Comments on: Unburied Treasure: In 1985, Gary Carter Said Only A World Series Would Make His Life Complete

By: TomTerrific

TomTerrific — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:47:32 +0000

Your welcome, Natalie. Glad the story enhanced your appreciation of KID.

By: Natalie

Natalie — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 21:55:12 +0000

I feel like I now know Gary Carter better than I ever have before. I only remember his last couple of years and I’m too young to remember 86 when I was only 9 and not addicted to the Mets just yet. BUT!!! I always loved Gary Carter because me and my dad met him once at a baseball card show in New Jersey and he was the nicest person you ever wanted to meet. He wasn’t just signing autographs he was friendly and he actually took the time to talk to us. Anyway, I’ve been his fan since then. Thanks for the cool post!

By: Tom Terrific

Tom Terrific — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:44:18 +0000

Maniac, just your reaction–and those of the other posters–has made bringing that piece to light worth the effort! Thanks!

By: Tom Terrific

Tom Terrific — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:43:23 +0000

Thanks for your comment, Mike, especially the classic “epic piece of journalistic awesomeness.” I always remembered Mark Ribowsky having a pretty healthy ego. I can only imagine what he’ll say when he reads your quote.

By: Tom Terrific

Tom Terrific — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:41:45 +0000

Hey North J, we no longer have the tape of the Allen interview (I may have returned it to the writer) but I can tell you that the story created such a controversy at the time, I played it over the phone for the New York Times’ columnist Dave Anderson so he could hear that everything Allen said was on the record. The hateful columnist Dick Young (I think at the Post at that time) wrote columns blasting our story, saying he didn’t believe Allen made the quotes so we had to get a writer on our side. It didn’t help though as Jay Horwitz still banned me from Shea for a year (we got back in for 1984 and did cover stories on Strawberry and Gooden). Based on what happened recently to Howard Megdal after writing his Wilpon book, Jay hasn’t changed his style.

By: Met Maniac

Met Maniac — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:48:16 +0000

I haven’t read something this enjoyable all offseason. Seriously, this was epic.

By: Mike R

Mike R — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:35:58 +0000

Thank you so much for letting me eyes gaze upon this epic piece of journalism awesomeness. I was still playing little league when Gary was a Metropolitan, but as a catcher myself he was highly influential to me. I was barely walking when he was wearing a helmet with eM on it and had no idea of the behind the scenes activity with the Expos so appreciate all that insight. Just like Gary, I can’t even remember the last book I read but totally was entrenched in this article…thanks for sharing!!!

By: Mr North Jersey

Mr North Jersey — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:11:37 +0000

Tom that was awesome man. I regret glancing past it when it was 1st posted. Neal Allen was just launching salvos in that interview. Let me ask you do you still happen to have that tape recording and if so have you considered digitizing it in mp3 form for play over the internet?

By: srt

srt — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:06:37 +0000

My Mets random goes back to ’68 so obviously I remember the trade for Carter well. Was happy we got him and his talent. Must have read my share of rumblings about Kid’s sincerity though back in the day because I never really did warm up to him as one of my favorites on that mid 80s team – which included Keith and Doc and Ronnie and Mookie fist.

I couldn’t have been more wrong about ‘Camera Carter’ as I realized years later – and to what extent this week.

I only wish you had found a way to publish this back then and I would have read it. With this honest look into his thoughts and motivation behind his actions then, I’m certain Gary Carter would have been at the top of my list of favorite Mets from that era.

Great read and thanks for sharing.

By: Tom Terrific

Tom Terrific — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:56:31 +0000

Check out the link in the introduction to the story about how our magazine helped facilitate the Keith Hernandez trade.

By: Mr North Jersey

Mr North Jersey — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:45:12 +0000

Oh thanks I misunderstood. I thought it was you couldn’t keep it running. That’s a shame cause based on this one article the writing was must read kind of material.

By: Tom Terrific

Tom Terrific — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:27:15 +0000

Thanks for the comments North J, but there wasn’t a conscious decision NOT to publish the article. The entire magazine never got published because at the time we didn’t have enough money in the budget to print it and it died on press. Believe me, if that issue had gotten printed we might still be publishing to this day.

By: Mr North Jersey

Mr North Jersey — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:08:47 +0000

Oh man this was such a great read and to think this was never published. Best line was “After 12 years, Carter knows hitters like Betty Crocker knows angel food.” that just made laugh out loud literally.

I never knew the animosity toward Carter in Montreal ran so deep and Pete Rose saying what he did just wow.

Whomever made the decision back then not to publish this made an error in judgment in my opinion.

Thanks for as good a Sunday read (or any day for that matter) as I have had in some time.

By: Tom Terrific

Tom Terrific — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:08:14 +0000

Thanks, LA, appreciate the thoughts. What’s especially poignant about the passage you site there is that he said “all the other things in life have already come” in 1985. Makes you feel that whatever time he had until his recent passing was gravy and that is a comforting thought.

By: LA Mets Fan

LA Mets Fan — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:52:25 +0000

Sorry to hear about your magazine, but I’m glad you were able to save this piece which I thought was brilliant.I loved this part:

I then ask if there’s anything missing in his life, something needed to feel complete, specifying I don’t mean something in baseball, like a World Series. “But that’s just it,” he says, “It’s only a World Series, to be honest with you, because all the other things in life have already come.”

How cool was that? He said what he meant and meant what he said.

I never knew what happened in Montreal that ultimately led to the trade to the Mets, and it was great reading about that too.

Nice post!

By: TomTerrific

TomTerrific — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:19:00 +0000

Thanks for commenting William. Glad you enjoyed it!

By: William H.

William H. — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:02:12 +0000

My Sunday reading is now complete. This was such an enjoyable article, I especially loved the quotes. I wish what Pete Rose had said or didn’t say was true, and that we had 25 more like the Kid. But sadly, Carter was one of a kind.