gary Carter to play catcher, and he made his

debut for them in September 1974; playing his first 11 seasons in

Montreal, he became the face of the franchise, but was later traded to the

New York Mets in December 1984; and

WHEREAS, Gary Carter's big opening day in 1985 was the prelude to a season

in which he hit a career-high 32 home runs; this major

accomplishment set the stage and helped to propel the Mets for their

dramatic 1986 World Series championship year; and

WHEREAS, In his five seasons with the Mets, the right-handed-hitting Gary

Carter added considerable power to a lineup that featured the

left-handed-hitting Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry; and

WHEREAS, Gary Carter played with intensity and flair, hitting 324 home

runs and punctuating many of the ones he hit at Shea Stadium with

arm-flailing curtain calls emblematic of the Mets' swagger in the mid and

late 1980s; in his 19 seasons in the major leagues, all but two of them

with the Expos or the Mets, he was an 11-time All-Star and was twice

named the most valuable player in the All-Star Game; and

WHEREAS, In addition to his 324 home runs, Gary Carter drove in 1,225

runs and had a career batting average of .262; his 298 home runs while in

games as a catcher rank him No. 7 on the career list; and

WHEREAS, Elected to the MLB Hall of Fame in 2003, Gary Carter won three

consecutive Gold Glove awards, from 1980-82, with the Expos; he caught

in 2,056 games, placing him No. 4 among major league catchers; and

WHEREAS, After his playing days, Gary Carter was a roving minor league

instructor for the Mets, a broadcaster for the Florida Marlins, a manager

in the Mets minor league system and with the independent Long Island

Ducks; he was most recently the coach at Palm Beach Atlantic

University; and

WHEREAS, Gary Carter is survived by his wife, Sandy; two daughters,Christy

and Kimmy; son Douglas James; and three grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of

compassion, Gary Carter leaves behind a legacy which will long endure

the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory to his

teammates and the numerous fans who watched him play America's favorite

pastime; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to mourn

the death of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Gary Edmund Carter;

and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be

transmitted to the family of Gary Carter.