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Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

metirish
May 21 2011 11:39 AM

Damn
New York Mets Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain
Mets Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter has been diagnosed with four small tumors on his brain and will be going to Duke University Hospital for surgery in the next day or so, the Daily News has learned.

According to sources close to Carter, the 57-year-old Met icon has been complaining of headaches and forgetfulness in recent days and underwent an MRI in a hosptial near his Palm Beach Gardens home Saturday, where the tumors were discovered.

It will not be known until the surgery at Duke whether the tumors are benign or malignant. Carter, who hit .262 with 324 homeruns and 1,225 RBI in a 19-year career with the Mets, Montreal Expos, Giants and Dodgers, has been managing at Palm Beach Atlantic College this year near his home.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseb ... z1N0fPbIXJ

TransMonk
May 21 2011 11:53 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Yeah...that sucks.

Carter may be a pretty flaky dude off the field, but I hope nothing but the best for him on this one.

G-Fafif
May 21 2011 11:57 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Geez. Here's hoping everything goes all right.

Fman99
May 21 2011 02:36 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

We're pulling for you, Kid.

themetfairy
May 21 2011 09:21 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Damn!

At least he's at Duke - they have a great brain tumor program.

The Second Spitter
May 22 2011 05:44 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Gut-wrenching news.

My second fave all-time Met.

Good luck, Kid.

Benjamin Grimm
May 22 2011 06:32 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I too am hoping all goes well.

I wonder if this is anything like what Mary Tyler Moore just had?

cooby
May 22 2011 06:46 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

oh no!

Valadius
May 22 2011 01:05 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

If there were ever any plans to retire his number, the Mets should do so soon.

The Second Spitter
May 22 2011 08:36 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Valadius wrote:
If there were ever any plans to retire his number, the Mets should do so soon.


Forget that. His illness won't stop the indignation he receives from most Mets fans.

TheOldMole
May 22 2011 09:37 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Not from me. I always loved the Kid.

Edgy MD
May 23 2011 07:01 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I don't know who most Met fans are. I think most folks like him. Those who hate him are more likely folks predisposed to hating a lot of things. More generally, I think folks are have a broad enough perspective to know what he is and what he isn't, and put those things in the proper boxes.

They have more trouble with relievers.

Benjamin Grimm
May 23 2011 07:11 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I may roll my eyes at him sometimes, and I don't want him to manage the Mets, but I'll always have good feelings about Gary Carter. 1985 and 1986 were awesome, and Gary Carter was a big part of that awesomeness.

metirish
May 23 2011 07:14 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I'm sure I've called Carter a self serving arsehole here on this forum in the past but that hardly means I'm not rooting for the guy.

Edgy MD
May 23 2011 07:21 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Any word on how this surgery came out?

batmagadanleadoff
May 23 2011 08:51 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

The Second Spitter wrote:
[Carter's] illness won't stop the indignation he receives from most Mets fans.


Since the terrible news about Carter broke, I haven't read or heard anyone say something about Carter that was in bad taste.

TransMonk
May 23 2011 09:01 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Gary Carter wrote:
"Earlier today, I learned that four very small tumors have been found on my brain, following an MRI on Friday at a West Palm Beach facility. I am scheduled to be examined further Thursday at Duke Medical Center, and we will learn more at that time about my diagnosis.

My wife, Sandy, and our children and family thank you for your thoughts and prayers. We ask that you please respect our privacy as we learn more about my medical condition."

Directly from the press release issued by the Mets on Saturday.

No surgery yet.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
May 23 2011 09:08 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

batmagadanleadoff wrote:
The Second Spitter wrote:
[Carter's] illness won't stop the indignation he receives from most Mets fans.


Since the terrible news about Carter broke, I haven't read or heard anyone say something about Carter that was in bad taste.


Less "bad," more "questionable".

The Second Spitter
May 23 2011 10:52 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Edgy DC wrote:
I don't know who most Met fans are.


For starters, "fans" who concoct bullshit stories about him and post them on Internet message boards.

For seconds, "fans" who read Jeff Pearlman's twisted bullshit and take it at face value.

(You may also want to check out what's written on Bonilla's Umdb page)

Carter is a way too easy target. Mets fans talk about him with a level of vitriol usually reserved for someone like Slappy and I'm not even sure Slappy deserves it.

Edgy MD
May 23 2011 11:00 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I agree he catches a lot of shit. I've given him some myself. I don't think that adds up to most Met fans treating him indignantly. Those that do, I imagine, are just indignant folks.

And yeah, the Mets have no shortage of generally indignant fans, but I think the Sons of Indignance beat the Carter pinata less than many others.

I mean, try and buy Bobby Bonilla a break at a Met convention. Mention that he had a better OPS as a Met than as a Pirate and see how it goes over.

Anyhow, heal well and completely, Gary Carter.

TheOldMole
May 24 2011 11:29 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Remember when they traded for Carter? I was sorry to see Hubie go, but I said "The Mets just won the World Series."

dgwphotography
May 24 2011 10:14 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

TheOldMole wrote:
Remember when they traded for Carter? I was sorry to see Hubie go, but I said "The Mets just won the World Series."


I always remember Kid playing basically wrapped up like a mummy and being incredibly clutch during the '85 stretch run. Maybe he can be entirely too self-serving, but give me 25 guys with his drive and ability to play with pain, and I'll take my chances. Every. single. day.

metirish
May 27 2011 04:35 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Not good news


Doctors tell New York Mets great Gary Carter that brain tumors are likely malignant

BY BILL MADDEN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Originally Published:Friday, May 27th 2011, 5:50 PM
Updated: Friday, May 27th 2011, 6:14 PM


Stricken Mets great Gary Carter has received ominous news from doctors at Duke University, who say that they are "90% certain" that tumors on his brain are malignant, according to a Carter family website.

Carter, 57, was first diagnosed with four small brain tumors May 21 after experiencing headaches and forgetfulness in recent weeks.

"It was very hard for all of us to hear, as we have been hoping and praying that the tumors would be benign," one of Carter's daughters wrote on the website. "Lots of tears have been shed in the hospital room today, and we are all a bit scared of the unknown."

Carter won't know the official diagnosis until early or the middle of next week.

A family source confirmed the grim news Friday evening.

At the time of the initial diagnosis, Carter said, "My wife, Sandy, and our children and family thank you for our thoughts and prayers. We ask us to please respect our privacy as we learn more about my medical condition."

According to the website, the plan is for Carter to begin chemotherapy and radiation as soon as the final test results are known.

"I'm shocked. Devastated," said former Mets teammate and SNY analyst Ron Darling when told of the news on Friday evening. "It makes you feel your own mortality."

Added Keith Hernandez, Darling's SNY booth mate and Carter's teammate during 1980s with the Mets: "Wow. My prayers are with (Gary) and Sandy and his family."

Carter, an 11-time All-Star catcher, was inducted to Cooperstown in 2003. He had a lifetime batting average of .262 with 324 home runs and 1,225 RBI in a 19-year career with the Expos, Mets, Giants and Dodgers.

He was considered one of the final pieces to the Mets' '86 World Series championship team, making four All-Star teams in five seasons after he was acquired from Montreal for four players before the 1985 season.

He finished third in NL MVP voting in '86, with 24 homers and 105 RBI, before adding two homers and nine RBI in the Mets' seven-game thriller over Boston in the Fall Classic.

Carter has been managing at Palm Beach Atlantic College this year near his Florida home after his goal to become a big-league manager went unfulfilled.

"I talked to Kid last summer up at the Hall of Fame, and I'm so sad to hear this," said ex-battery mate Dwight Gooden upon hearing the news of Carter's initial diagnosis last week. "He always has been a good friend and very supportive of me, and he was such a huge part of what we did (with the Mets) in the '80s. I wish him and his family nothing but the best, and just hope and pray that it all works out for him."

Carter and his wife of 36 years, Sandy, have three children, Christy, Kimmy and D.J.

According to the family's website, doctors have said that even if malignant, the tumors could be treatable.

"(The doctor) wants us all to team up and help Dad through the battle ahead," Carter's daughter wrote. "He said that this IS treatable and they will attack it with the same kind of vigor that Dad displayed on the baseball diamond!"



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseb ... z1Nawx0H6i

Edgy MD
May 27 2011 05:40 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Bad news. But that exclamation point at the end made the smile. His daughter is clearly cut from the Carter cloth.

Met Hunter
May 27 2011 05:45 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Three things I remember about Carter.

His first Met homer. The excitement we felt knowing we were going to win it all soon.

The two home runs in Boston, Game 3, after Carter and his wife pretty much slept off the previous two losses and the drama of Houston.

The first hit of the Game 6 miracle. You could see it in his face that he felt there was no way he was going to be the guy that made the last out.

Best to you kid. Let's start another miracle.

Ashie62
May 27 2011 07:43 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Big 1986 HR against the Sawx, get well kid!

soupcan
May 27 2011 07:46 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Opening Day 1985.

'Nuff said.

Methead
May 27 2011 11:31 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I remember how psyched I was as one of those homers nestled into the netting atop the green monster...

And I can still see him in my head, clapping and pumping his fists after that Game 6 single.

We're pulling for you, Kid.

Edgy MD
May 28 2011 11:44 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Actual conversation with my father after the Mets fell behind two games to none in 1986.

Dad: So, Edgy, are the Mets going to be able to come back?

Edgy: If we can get two homers out of Carter today, they will.

G-Fafif
May 28 2011 01:08 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Dad: Son, this calling you by your future screen name feels a bit creepy.

Edgy: I also think we need to get out of a surefire rundown early.

The Second Spitter
May 29 2011 02:31 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Brain cancer picked a fight with the wrong warrior !!!!!

G-Fafif
May 29 2011 05:04 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Nice DiamondVision "our thoughts are with you" message to Gary Saturday night. And definitely noticed in an uptick in CARTER 8's in the stands.

Also spotted a GOTAY 6.

metirish
May 29 2011 06:38 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

The news gets worse by the day it seems


Docs think Gary Carter has glioblastoma

By Ian Begley
Special to ESPNNewYork.com

NEW YORK -- The family of Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter received an update from Duke University doctors on Carter's cancer diagnosis Saturday night. Doctors informed Carter's family that they were "99 percent sure" that he has a Grade 4 glioblastoma, which affects the brain and central nervous system. It is inoperable.

read more

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/ ... id=6605984

Benjamin Grimm
May 29 2011 06:42 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Geez. I saw a report the other day that suggested it was very treatable, and that chemo would likely take care of it.

Sounds like the diagnosis has taken quite a turn for the worse.

How awful.

John Cougar Lunchbucket
May 29 2011 06:58 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

terrible news. yuk.

metirish
May 31 2011 08:36 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

NYT

Surgery ‘Not a Good Option’ for Carter, Who Has Aggressive Form of Brain Cancer



Gary Carter was diagnosed on Tuesday as having glioblastoma, an aggressive, fast-moving brain cancer that that will be treated with radiation and chemotherapy, but not with surgery, according to a statement from the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Cancer Center at Duke University Medical Center, where biopsies of the cancer were tested.



Glioblastoma is the same cancer that has struck other baseball players and managers, including Bobby Murcer, Tug McGraw, Dick Howser, Dan Quisenberry and Johnny Oates.



you see those names and you go damn, not good outcomes....his doctor says average survival rate for patients after surgery, radiation and chemotherapy is 14 ½ months.

the whole article is here

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/01/sport ... &seid=auto

Fman99
May 31 2011 08:37 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

That sucks.

seawolf17
May 31 2011 08:38 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Fman99 wrote:
That sucks.

That. I don't know what else there is to say.

Valadius
May 31 2011 08:48 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

It brings to mind Ted Kennedy. Again, if there were ever any plans to retire #8, you'd better do it now.

Edgy MD
May 31 2011 08:54 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Well, he's 22 years younger and presumably in far superior condition otherwise, so all other things being equal, I'd bet on the Kid.

metirish
Jun 01 2011 06:18 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Valadius wrote:
It brings to mind Ted Kennedy. Again, if there were ever any plans to retire #8, you'd better do it now.




it brings to mind Bobby Murcer and Tug McGraw, Murcer was diagnosed on Christmas Eve, 2006 and died July 2008.Tug was diagnosed in March 2003 and dead by Jan. 2004.

Not trying to be doom and gloom here but it's as serious as it gets for Kid.

If you retire his # now it looks like you are doing it because he's not expected to be around? , how would it look , know what I mean?

HahnSolo
Jun 01 2011 07:03 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I wish health to Gary and peace to his family.

I really hesitate to talk about the retired # thing at the risk of being insensitive, but there are others who deserve their number up on the wall before Kid.

Benjamin Grimm
Jun 01 2011 07:15 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I agree. I don't think there are any additional numbers that ought to be retired, but if they were to retire a number, it should be 17.

Edgy MD
Jun 01 2011 07:30 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

metirish wrote:
If you retire his # now it looks like you are doing it because he's not expected to be around? , how would it look , know what I mean?

At the risk of being insensiitve, Carter might not mind such a scenario. An historical marker, a valedictory appearance, a chance to say goodbye.

He wouldn't count it as surrender, either. Micheal Landon was on Johnny Carson as his scenario was looking bleaker. He laughed and joked and frankly looked like a million bucks. He took the time to plug his new show and told CBS that they're gonna be sorry if he beats the cancer, because the show's gonna be a hit and he's gonna squeezed them for every penny.

He was gone like a week later. I guess my point is that you can say goodbye while maintainig that it's not necessarily goodbye.

bmfc1
Jun 01 2011 07:51 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

The "pro" argument is that he was big part of the Mets '86 WS team and he has been deemed worthy of admission to Cooperstown.

If you don't retire the number then either you withhold it from use, which is a half-measure, or you give it to the Ronnie Paulino's of the world and wonder why a non-entity is wearing Gary Carter's number.

I can see the "con" argument, but I'll go with the above.

metsguyinmichigan
Jun 01 2011 07:53 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I don't have a problem retiring his number -- Greg can print more shirts! -- and I think it would be nice to have some kind of Gary Carter Day.

He's in the Hall, he wanted to go in as a Met. The team hasn't been issuing the number anyway, right? I really don't have a problem if they'd add 8, 17, 24 and 31 to the wall.

soupcan
Jun 01 2011 07:54 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Benjamin Grimm wrote:
I agree. I don't think there are any additional numbers that ought to be retired, but if they were to retire a number, it should be 17.



If they decide to retire 8, they could do a couple of things -

They could present the situation to Carter and let him decide whether he would like them to retire his number now. If he gave them the go-ahead then it's not insensitive.

To get around the '17 or 8' question, they could retire both numbers together in the same ceremony. I suppose Mex might feel slighted at having to share the ceremony but then again, maybe not.

themetfairy
Jun 01 2011 08:09 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I don't think the Mets are retiring any more numbers until Mike Piazza enters the Hall of Fame with NY on his plaque cap.

As for Gary, while I try to live my life optimistically, I'm also a doctor's daughter. Honestly, when I heard that there were four brain tumors, I knew that this was bad news. I have met a lot of brain cancer and brain tumor survivors through my Team McGraw activities, but I've never heard of anyone having a good long-term prognosis after that kind of a diagnosis.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Jun 01 2011 12:00 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Part of the reason the Mets have skimped on retiring numbers is evident in the records books: they haven't produced-- or held, at least during their prime, and for several years-- that many capital-G great players.

Keith-- my favorite of all-time, along with Fonzie-- is probably an iffy case... and, at the risk of seeming insensitive, Gary presents a much weaker one (sentiment aside).

Have him at CF as much as his health allows. Make this into the summer of celebrating this ebullient, tough, most Metly dude's life. But don't retire his number... or at least, don't do it if you weren't going to.

Met Hunter
Jun 01 2011 01:51 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Didn't they have a Gary Carter Day back in 2003 after he made the Hall?

I say no to retiring his number. Only because he's not first in the list of deserving Mets after Seaver. The 1986 Mets will be honored some time this season. If he's healthy enough to come in, then honor him that day along with his team. That's what they did with Tug back in 2003 with the 1973 team.

Edgy MD
Jun 01 2011 01:57 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Good thinking.

Not sure what they have planned, but hopefully this sparks their commitment to make it special and sparks his teammates' commitment to make it back.

They can introduce him last this time.

G-Fafif
Jun 01 2011 02:00 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Met Hunter wrote:
Didn't they have a Gary Carter Day back in 2003 after he made the Hall?

I say no to retiring his number. Only because he's not first in the list of deserving Mets after Seaver. The 1986 Mets will be honored some time this season. If he's healthy enough to come in, then honor him that day along with his team. That's what they did with Tug back in 2003 with the 1973 team.


They did. It was incredibly lame, but they did.

I second your emotion on gathering the champions this summer and making Gary the focal point as they did with Tug eight years ago. The Mets have have wormed away from doing an OTD for the 25th anniversary (cost, mostly) but this seems like a good impetus to get the band back together. Hell, half of them work for the organization anyway.

batmagadanleadoff
Jun 01 2011 03:24 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Here's an idea (that isn't likely to come to pass):

If the Nationals are going to absord the Expos records (and I think that they did) then maybe the Nats ought to retire Carter's uni. The Nats could organize a very Expo-centric tribute to honor both Carter and the Expos heritage that the Nats undoubtedly inherited and have been ignoring, so far. This isn't exactly a perfect scenario, because Carter's career happened entirely during that interregnum where there was no Washington major league baseball; Carter never thrilled the Washington fans because he didn't play in front of them. One compromise might be for the Nats to retire Carter's number during a game against the Mets, thus providing a logical reason to invite both ex-Mets and ex-Expos, and other players that were an important part of Carter's career.

I'm long-ago on record as not inclined to retire Carter's uni. If Carter's great Expo career didn't exist; if Carter was a rookie in 1985 and his career consisted of two impact seasons followed by a sharp fade, would this even be a discussion? Carter's greatness was already established before he ever put on the Mets uniform. The way I see it, Carter's Met career is most analagous to Donn Clendenon's - brief, but essential to a championship -- and that's not intended to be a knock on Carter, but perhaps a call for more recognition on behalf of Clendenon's Met accomplishments.

Frayed Knot
Jun 01 2011 03:32 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

The Nats barely acknowledge the existence of the Expos.

batmagadanleadoff
Jun 01 2011 03:44 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Frayed Knot wrote:
The Nats barely acknowledge the existence of the Expos.


Acknowledged. My idea isn't a realistic one.

Edgy MD
Jun 01 2011 07:25 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I don't think it's that farfetched. The Nats could certainly awaken to reconsidering theiir Expo legacy.

They're more or less grabbing at straws trying to establish a culture.

metirish
Jun 01 2011 07:32 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Edgy DC wrote:
I don't think it's that farfetched. The Nats could certainly awaken to reconsidering theiir Expo legacy.

They're more or less grabbing at straws trying to establish a culture.



is it true that there is nothing in the Nats stadium to indicate an Expos past?

Edgy MD
Jun 01 2011 07:41 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I'd hesitate to say nothing. I seem to remember Tim Raines being acknowledged somewhere.

But it would be cool as top-shelf Quebec sorbet to have Raines, Rusty Staub, Andre Dawson, and Gary Carter show up for Expos Heritage Night and get their numbers re-retired.

Frayed Knot
Jun 01 2011 07:48 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I've seen virtually nothing in the stadium and the only occasional mentions of the Montreal roots that come during telecasts are from trivia contests that have to go back longer than five years because there's not enough material otherwise.
The other problem is that the Nats get almost no help in promoting themselves or baseball in general in that town from from the mainstream sports media contingent whose idea of sports talk is to interrupt their Redskins talk with more Redskins talk ... and that's in June.

The Second Spitter
Jun 01 2011 08:08 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

metirish wrote:
Edgy DC wrote:
I don't think it's that farfetched. The Nats could certainly awaken to reconsidering theiir Expo legacy.

They're more or less grabbing at straws trying to establish a culture.



is it true that there is nothing in the Nats stadium to indicate an Expos past?


They finally relented and put all retired Expos numbers on display last year .......next to the Senators numbers and numbers commemorating certain Homestead Grays players.

The tenuous connection with DC baseball of the latter supports the view the organization is clueless about its priorities.

batmagadanleadoff
Jun 01 2011 08:09 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Gary Carter and Andre Dawson were honored in the Nationals' ring of fame, which commemorates Expos, Washington DC greats (e.g., Walter Johnson, Harmon Killebrew, and Negro League Stars.





In one of the most prominent acknowledgments of the history of D.C. baseball and perhaps the first in-stadium recognition of the franchise's history in Montreal, the Nationals have mounted the names of Washington and Montreal baseball greats to the 100-level facade of Nationals Park behind home plate.

The display will make its debut at Tuesday's Nationals-Marlins game, before which the team will honor Expos legend Andre Dawson for his induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Eighteen names ring the facade, with room for about eight more.

From the Expos, Gary Carter and Andre Dawson will have the first positions on the first base side at section 126.

The Homestead Grays are then represented left to right by Cool Papa Bell, Ray Brown, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Cumberland Posey, and Jud Wilson.

The Washington Senators are then represented by Joe Cronin, Rick Ferrell, Goose Goslin, Clark Griffith, Bucky Harris, Walter Johnson, Harmon Killebrew, Heinie Manush, Sam Rice, and Early Wynn.

The Nationals noted that it consulted with the National Baseball Hall of Fame in selecting the players to be honored in the park.

"The first criteria was that the player had to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame," the team said in a statement. "The second criteria was that the player had to be associated with the Montreal Expos, Homestead Grays, Washington Senators or Washington Nationals. Lastly, the player had to have had significant years with those teams

http://www.nationalsdailynews.com/colum ... -nats-park

The Second Spitter
Jun 01 2011 09:01 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Yeah what I meant. Next year they're erecting a statue of Sir Cheswick Farnacle-Sweetshanks the founding president of the Washingtion Olympics, in left-centre field.

Edgy MD
Jun 01 2011 09:50 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

The Second Spitter wrote:
metirish wrote:
Edgy DC wrote:
I don't think it's that farfetched. The Nats could certainly awaken to reconsidering theiir Expo legacy.

They're more or less grabbing at straws trying to establish a culture.



is it true that there is nothing in the Nats stadium to indicate an Expos past?


They finally relented and put all retired Expos numbers on display last year .......next to the Senators numbers and numbers commemorating certain Homestead Grays players.

The tenuous connection with DC baseball of the latter supports the view the organization is clueless about its priorities.

That's what I was referring to. They're not retired, but they are displayed.



They honored him by displaying an ugly-assed Nats' jersey? Ugh. No wonder I forgot.

Edgy MD
Jun 18 2011 01:45 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Crazy thought, but now that the Mets are home, how about we start an internet pass-it-on campaign? We pick an inning in a hgh-profile game and start a GA-RY CAR-TER chant. When the chanting has caught on, folks can unfurl their get-well banners and make it an unofficial Gary Carter Appreciation Day.

G-Fafif
Jun 18 2011 02:34 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Every game I've been to thus far since the news (several), the Mets play a tribute on the video board to Carter. Always gets a big response. Twice I've heard such a chant go up and remain sustained shortly thereafter.

G-Fafif
Jun 18 2011 03:08 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Meanwhile, more good news.

Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter was rushed to the emergency room on Thursday night after experiencing a "serious coughing attack" and having "shooting pains in his back," his daughter, Kimmy Bloemers, wrote on a private family website Friday.

Carter had blood drawn and underwent X-rays and a CT scan on his chest and back, which revealed that he had come down with a case of bronchitis. Carter left the hospital early Friday morning and returned home to rest.


According to Bloemers, there was speculation that Carter might have blood clotting or pneumonia. But those fears were eased when the results showed that he had something less substantial.

"What a huge praise that it is not as serious as it could have been," Bloemers wrote. "However because of dad's condition, a chest cold can drain dad's energy more. The sweet nurse said that everything looked great, which was a relief."

Carter, who is in a battle with Stage 4 brain cancer, underwent his second Avastin treatment on Friday, Bloemers wrote. According to the drug's website, Avastin's purpose is to prevent the growth of blood vessels that feed tumors.

Carter is also in the process of undergoing 6½ weeks of radiation treatment and a year of chemotherapy.

"It was a bummer that dad had to get poked again for the Avastin treatment," Bloemers wrote. "No fun but we know it is important!"

Carter began to experience symptoms of a chest cold on Wednesday. He was about to begin walking with his wife, but started coughing, which prompted the trip to the ER.

"It has not been easy to see my dad go through tough times," Bloemers wrote. "He is one of the most independent, fun-loving people I have ever known. He has always taken care of the family! Throughout these four weeks, dad mentions how he doesn't want to be an inconvenience to anyone. Even if he is having a hard day, he 'checks in' with each family member to make sure everyone is doing okay. His heart is good... so loving and so caring. Did I mention how proud I am to be his daughter?? :)

"Each one of us are proud of dad. He is a good man with a great heart."

During Friday's game against the Angels, the Mets placed a huge get-well card for Carter in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field so fans can sign it before it is sent to the Hall of Fame catcher.

Carter began his cancer treatment at the beginning of June. The 57-year-old had just completed his second season as Palm Beach Atlantic University's baseball coach, when he announced that an MRI taken on May 21 had revealed four small tumors on his brain.

Carter, who was a vital cog on the New York Mets 1986 World Series championship team, was inducted into Cooperstown in 2003. He retired in 1992 with the Montreal Expos, finishing his 19-year career with a .262 batting average, 324 home runs and 1,225 RBIs. He also played in 11 All-Star games.

Edgy MD
Jun 18 2011 07:54 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

G-Fafif wrote:
Every game I've been to thus far since the news (several), the Mets play a tribute on the video board to Carter. Always gets a big response. Twice I've heard such a chant go up and remain sustained shortly thereafter.

That's my people.

Edgy MD
Jun 28 2011 09:20 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Signing Carter's get-well card:

G-Fafif
Jun 28 2011 01:17 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Gary's real-life Rudy efforts continue.

Gary Carter is at the midway point of radiation treatments for cancerous brain tumors. He also has been dealing with walking pneumonia, his daughter Kimmy Bloemers wrote in the family's online journal.

Carter watched the movie "Rudy" last weekend, which the family found inspiring.

Wrote Bloemers:

Team Carter is definitely NOT giving up. Brain cancer is the big problem but there have been many other bumps in the road for our family. Although it is not easy, we are doing all we can to stay positive and stay strong. We definitely have our sad, confusing and frustrated moments but we are giving our burdens, worries and sadness to the Lord and asking Him to take them away. We know NOTHING absolutely NOTHING is impossible for our God and wee are trusting in our Savior! We are praying for a miracle and we are praying BIG! Dad will get another MRI in August to see the activity in his brain. We pray for NO tumors and NO cancer!

G-Fafif
Jul 03 2011 11:47 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Latest update from daughter Kimmy, via ESPN NY.



Dad has been taking medication since early June and it hasn't been as easy road. Not only has dad been tired, but lately, he has been experiencing uncomfortable cramping in his hands. We are guessing it is because of the medication but we will be asking the doctors very soon. Dad has lost all of his hair in the back of his head but he of course is still handsome with that good looking smile!

On Tuesday, dad went to the psychiatrist and was prescribed a couple antidepressants. As you can imagine, life has changed significantly for my dad so it is understandable that there will be some sadness throughout this journey.

On Wednesday, dad had a great day and evening but after dinner, he had a fast heartbeat, turned pale, cramping hands, quivering lips and was very fatigued. We called Dr. Harris and he gave us some tips to make dad feel more comfortable. Thankfully, dad was okay but it truly was a very scary moment.

Thursday-Sunday for the most part were good days. :)

Everything else seems to be going well for the most part so we are thankful and we focus on all the positives.

We ask you to pray specifically for dad as he tackles each day.

Edgy MD
Jul 04 2011 07:45 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Gary Carter on anti-depressants. I've got to chew that one around.

Ashie62
Jul 04 2011 08:58 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Very common for those with life ending illnesses..

Rockin' Doc
Jul 04 2011 09:29 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Hang in there Kid. I'm praying for you an d your family.

PiggiesTomatoes
Jul 04 2011 09:17 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

The video tribute I saw at Saturday's game was very moving. It's just a sad situation. I am appreciative of the family's openness.

G-Fafif
Jul 12 2011 03:17 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Doin' better, says the family.

Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter is no longer suffering from walking pneumonia, coughing and cramping hands, and has been sleeping easier, his daughter, Kimmy Bloemers, reported on a private family website late Monday night.

According to Bloemers, Carter, who is currently battling Stage 4 brain cancer, has six more radiation treatments remaining.

"I am happy to report that my dad has had a great week! Aside from some fatigue, dad is doing very well!!!" Bloemers wrote on the private family website, which ESPN NewYork.com has been granted access to. "We are thankful that his hair loss is the only side effect right now. His mind has been sharp and everything else is functioning as it should. It has been refreshing to have "dad be dad" this week. We focus on the praises and the prayers that have already been answered..."

According to Bloemers, Carter plans to return for a third season as head baseball coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

"A committee has met at school and interviewed different candidates for the new position that is now open...the associate head baseball coach," Bloemers wrote. "We are praying for the perfect fit and so far we have some highly qualified coaches who want to be a big part of dad's program. Dad has been involved in the hiring process and each interview. We should have someone hired very soon."

Carter is slated to have an MRI on his brain on Aug. 9 at Duke University.

G-Fafif
Jul 17 2011 01:07 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Kid not gonna be able to attend HOF induction ceremonies this year. Here's hoping he's upstate next summer.

G-Fafif
Jul 19 2011 12:05 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Some progress, per ESPN NY.

Gary Carter's daughter Kimmy Bloemers reported several positive developments in The Kid's fight against malignant brain tumors.

• Carter's MRI has been moved to Aug. 1 to determine the extent to which radiation has eradicated the tumors. The imaging will take place near Carter's Florida home, and he will head to Duke that night or the next day for analysis and consultation.

• Carter's final radiation treatment is Tuesday.

The Kid walked two miles on Monday. Writes Bloemers: "This is the longest walk since finding out about the cancer. He said to my mom that, 'This is the best I have felt in two months!' Wow, thank you Jesus for giving my dad a great day!"

• Carter experienced cold sores in his throat last week, but that has been improving.

• Carter watched the All-Star Game on television and was touched by a tribute during the seventh inning. Writes Bloemers: "It was extra special because my brother and his best friend Phil were at the game holding signs with dad's name on it. Dad was invited to play in the celebrity softball game again and of course couldn't play this year. Our prayer and hope is that he is out there in 2012!"

G-Fafif
Jul 24 2011 09:51 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

More progress for the Hall of Famer who couldn't make it to Cooperstown this weekend.

Gary Carter's daughter Kimmy Bloemers continued to express optimism about the progress of the Hall of Fame catcher. Carter hit 15 golf balls last week and also drove a vehicle. He is due for an Aug. 2 MRI at Duke University to determine whether cancerous brain tumors have been eradicated.

The Carter family, which was visited by Mets PR man Jay Horwitz during the weekend, expressed appreciation at the love emanating from Cooperstown during Hall of Fame weekend. Carter was unable to attend, but plans to return next year.

“Dad watched the HOF ceremony and was touched by the kind words from the inductees,” Bloemers wrote in a private online journal to which ESPN has been granted access. “He wished so badly he could have been there. My mom and dad both wanted to thank the Hall of Famers and their wives for their support, love and encouragement. They can't wait to be with you all next year!”

Carter underwent his final radiation treatment and ingested his last chemotherapy pill for the time being last Tuesday. He also is being weaned off steroid pills.

As for Carter driving, Bloemers wrote: “His mind was clear and he felt wonderful. He knows that he won't ever go behind the wheel unless he is feeling terrific. It was a great moment for him!”

She concluded: "Cancer is hard to understand. Aside from having tired moments, dad is talking, walking and acting like himself (for the most part). The only sign that shows dad is not 100 percent is his hair loss. No one could believe that there is something dangerous inside his body. We recognize the cancer, but we keep a positive mindset and we pray, pray, pray!”

G-Fafif
Aug 02 2011 02:41 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Encouraging news:

Gary Carter's daughter Kimmy Bloemers shares very positive news about the ex-Met's prognosis following the reading of an MRI at Duke University. She writes:

I just got off the phone with my mom and I have WONDERFUL news!

Doctor V said specifically that dad's tumors are 80% better! He is very encouraged and very very pleased with these results (as we ALL are!!) There is much less swelling and the tumors are less dense and "less angry". The size is a little smaller but the most important fact is that these tumors are starting to GO AWAY! Praise the Lord - praise the Lord!!!

The plan is now for dad to start treatment that will require 5 days of chemo in a pill form and then he will do Avastin twice a month.

On a side note, Dr. V told my parents a shocking and unbelievable story that we hadn't known until today. When my dad got his very FIRST MRI in Palm Beach County, his tumors were bad; HOWEVER, we did not realize that when he got his next MRI (only 10 days later at DUKE), Dr. V said they had doubled in size. That is how aggressive they were and so this makes the results that much MORE amazing!

Mom and dad are heading home tonight and are so encouraged! We thank you all for praying for my dad and cheering for TEAM CARTER. We rejoice and praise our Heavenly Father for this news!

Edgy MD
Aug 02 2011 09:36 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I think Avastin's star is definitely falling for most uses, but is still considered effective for brain cancer.

Rockin' Doc
Aug 03 2011 06:56 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Avastin is definitely big in vision care. It is used extensively by retinal ophthalmologists in the treatment and management wet macular degeneration and neovasculariztion in diabetic retinopathy.

Very happy to hear that Gary Carter appears to be doing much better. I hope and pray that his recovery will continue.

soupcan
Aug 04 2011 08:12 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Praise the Lord!

G-Fafif
Aug 16 2011 01:47 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

A bit of a setback.

Nearly two weeks after an MRI revealed Gary Carter’s malignant brain tumors had shrunk by 80 percent as the result of an initial round of chemotherapy, Carter had a mild step backward. His daughter, Kimmy Bloemers, indicated a doctor’s visit Monday revealed Carter’s white blood cell count is low, “which means his body will not be ready for the stronger chemo that was supposed to start tomorrow.”

Writes Bloemers: “Since hearing the good news about dad's tumors, it actually has been a hard week on dad and the family. Dad has been more tired than any other week. Because of his lack of energy, the doctors have decided to raise the steroids (dekatron) again to 2mg in the morning and 2mg in the evening.”

Carter requires a pair of two-hour naps each day.

“This is not at all a typical day for dad,” Bloemers wrote. “Before his diagnosis in May, dad never sat still. He was traveling, coaching, golfing and doing anything else that could keep him from slowing down. He has always been very active and very goal-driven. I can't imagine how hard it has been for dad to drastically change his daily life and take these strong medicines that essentially control his body. “

Carter has another doctor appointment next Monday.

“We ask that you pray for dad's white blood cell count to be higher so he can begin taking his new chemo medication,” his daughter wrote. “You see, chemo is what brings the blood count down, but it is chemo that dad needs to continue to fight these tumors. This week will be the second week without chemo, but dad is so strong that he can go another week without it. He will continue to have his Avastin treatment every two weeks and of course, the radiation is still working in his body.”

metirish
Aug 16 2011 02:24 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Damn you Lord!

Ashie62
Aug 16 2011 02:29 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

The steroids can be debilitating on their own. Keep him comfortable.

G-Fafif
Aug 24 2011 04:44 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Next round of treatment -- the intense kind -- a go.

Gary Carter, whose more intense round of chemotherapy had been delayed by a low white-blood-cell count, is now ready to proceed with that treatment to combat malignant brain tumors.

His daughter Kimmy Bloemers writes:

"Dad went to the doctor yesterday and received news that his white blood count was high enough to start the new stronger chemo! The blood count is still a little low; however, he got the green light to take his first pill last night. He took an anti-nausea pill at 10 p.m. and took his chemo at 10:30 p.m. and then fell right to sleep. We are so happy to report that dad is not sick and he had a good day today. There was some anxiety yesterday not knowing if this 5-day treatment would have terrible reactions. Aside from being tired, dad has no other side effects!!!"

Bloemers adds: "Dad will take his second chemo pill tonight and will take his last chemo pill Friday night. This will happen every month for one year. Five pills for one month, Avastin every two weeks and steroids everyday. ... Dad is very strong, determined and focused for our family, his fans, friends and his baseball players. I am so proud of him. He has endured a lot these last three months and without a doubt, the best is yet to come. The more we pray, the more this miracle will happen!"

G-Fafif
Sep 02 2011 08:16 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Another complication, since addressed.

Gary Carter continues to battle brain cancer, but the former Met's fight has become complicated by blood clotting in his chest.

Carter, 57, was back home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Friday, resting comfortably and "in good spirits," according to close friends, after being rushed to the hospital Tuesday night with chest pain and shortness of breath. After Carter underwent numerous tests, it was determined that he was suffering from blood clots in his chest and his right leg, no doubt effects from the strong chemotherapy medication he is taking for the four small tumors doctors discovered on his brain back in May. As a result, he will have to inject two needles in his stomach every day until further notice.

"He's back home and in good spirits," said a person who spoke to Carter on Wednesday. "He's also pretty lucky that he went into the hospital when he did and they discovered the problem. He could've died."

A further CT scan revealed no bleeding or clots on the brain.

According to Carter's daughter, Kimmy Bloemers, via a family website, "These blood clots are very controllable, and this new medication should help dissolve the problems. Dad is very lucky it was caught so early."

This is the second time the Hall of Fame catcher has been admitted to the hospital after the brain-tumor diagnosis. In mid-June, he experienced a severe coughing attack, which was found to be bronchitis. A source close to Carter said Friday that doctors are encouraged that the chemotherapy has apparently reduced the tumors considerably. However, he is due back in the hospital at the end of the month for more tests to determine if the tumors have been eliminated.

Edgy MD
Sep 20 2011 08:05 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Kimmy tells all.

Gary Carter attends college's practice
By Adam Rubin
ESPNNewYork.com


ST. LOUIS -- Gary Carter's battle with cancerous brain tumors has taken much of his energy, but the Hall of Fame catcher was able to briefly help coach his Palm Beach Atlantic University baseball team this past week.

Carter was due to begin taking a second, higher-dosage round of chemotherapy pills Monday night, but his white-blood-cell count was too low, his daughter Kimmy Bloemers wrote in an online family journal to which ESPNNewYork.com has been granted access.

"There is no doubt that dad is fighting an extremely difficult battle," Bloemers wrote. "He is exhausted, sad at times, unmotivated and frustrated that his body won't move like it used to. However, there are moments where we will see dad laugh, smile and show that determined attitude to win.

"This past week has been a rollercoaster of emotions again, with a mixture of ups and downs. Dad has done a lot of resting and sitting around the house -- not because he wants to, but because his body and mind lack the energy to do much of anything."

Carter attended a practice of the Palm Beach Atlantic baseball team he coaches and sat in a chair as players took batting practice. An associate head coach has been hired to handle the bulk of the activities.

Carter managed to play seven holes of golf with friends this past week. He swam 10 laps and walked on a treadmill and rode an exercise bicycle for five minutes each Sunday.

Earlier, he also played catch with his daughter Bloemers, the Palm Beach Atlantic softball coach.

"His reactions were perfect as I threw the ball to him at about 80 percent speed," Bloemers wrote. "He caught every single ball. Dad sort of flipped the ball overhand to me instead of actually throwing. He said it felt weird since he hadn't thrown since May, but he appreciated the encouragement to try something that he loves -- anything that deals with baseball.

"Down at the beach, dad enjoyed sitting on the chair listening to the waves and watching his granddaughter play in the sand and water. Toward the end of our time at the beach, we helped dad walk down to the water. Unfortunately, it was a sad moment to see dad struggle. He was unbalanced and weak. We headed home and dad rested at home for the night."

Carter is a Hall of Famer catcher who played 18 seasons in the big leagues, most notably for the New York Mets and Montreal Expos.

Follow Adam Rubin on Twitter: @AdamRubinESPN

G-Fafif
Sep 26 2011 01:51 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Not great.

Medical staff treating Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter for cancerous brain tumors discovered "an abnormal and unusual spot" on his right temple, his daughter Kimmy Bloemers wrote in the family's online journal Sunday night.

He was immediately dispatched to get a biopsy.

"When I saw the look on my dad's face, I just wanted to cry," Bloemers wrote. "This journey has been so emotional when there has been just one thing after the next that dad has to conquer. Dad did not complain; he just had look of sadness. I really hate that dad has to go through such a tough road. Dad got the biopsy and actually had several spots removed in various places. We hope to find out the results soon."

On a positive note, Carter's white-blood-cell count has now risen to an acceptable level to begin a second, higher-dosage round of chemotherapy. That treatment had been delayed for a few weeks.

"We are thankful he was able to get the medication needed to fight this battle," wrote Bloemers in the journal, to which the family has granted ESPNNewYork.com access.

Before the latest discovery, Carter had unsuccessfully tried to throw batting practice to his Palm Beach Atlantic University baseball team. An associate head coach has been hired to handle the bulk of the duties.

"He hadn't thrown in a long time but thought he would try," Bloemers wrote. "Sadly, it didn't go so well. He tried a couple of times and in his eyes, he had failed. He talked with my mom and was saddened/disappointed that things are starting to be 'taken away from me' ... golf, throwing BP, physical activity, travel, etc. It is not easy and my heart breaks for dad.

"On the flip side, I felt encouraged that dad wanted to throw BP and thought he could, which in my opinion shows that dad is doing well with his mind. I am believing that the low energy and struggle and tough effort for physical activity are strictly from the medication and not from the tumors. I am believing that dad is healing, but the road will remain bumpy for a little while longer."

Bloemers said well-wishers can visit teamcarterstore.com to purchase "Team Carter" merchandise that supports the Gary Carter Foundation, which funds charitable programs including an elementary-school reading initiative in Florida.

Carter played 18 seasons in the big leagues, most notably for the New York Mets and Montreal Expos.

Edgy MD
Sep 26 2011 06:45 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

That Lindsay Nelson quote at the bottom of your post had a new resonance.

G-Fafif
Sep 28 2011 04:25 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

A little good news today.

Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter received positive news in his battle with cancerous brain tumors Tuesday. Soon after doctors discovered new spots, a biopsy revealed those were benign, daughter Kimmy Bloemers indicated.

Carter also was due to complete a second, higher-dosage round of chemotherapy Tuesday night. That treatment had been delayed because of a previously low white-blood-cell count.

"We are praising the heavens for more victories!" Bloemers wrote in an online journal to which ESPNNewYork.com has been granted access. "Thank you all for the prayers and encouraging cheers for dad! Keep them coming!!!

Edgy MD
Oct 12 2011 02:58 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Adam Ruby Duby wrote:
Gary Carter gets more good news

An MRI exam at Duke University revealed positive news in Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter's battle with cancerous brain tumors, daughter Kimmy Bloemers wrote in an online journal.

Carter's doctors informed the family that the tumors have shrunk 10 percent from a previous MRI exam, and approximately 75 percent since the initial detection.

"Parts of the tumors are actually dying," Bloemers wrote in the private journal, to which the family has granted access to ESPNNewYork.com.

Also, headaches recently experienced by Carter on the side of his head are the result of modest swelling -- possibly caused by radiation treatments as opposed to internal bleeding, which the family had feared, according to Bloemers.

Carter, 57, performed well on balance and memory tests at Duke. Doctors also were pleased with an examination of his vital signs.

He will need to continue to inject himself in the stomach daily until further notice to combat blood clotting.

"Physically, dad will push harder to exercise," Bloemers wrote. "It will be challenging, but dad is determined. He will also go to physical therapy three days a week and coach every day for his college baseball team."

Carter is head baseball coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Former major league pitcher Kent Bottenfield has been hired as associate head coach to assist in the duties.

Carter played 18 seasons in the big leagues, most notably for the New York Mets and Montreal Expos.

G-Fafif
Jan 09 2012 05:29 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

The latest, via Rubin:

Gary Carter plans to participate in Palm Beach Atlantic University’s first baseball practice of the season today as the Hall of Fame catcher, who serves as head coach of the Division II team, continues to battle brain cancer. Carter plans to undergo an MRI on Friday so doctors can get the latest information on their battle with the malignant tumors.

“Dad was such a trooper during the holidays,” daughter Kimmy Bloemers wrote in an online journal. “He tried to involve himself in as many family activities as possible even though each day is and continues to definitely be exhausting for him. For most of the days, he has rested and slept, which is good and bad. The doctors have told my dad to listen to his body and rest but have also encouraged exercise. My dad did go in the pool a handful of times over the holiday break; however, his body needs much more.

“Today is the first day of practice for the PBA baseball team and dad is determined to go! Now that baseball has begun, his spirits have lifted a bit and I believe he is excited to see his team. His weak body limits his physical involvement, but the fact he wants to go and still teach his players is beyond amazing.”

Carter has been battling other ailments that have developed as a result of the cancer treatments, including sores in his mouth.

“Unfortunately, parts of his gums are down to the bone, caused by the medications,” Bloemers wrote. “This is very painful and there is not much they can do. It is uncomfortable to drink and eat.

“Dad's appetite has changed dramatically. Although he is still on the steroids, he actually has been losing some weight due to the lack of eating. He just doesn't feel hungry most days. We are encouraging dad to drink a lot of water and eat nutritious foods, even if he doesn't feel like eating much. It's is important as we all know.”

Mets – Willets Point
Jan 09 2012 05:47 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

My stomach lurches every time I see this thread bumped to the top.

Benjamin Grimm
Jan 09 2012 06:51 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I know what you mean.

John Cougar Lunchbucket
Jan 09 2012 06:52 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

It's not as though the news is getting better.

Ashie62
Jan 09 2012 07:06 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote:
It's not as though the news is getting better.


I think we kinda know how this ends.

G-Fafif
Jan 09 2012 07:31 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Trying to ferret out some upbeat developments. As of last week, he still intends to host the dinner this Sunday at his golf tournament, according to the Palm Beach Post.

By JOE CAPOZZI
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer


Hall of Famer Gary Carter doesn't intend to let his battle with brain cancer interfere with plans to host his foundation's 27th annual charity golf tournament.

Carter has had good days and bad days since his diagnosis in May. But he has been letting friends know that he will be involved in the Gary Carter Annual Hall of Fame Golf Classic at Ironhorse Country Club in West Palm Beach. The event will be Sunday and Monday, Jan. 15-16.

"I think it will be a special tournament. I think Gary will be there for the dinner, at least, on Sunday night,' said Marlins TV analyst Tommy Hutton, Carter's close friend and Palm Beach Gardens neighbor.

The event has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Palm Beach County children with autism and to improve reading at local schools.

"He will attend as long as he is feeling OK,' said Jessica Wertz, treasurer of the Gary Carter Foundation. "This is his event, but it really depends on how he feels.'

In November, Carter attended the kickoff dinner for a Hobe Sound golf tournament for children with cancer. He gave what many called an uplifting speech about his personal battle.

Carter, 57, continues to undergo aggressive treatment.

"He's doing fine. He's doing as well as can be expected,' said Hutton, who has lunch with Carter every week or so.

Celebrities at his tournament are expected to include many of Carter's former teammates and opponents, such as Mike Schmidt, Jim Palmer, Jeff Reardon, Andre Dawson, Bill Gullickson, Dennis Eckersley, Rusty Staub, Gary Sheffield, Lou Piniella and Darryl Strawberry.

The event will begin Jan. 15 with a practice round, reception dinner and silent auction. The tournament will start at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 16.

Tickets to compete are $550 for individual and $2,100 for a foursome. For information, call (561) 686-3088.

Hutton, who is helping with the tournament, said South Florida's major sports teams made contributions for the silent auction. The Marlins donated a weekend package that includes tickets to two games, field passes for batting practice and two nights at a hotel.

The Panthers donated a suite for a game in February and an autographed stick. The Heat donated four tickets to an April game, and the Dolphins chipped in four tickets.

"We're trying to decide if we should put all of those in one huge (auction) package or do them separately,' Hutton said.

Edgy MD
Jan 09 2012 07:55 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Carter getting along with Andre Dawson. That's something.

G-Fafif
Jan 17 2012 07:55 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Kid made it to his golf tournament.

By JOE CAPOZZI
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer


Updated: 11:15 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012
Posted: 10:25 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012


The Kid rallied again Sunday night.

Just as he has done at the 25 previous events he has hosted, Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter welcomed more than 150 friends with hugs and smiles at a kick-off dinner for his 26th annual charity golf tournament.

He made them laugh, too - with an assist from his wife, Sandy. Carter was seven minutes into his welcoming remarks at the Ironhorse Country Club when Sandy nudged him and whispered, "Let's eat!"

"That's my wife and she knows that I talk too much, so that's it for me,' Carter said as the crowd broke into laughter.

Carter's presence at the dinner was a welcomed and pleasant surprise to his friends. He was diagnosed with brain cancer in May, and many supporters wondered if he'd be well enough to attend.

"I tip my hat to him,' said Davey Johnson, who managed Carter with the 1986 World Series champion New York Mets, "because if it was me, I'd probably go off and hide in my house.'

Carter, 57, didn't want to hide. And he mentioned his illness only briefly in his remarks when he thanked his wife for helping with his charity "and how much she has done for me to this point with my cancer,' he said.

"And I just pray that God will continue to help me because I want to continue to help in any capacity that I can.'

Carter sounded like his usual self, but his cadence was slower and he was too weak to stand at the podium. Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer welcomed the crowd then passed the microphone to Carter's table, where was surrounded by his family.

"I have been doing this golf tournament for 26 years now and I am so thankful and so grateful to all of you here,' Carter said.

The tournament is raising money for literacy in Palm Beach County schools and for the Autism Project of Palm Beach County. But Carter explained to the crowd how the tournament in its early years raised money for leukemia, which killed his mother when he was just 12.

He said the mission switched to juvenile diabetes and then later to autism after his grandson was diagnosed with the disorder.

"Let me tell you what - it is an unbelievable journey if you know about an autistic child. That's my journey now is to help my grandson as much as I can,' Carter said, his voice breaking with emotion at one point.

Many in attendance were overwhelmed by Carter's remarks, in particular by the enthusiasm he showed for fighting autism even though he personally is batting cancer.

"Talk about a guy who's not selfish one bit,' said golfer Michelle McGann. "You can't really say enough good things about Gary, and to have to see him suffer like this has, it has really caught our attention.'

Carter, who was not made available to a reporter, did not attend the pre-dinner cocktail reception as he has done in previous years. He arrived early in the banquet room, where friends and former teammates were ushered in one by one to speak with him in private.

"I'm not feeling all that good,' Carter said in his dinner remarks, apologizing for not participating in the golf tournament that will he held today.

"I'm going to be out there in the morning and kick you guys off and then I want to come back for the awards presentation.'

Valadius
Jan 18 2012 09:59 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Retire his number already.

metirish
Jan 18 2012 10:26 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Valadius wrote:
Retire his number already.


problem is that it looks like you are retiring it because he is dying.

Edgy MD
Jan 18 2012 10:28 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I'd say retire his number for the Gulf Coast Mets, who he managed to an incredible .698 winning percentage and a GCL championship in 2005. He wouldn't even have to leave Florida for the ceremony.

Then I realized they've already retired numbers 1-100 for that team.

metsguyinmichigan
Jan 18 2012 02:08 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

They should have retired it already.

John Cougar Lunchbucket
Jan 18 2012 02:16 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

They took 8 out of circulation following Carter's Hall of Fame election in 2003. I'm not sure but maybe his behavior in the managing ranks (refusing an job at Bingo while campaining for Willie's job) may have caused delays in honoring him.

Benjamin Grimm
Jan 18 2012 02:17 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

That would lower the bar for retired numbers by way too much. He only had two good years with the Mets!

I can rattle off a dozen players who should have their numbers retired before Carter does:

Koosman, Hernandez, Strawberry, Gooden, Piazza, Alfonzo, Wright, Reyes, Darling, McGraw, Staub...

Okay, that's only eleven. But still...

Edgy MD
Jan 18 2012 02:21 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Johnson. El Sid. Franco.

Nymr83
Jan 18 2012 02:32 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Benjamin Grimm wrote:
That would lower the bar for retired numbers by way too much. He only had two good years with the Mets!

I can rattle off a dozen players who should have their numbers retired before Carter does:

Koosman, Hernandez, Strawberry, Gooden, Piazza, Alfonzo, Wright, Reyes, Darling, McGraw, Staub...

Okay, that's only eleven. But still...

Edgy DC wrote:
Johnson. El Sid. Franco.


Beltran.

I could argue Cone, Matlack, and maybe others too. Carter just wasnt here long enough, imo.

Edgy MD
Jan 18 2012 02:39 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

If you believe Baseball-Reference.com, Tom Glavine has a higher WAR figure as a Met than Carter, 11.3-11.2.

You can put him ahead of Glavine based on his post-season exploits, certainly, but that's the kind of company he's supping with. It's nothing to be ashamed of certainly, but that's where it is.

Considering he was briefly the highest paid player in the league while with the Mets, I'm afraid he'd be roasted by fans if today if he slumped continually during the second half of his tenure like he did then.

I wish him the best, and I'm sorry that his managing career got derailed as it did, as he certainly showed promise, but that's just what it adds up to. The Mets have honored him plenty and continue to honor him. It's no insult if that particular honor isn't granted, and I don't think it would help him should anybody want to frame it as one.

Ashie62
Jan 18 2012 05:02 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

You can retire #8. Gary and family might like it?

Edgy MD
Jan 18 2012 05:41 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

That's a question?

Valadius
Jan 19 2012 08:07 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

He's a Hall of Famer who distinguished himself with the team and won a championship. The number's been out of circulation for 9 years. I don't understand how you take a number out of circulation and not retire it.

Benjamin Grimm
Jan 19 2012 08:47 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Exactly! Put it back in circulation! And 24 too!

Edgy MD
Jan 19 2012 08:58 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Valadius wrote:
He's a Hall of Famer who distinguished himself with the team and won a championship. The number's been out of circulation for 9 years. I don't understand how you take a number out of circulation and not retire it.

I do.

Nymr83
Jan 19 2012 03:02 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

You take the number out of circulation so that you can take your time to figure out what you want to do. Because what you DON'T want is to hand the number to (for example) Lastings Milledge and have him turn into a homegrown all-star wearing number 8 and then you're looking to retire it for someone else. I'd open the number up now, or soon, though.

Meanwhile, the news for Carter has gotten worse, they're saying today that there are new tumors and doctors are deciding whether to continue treatment.

TransMonk
Jan 19 2012 03:11 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Gary Carter MRI reveals new tumors

Horrible.

Ashie62
Jan 19 2012 03:30 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Edgy DC wrote:
That's a question?


Not really...its only a friggin number..there are many many others to use.

Ceetar
Jan 19 2012 05:27 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Edgy DC wrote:
Valadius wrote:
He's a Hall of Famer who distinguished himself with the team and won a championship. The number's been out of circulation for 9 years. I don't understand how you take a number out of circulation and not retire it.

I do.



Unlike 15,16,17,18 who they've tossed around willie (who's number they were much less cavalier with) nillie, not issuing 8 is a tribute in it of itself. These numbers should go to the Reyes' and Wrights of the world imo, to bridge old stars with new.

There's a way to honor Carter without the extreme. Have Mr. Met wear 8. Could start a process of naming things, concession booths, stairwells, etc. Something that's a little more plentiful and would actually solve their problem of feeling like guys are 'fringe' guys. 8, 17, etc.

Benjamin Grimm
Jan 19 2012 06:00 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Is Carter in the Mets Hall of Fame? If not, he should be.

That's the appropriate level of honor for someone who falls short of the retired number, which should be extremely rare.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Jan 19 2012 06:24 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

He's there. Been there for a while.

G-Fafif
Jan 19 2012 06:35 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Gary inducted into Mets HOF 8/12/2001. Looked like Kid in a candy store.

smg58
Jan 19 2012 07:44 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

TransMonk wrote:
Gary Carter MRI reveals new tumors

Horrible.


I had a feeling this was coming, but that doesn't make it less horrible.

metirish
Jan 20 2012 06:03 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

smg58 wrote:
TransMonk wrote:
Gary Carter MRI reveals new tumors

Horrible.


I had a feeling this was coming, but that doesn't make it less horrible.



yeah, sad news.

John Cougar Lunchbucket
Jan 22 2012 04:17 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Talking Gary Carter on the bladio tonight (8:40ish?): [url]http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nybaseballtalk/2012/01/23/tom-seaver-the-last-icon

Edgy MD
Jan 22 2012 06:16 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Tuning in NOW!!!!

Talking to Steven Travers, author of The Last Icon.

Edgy MD
Jan 22 2012 06:28 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Oooh, he just described Grant and Young as "rightly excoriated."

Edgy MD
Jan 22 2012 06:33 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Really doing a good job in describing Seaver's aloofness from mere mortals.

Edgy MD
Jan 22 2012 06:45 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Hanging in there. Good job so far.

Ashie62
Jan 22 2012 09:03 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Edgy DC wrote:
Johnson. El Sid. Franco.


Hojo Grote

Edgy MD
Jan 22 2012 09:12 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

[youtube:e3ma89n5]hIIQULPkWnk[/youtube:e3ma89n5]

I wanted my life to be as full of unadulterated joy as Gary Carter's showers.

G-Fafif
Jan 24 2012 04:17 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Richard Sandomir on Kimmy's diary.

January 23, 2012

Carter’s Poignant Turns, Chronicled by a Daughter

By RICHARD SANDOMIR


Like her father, Gary Carter, Kimmy Bloemers was a catcher. She played at Florida State. He spent most of his Hall of Fame career with the Montreal Expos and the Mets.

The two extended their sports bond in 2009 when Carter was named the baseball coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University, where Bloemers has coached the women’s softball team since 2007.

But the joy of coaching on the same campus has given way to the somber reality of Carter’s inoperable brain cancer, a diagnosis he received last May. Since then, Bloemers has been writing an intimate family journal on CaringBridge.org about her father’s illness and how the Carters are being sustained by their Christian faith and his competitive fire.

The diary’s 55 entries, spread over 121 pages, create a continuing narrative of heartbreak and spiritual uplift.

In the postings, Bloemers writes with the exuberance of her famously upbeat father — a devoted younger daughter who says she copes with the grimness of her father’s decline with Biblical quotations, music, family meals and the generosity of friends and neighbors.

Late last May, she described her wish that the next day’s biopsy on her father’s tumors could be performed in a crowded baseball stadium, rather than in Duke University Medical Center’s Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center.

“Dad loves to hear clapping, cheering and lots of enthusiasm,” she wrote, “so let’s get rowdy for ‘The Kid.’”


Several days later, after Carter, who is 57, was found to have glioblastoma, an aggressive, fast-moving cancer, Bloemers’s sadness at the physical changes visible in her father was tempered with the hope of a miracle.

“Team Carter believes that dad will hit one out of the park,” she wrote. “We are pouring the ‘unknown’ and fearful thoughts to Jesus and not allowing Satan to get the best of us.”

Then, last Thursday afternoon, Bloemers wrote “with tears” about the appearance of “several new spots/tumors on my dad’s brain” on a magnetic resonance imaging exam.

One of his doctors was to visit the family that night, but she has not provided an update since that day.

“The Lord is my strength and shield,” she wrote at the end of her posting. “I trust him with my heart.”

Despite her father’s condition, Bloemers, her sister, Christy, and her brother, D. J., were able to accept the “You Gotta Have Heart” Award for him from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Saturday night at the New York Hilton.

In serving as her family’s health-news emissary, Bloemers is following others who, through traditional methods or social media, have found a means to communicate the details of life-threatening illnesses.

The British-born essayist and atheist Christopher Hitchens wrote as vigorously about his cancer as he did about the myriad subjects that engaged him with a fury before his death last month.

During the 19 months he lived with the same type of brain cancer that Carter has, the former Yankees outfielder and announcer Bobby Murcer spoke regularly about his sickness, returned to work on a limited basis for the YES Network and wrote an autobiography that described his faith and his devotion to his wife, Kay.

“God has blessed us so much since I was diagnosed with this brain tumor, and so many blessings have come my way,” he said during an interview shortly before he died. “It’s changed our life for the better.” He died in July 2008.

Michael Douglas has used talk shows and other public forums to discuss his treatment for throat cancer.

And after Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie-Mellon, learned he had pancreatic cancer, he delivered what was called his “Last Lecture,” a direct talk about how to live. It became an Internet sensation and was expanded into a best-selling book before his death in 2008.

Although Carter has made some remarks about his illness, Bloemers’s account has provided a vivid, almost daily picture of a close, Christian family — Carter and his wife, Sandy; their children; three grandchildren; and two sons-in-law — coping with Carter’s debilitating treatments, physical therapy, hair loss, bloating mouth wounds, exercise, headaches, back pain, kidney stones, pneumonia, falls that tore his rotator cuff, blood clots and emergency room visits.

There have been exhilarating moments, as when Carter was healthy enough to make a two-mile nighttime walk with Sandy, when he was able to swim for exercise, when he took notes during a church sermon, or when his white blood cell count rose high enough for chemotherapy. One day last August, Bloemers wrote, “Dad’s tumors are 80 percent better!”

One night, the Carters watched all of his old commercials (Ivory, Pringles and 7Up — with Christy, a toddler, pitching to him). “He looked so good and happy,” Bloemers wrote.

Hank Aaron and Mike Krzyzewski have called, according to Bloemers. His friend and former Expos teammate Tommy Hutton has taken him for physical therapy. There have been disappointments that must have pierced Carter’s athletic pride as he has continued to coach his team. Last September, he threw batting practice, but not to his satisfaction.

“He tried a couple of times, and in his eyes, he had failed,” Bloemers wrote. “He talked with my mom and was saddened/disappointed that things are starting to be ‘taken away from me’ ... golf, throwing b.p.”

But when he coached a game a month later, she wrote that “he enjoyed calling the plays.”

“Dad absolutely loves to be the skipper,” she added.

Last month, Carter wanted to buy a Christmas gift for his wife. Bloemers drove him to a mall, but he was weak, fatigued and shaky and had to sit in a chair. As they left, Bloemers wrote, “the lady who sold me mom’s gift, pulled me aside and said she is adding my dad to her prayer list and hugged me. She saw the tears in my eyes and realized that it meant so much to hear that.”

Then, on Christmas Eve, with D. J. Carter dressed as Santa Claus, Carter stumbled and fell hard into a glass window, then onto the floor, injuring his shoulder. An M.R.I. later revealed a complete tear of his rotator cuff that will require surgery.

“Tough night for Dad, “ Bloemers wrote. “Thankfully, the pain subsided as time went on.”

In the entry that preceded news that more tumors had been found in her father’s brain, Bloemers described his joy at this year’s first practice for his team.

“Now that baseball season has begun, his spirits have lifted a bit and I believe he is excited to see his team,” she wrote. “His weak body limits his physical involvement, but the fact that he wants to go and still teach his players is beyond amazing.”

metirish
Jan 24 2012 07:23 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 24 2012 08:04 AM

I've a lump or something in my throat. I think in many ways reading his daughters postings makes it sadder in some respects to see what Kid is going through a long with his family.

Sandomir has become one of my favorite writers out there.

soupcan
Jan 24 2012 08:03 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

metirish wrote:
Sandomir has become one of my favorite writers out there.


Not only do I like Sandomir, I love what he writes about.

Edgy MD
Jan 24 2012 09:01 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Jeff Pearlman turns in his cynic card.

John Cougar Lunchbucket
Jan 24 2012 09:41 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

eh. I made fun of him when it was cool to, now that he's gonna die in 2 weeks, I can admit that was unfair.

dgwphotography
Jan 25 2012 12:06 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Jerry Izenberg on Gary Carter:
Gary Carter may come off like a cliché, to the point where a lot of other players mistrust him, but the genuine article comes along so rarely it can be hard to recognize when it looks you in the eye

metirish
Jan 25 2012 05:55 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Good for Pearlman if he feels the need to apologize but I don't think he does.

Edgy MD
Jan 25 2012 06:04 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I think maybe he does. Not for Carter, but for himself.

He's a rare gift as a sports reporter who is willing to do investigative reporting. But his rooting interest in guys to be more colorful, even if that means more self-destructive, has turned him into a bitter pill, and he acknowledges that he has come to hate baseball at times. It's not all baseball's fault.

G-Fafif
Jan 25 2012 06:28 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Jerry Izenberg on Gary Carter:
Gary Carter may come off like a cliché, to the point where a lot of other players mistrust him, but the genuine article comes along so rarely it can be hard to recognize when it looks you in the eye


Great quote from a great writer about a great player from a great book about The Greatest Game Ever Played.

G-Fafif
Jan 25 2012 06:35 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I don't remember thinking Pearlman was unfair to Carter in the book. What made that such a compelling team was the contrast in personalities. Gary and Mookie were the sunnier or straighter side of a bunch of alleged (or actual) reprobates. I just took another look at the first part of Chapter 6 and none of it puts Carter in a bad light. Just different from his teammates as portrayed by the author.

Centerfield
Jan 25 2012 07:49 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I made fun of Gary Carter too. But, let's face it, he gave the world plenty of material. From the Hall of Fame party he threw for himself, to the unabashed campaigning for Jerry Manuel's job, it was hard not to make fun of the guy.

But it really is unfair that out of all of the 86 Mets, that the devoted family guy who didn't drink or do drugs is going to be the first to go.

Life sucks.

G-Fafif
Jan 25 2012 07:53 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Hardly the point of any of this, but...

Re-thumbing through the paperback edition of Bad Guys (the one with a bunch of initial mistakes corrected) and reading about the trade that sent Carter to NY, Pearlman has Howard Cosell theatrically delivering the news ("Lay-dees and gent-el-men, this just in...") on December 10, 1984, during Monday Night Football. Except Cosell wasn't doing MNF by then. His last football game for ABC was a Friday Night debacle between the Jets and Dolphins to close out the 1983 season (as recounted in Marc Gunther's and Bill Carter's MNF book). It was big news that Cosell quit the series in advance of the 1984 NFL season.

Pearlman doesn't have to issue an apology for that, either, but on his blog, promoting his Walter Payton book, he's consistently touted how much research he did and how much research is necessary in his work. Mistakes happen anyway, but this one was incredibly unnecessary, as if there wasn't enough drama attached to the 1986 Mets in general and Gary Carter's acquisition specifically unless he could puff it up with a reference to the most dramatic sportscaster of them all.

This was a tangent, but stuff like that drives me nuts.

John Cougar Lunchbucket
Jan 25 2012 08:05 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Geez. Guy makes me wanna kill people sometimes.

Also I make fun of GC. I believe I one time keystroked the passage about "touching" his teammates from his book, taken out of context it was a scream (just found it again).

The idea of grown men, athletes, touching each other may bring some chuckles here and there. But it isn't sexual. Bill Robinson and I have a ritual, which we call our "good-luck hug." I go into the clubhouse every night and look for Uncle Bill. "Hey," I'll say, "where's my good-luck hug?" He'll give it to me. It would take a very brave man to suggest that Uncle Bill or I have a gay streak.


The Mets were close and we touched, and the touching grew as the season went by.


I realized how the Mets had gotten into the habit of touching in the dream season of 1986. Ray and I. Uncle Bill and I.


How many times had I hugged Dwight Gooden and said, 'You're the best'? I comes from something, this touching. Closeness. Affection. Respect. Watch Keith Hernandez: He's a hugger. ... I love being his teammate and I'll say it by grabbing his hand, or embracing him.

Edgy MD
Jan 25 2012 08:40 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Centerfield wrote:
I made fun of Gary Carter too. But, let's face it, he gave the world plenty of material.

Certainly, and the soap commercial I posted above is a great example. I think a more grown up and self-aware Pearlman maybe realizes it was too easy to title a chapter "Gary Carter Is a Geek." Just give the facts and let it roll out as it will. We're mostly all more nuanced than that.

It is, after all, Carter's own lack of self-awareness that has made him such an easy target, and a small tragedy among the greater tragedies that were the downfalls of so many of his teammates. So I'll give Pearlman a manly heteronormative hug for wanting to shed some smug and grow some self-awareness himself. (As the Cosell fabrication above shows, he certainly could have used some back then.)

It doesn't change the facts about Carter, only the perspective of those facts. It doesn't have to be about Gary vs. Jeff and I think Jeff realizes it.

Reading The Last Icon, you realize the same thing sort of happened with Tom Seaver. He was a decent, honorable sort, which his teammates initially could respect even if they were sometimes a little less decent and less honorable. It was when he realized and exploited the marketability of that image that they saw it as a little less honorable and a little more worthy of eye-rolling. It didn't make him a phony asshole --- like, say, Steve Garvey --- just maybe a little bit of a tool.

But the Crowmarties and the Swobodas who resent it usually come back decades later saying something like, "You know, I was more than a little bit of a tool, myself."

dgwphotography
Jan 31 2012 03:55 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I don't know if something is, imminent, or if this is just preparation, but I was just told that ESPN just put Kid's obituary into rotation.

metirish
Jan 31 2012 04:06 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

dgwphotography wrote:
I don't know if something is, imminent, or if this is just preparation, but I was just told that ESPN just put Kid's obituary into rotation.



damn

G-Fafif
Jan 31 2012 04:11 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Kid has a game Thursday night.

WEST PALM BEACH — When the Palm Beach Atlantic University baseball team plays its season opener Thursday night at Roger Dean Stadium, the No. 8 jersey of head coach Gary Carter will hang in the dugout.

Carter is battling an aggressive form of brain cancer that has sapped his strength at a frightening pace. So his Sailfish players don't expect him to wear the uniform or join them on the bench.

But if he can make it to the game, they said, his mere presence will be as uplifting to them as it was in September, when they saw him for the first time since he was diagnosed with cancer in May.

On that September morning, the players surrounded him in a tight circle on the gymnasium floor at PBA. With 33 sets of hands touching or reaching for Carter, they prayed with their coach for his recovery.

"We had been praying for Coach ever since we found out about his situation. This was more of a heartfelt prayer - a prayer for strength and for peace with what he was going through, whatever the outcome,' said Logan Thomas, a senior starting pitcher who led the prayer.

Thomas will be on the mound Thursday when PBA plays its first baseball game since Carter was diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma last May, just days after the previous season ended.

The news shocked the campus, but it was especially hard on players who had gone home for the summer not knowing he was ill.

Two weeks ago, doctors discovered more tumor spots on Carter's brain, a development that has prompted the family to consider ending medical treatment.

The team and the university at large have tried to make the best of a grim situation.

"This has been a galvanizing experience for the university,' said William Fleming, the interim president at PBAU, which has 3,700 students and is built on Christian values. "It has been a call to action, not a call to sorrow, here on our campus.'

Students wear "Team Carter" bracelets sold by The Gary Carter Foundation, the charity he started in 1992 when he retired from major league baseball after 19 seasons. The blue wristbands also have the inscription "Isaiah 40:31," his favorite Bible verse.

Carter, a catcher who was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003, was a big reason many PBA players came to the school after he was hired in the fall of 2009.

At the time, Carter had been managing in the minors, hoping for a shot at a major league job.

"My comment to him was that he would have a lifetime impact on young men,' Fleming said. "He could shape and mold their lives in ways he would never be able to do in the minors or the majors.'

Carter often tries to inspire his players by drawing on his personal experiences. One of his favorite stories recalls how he was determined not to make the last out for the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series. He slapped a hit to help save the Mets from elimination in Game 6 and they went on to beat Boston in seven games.

"Listening to Gary Carter talk about Game 6 of the 1986 World Series makes you feel as though you have the dirt and grass of Shea Stadium on your hands," Fleming said. "Gary is a Mount Rushmore-type individual. These young men he has influenced the last three years cling on his every word.'

Carter also made it a point to get to know his players and their families, which added to his stature on a campus where Carter's daughter, Kimmy Bloemers, is the school's softball coach.

She has chronicled his illness in an online journal intended for family and friends.

PBA athletic officials remember that Carter started complaining about headaches last spring. Then, a day or two after his players had left for the summer, he was in the gym taking inventory of team equipment when he had more troubling symptoms. He had trouble with his handwriting and difficulty counting, which led to medical tests and his diagnosis.

His players are learning lessons they didn't expect from their coach.

"They are gaining character that they probably wouldn't have at other places,' said Kent Bottenfield, a former major league pitcher and longtime Carter friend who was hired in July as PBA's associate baseball coach.

"I don't think it has been a 'win one for the Gipper' attitude or anything like that, but they ask all the time about him. (Players are) constantly texting me, calling me, pulling me aside at practice. There's a great concern for him.'

Bottenfield, 43, was home in Tennessee last summer when PBA asked him to help. He and his family soon were ready to move south.

"We really felt like I was called to come down here, not as much to coach a team but to help a friend and to help a family through a tough time,' said Bottenfield, who was the starting pitcher for the Montreal Expos in Carter's final game on Sept. 27, 1992.

When the current school year started in September, Bottenfield told players that Carter's presence would be limited. But they got a welcome surprise when they gathered in the gym for their first conditioning drills of the season.

Players looked up that morning to see Carter gingerly walking down the stairs from the mezzanine, where he keeps an office next to a batting cage.

One by one, players formed a line at the bottom of the steps. "We all just started hugging him,' Thomas said. "Honestly, it was tough for me because he wasn't the same. But you could still see the light in his eyes, a love for life, a love for baseball, a love for the guys.'

Carter watched the drills and then held his first team meeting of the year. He mentioned his illness only briefly while urging them to worry about themselves and work to improve their 27-26 record of the previous season, his second as coach.

"Initially he was like, 'Guys, I'm going to make it through this. It's going to OK ' ' Thomas said. "He didn't want us worrying about him because he knew that might take away from baseball.'

The meeting ended with the prayer circle. The players saw Carter a few more times in the ensuing months, most recently on Jan. 9 when he came out to their first spring practice at Dyer Park in suburban West Palm Beach.

Carter, 57, looked frail. He used a cane as he walked to the field and was aided by his son, D.J. But Carter had a spark when he addressed the team.

"He says, 'Guys, the day's finally here! It's spring! Let's get after it!' " Thomas recalled.

The Division II program hopes to open its new baseball field in spring 2013 on land just east of I-95 and north of Belvedere Road. Until then, they will play most of their games at Palm Beach Gardens High and at Santaluces High in Lantana.

But the opener at 7 p.m. Thursday will be at Roger Dean Stadium, a few miles from Carter's home at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens.

If Carter feels well enough to attend, he might ride around the field in a car during the seventh-inning stretch.

Fleming is hoping that the game draws a big crowd.

"It will be incredible if people turn out," he said. "Their presence would be an indication to their love and admiration for Gary and for the Carter family.

"Simply showing up will send a powerful message of love and support to the Kid.'

Edgy MD
Jan 31 2012 05:18 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

...but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah

Edgy MD
Feb 02 2012 08:50 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Opening day grand slam.

G-Fafif
Feb 03 2012 07:45 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Never in his brief few minutes with the team did the grin leave his face.


Gosh darn, that's the stuff.

metirish
Feb 03 2012 08:02 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

G-Fafif wrote:
Never in his brief few minutes with the team did the grin leave his face.


Gosh darn, that's the stuff.



wow, great story, way to go Kid.

the pictures of him are unrecognizable , cancer is a bastard.

Edgy MD
Feb 03 2012 08:06 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Yeah, I thought maybe I should give folks fair warning on that. In his case, I imagine it's the cure as much as the disease, and he's roided to the gills.

Edgy MD
Feb 03 2012 08:30 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

And, somehow, his team pulled off the walkoff victory.

themetfairy
Feb 03 2012 08:41 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

He's probably on steroids as part of his treatment, which can cause pretty horrible physical changes.

metsguyinmichigan
Feb 03 2012 01:43 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I didn't recognize him either. That's a heart-breaking story.

Ashie62
Feb 03 2012 07:35 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

themetfairy wrote:
He's probably on steroids as part of his treatment, which can cause pretty horrible physical changes.


A common cancer addon a dexamethasone. 10x stronger than prednisone

attgig
Feb 16 2012 03:15 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

RIP Gary Carter

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Feb 16 2012 03:18 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Dammit.

SteveJRogers
Feb 16 2012 03:21 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

.

Edgy MD
Apr 05 2012 08:33 AM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Mets at batting practice. And, well, this is what I'm talking about. Or what I should be talking about. Good show, Mets.

The Second Spitter
Apr 05 2012 02:07 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

So I guess the unveiling of the sign in LF means 8 won't be retired.

FUFW.

Edgy MD
Apr 05 2012 02:14 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Yeah, let's Fuck Up Fort Worth!

Mets – Willets Point
Apr 05 2012 02:18 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Edgy DC wrote:
Yeah, let's Fuck Up Fort Worth!


Tornadoes got that covered a couple of days ago.

Edgy MD
Apr 05 2012 02:23 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Um, yeah, let's Fuck Up Funky Winkerbean! Yeah!

Valadius
Apr 05 2012 02:33 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Very appropriate, but they still should retire his number already.

batmagadanleadoff
Apr 05 2012 02:38 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Maybe after Jerry Koosman and Jerry Grote get their numbers retired.

But not Jerry Cram. Or Jerry May.

Edgy MD
Apr 05 2012 02:42 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

And that is, and always shall be, the problem. Howard Johnson had twice the Mets career that Carter had. You want to advocate for his number retirement, that's fine, but there are plenty of issues involved. Let's not take a solemn occasion to bring the fuck-you hammer down on the other side.

batmagadanleadoff
Apr 05 2012 02:51 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I didn't realize that I was wielding a fuck you hammer. So let me apologize before this degenerates into another monthly and nasty personal attack against me on account of me expressing an unpopular but eminently logical opinion. Funny thing, because I thought that it was the posters I was responding to that were swinging fuck you hammers. What? They don't want the Mets to retire 36? Why not? And why shouldn't I be offended by that? After Carter, I guess the Mets should retire Dennis Bennett's number too.

Edgy MD
Apr 05 2012 02:54 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

I wasn't speaking of your hammer at all. You wielded no such tool in your post. Maybe a Jerry sieve, but that's it.

Mets – Willets Point
Apr 05 2012 02:54 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

batmagadanleadoff wrote:
I didn't realize that I was wielding a fuck you hammer. So let me apologize before this degenerates into another monthly and nasty personal attack against me on account of me expressing an unpopular but eminently logical opinion. Funny thing, because I thought that it was the posters I was responding to that were swinging fuck you hammers. What? They don't want the Mets to retire 36? Why not? And why shouldn't I be offended by that? After Carter, I guess the Mets should retire Dennis Bennett's number too.


Uh, it was Second Spitter who said FU to Fred Wilpon. Edgy was addressing him.

batmagadanleadoff
Apr 05 2012 03:00 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

You don't think I knew that?

Mets – Willets Point
Apr 05 2012 03:03 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

batmagadanleadoff wrote:
You don't think I knew that?


Just trying to play peacemaker. It's my natural inclination.

batmagadanleadoff
Apr 05 2012 03:08 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Mets – Willets Point wrote:
batmagadanleadoff wrote:
You don't think I knew that?


Just trying to play peacemaker. It's my natural inclination.


Actually, I didn't. I grossly misinterpreted that exchange. How embarraskin. But I'm leaving my post up there as a preemptive strike should anyone now really accuse me of swinging the FU hammer.

batmagadanleadoff
Apr 05 2012 03:11 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

This is why I usually quote the post I'm responding to. It often clarifies the exchange. I remember a discussion here a few weeks ago where someone, under some circumstances, was against quoting the post being responded to. I disagreed, buy stayed out of that discussion.

Edgy MD
Apr 05 2012 08:09 PM
Re: Gary Carter diagnosed with small tumors on his brain

Well, I'm sorry if I was being unclear.

The posty-quotey thing (it was I who introduced the subject) was in response to Ceetar, who had quoted the post he was responding to, like 18 times in 20 posts, despite him almost invariably responding to the post immediately preceding his. It just, to me, interrupts the flow, to have everything repeated pointlessly. But clarity is king to me. If it aids clarity, go to it. I'm in the minority and it's all good.