18
2012
What Is A Hero?
An article by 
CARTER: Lived a life of inspiration.
We use the words hero and great in sports to the point where they become cliche and lose their meaning and impact.
Gary Carter was a baseball player, who made a good living playing a game most of us played as kids and only dreamed of having the fraction of talent he possessed. We cannot use the word “hero,” in describing Carter and any other athlete when compared to a soldier who saves his comrades in a firefight, or a policeman who risks his life in protecting a person from peril, or an act of unselfish bravery by a nondescript man who runs into a burning building to save a child or stands up to a thug in a subway while coming to the aid of a stranger.
Or a parent who goes through the daily grind to set an example of morality to his child.
Carter would be the first to say he’s not a hero or great when compared to those examples.
In reading over the past 24 hours of testimonials from teammates, opponents and fans who never met him we get a glimpse into the player and man who meant so much to so many. He came to many of us as an athlete, but captivated our imaginations and captures our respect with the intensity he played the game and the dignity and integrity in which he lived his life.
With his faith, his genuine goodness as a human being, and his compassion for others, he touched many in a way that went beyond his hitting and ability to handle a pitching staff.
With the way he lived his life, Carter molded the lives of an adoring family and inspired many he never met. The ultimate testament came from teammates who said they wish they led their lives as Carter did his.
In that way, he was truly heroic. It is said a man with friends is truly rich, and Carter was wealthy in which many of us can only dream.
About the Author: John Delcos
I am an active member of the BBWAA and have covered Major League Baseball in several capacities for over 20 years, including ten in New York working the Mets' and Yankees' beat. I covered the Baltimore Orioles for eight years and the Cleveland Indians before that. I currently serve as an editor and senior staff writer for Mets Merized Online. Follow me on Twitter @jdelcos.
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I personally prefer the term “Role Model” as I tend to save the HERO term for those who actually risk life and limb to protect and save others. Military, Law Enforcement, Firemen etc….
Not that there is any problem with calling a role model your hero!
Is this supposed to be an Op-Ed of sorts? Kind of an awkward article IMO.
You start off by saying the baseball player Carter was no “hero” since he didn’t t do “heroic” things such as saving someone from peril, murdering people on a baseless reality to support the New World Order Zionist agenda, whoops I mean war, or a random Joe-Schmo helping out another random Joe-Schmo. But then at the end you state that since he lived his life in a way that inspired other to want to live their life that way he was indeed heroic.
Well, of course the baseball player version of Carter is not heroic in your sense, because everything he did was on a baseball diamond. There was no baby being attacked by a vulture in centerfield (unless you count Rodger Cedons missteps out there circa 2002) there was no fire being started at third base (unless you count the 1991′s Mets hotfoots stupidity) etc etc.
Perhaps he should be labeled a baseball hero?
I didn’t make any mention of what Carter deserved…Note the last line!
All I did was make a comment on the use of language!
If he is a Hero then what do you call a guy who got blown up in some faraway land for your freedom?
Weight it out and tell me what you come up with Equal or Not?
Got a better name for the warrior be my guest and suggest it!
I will point out that guys like Carter and guys like you only get to enjoy baseball because of those guys who laid it down on the line!
Home of the free BECAUSE of the Brave!
“I didn’t make any mention of what Carter deserved…Note the last line!” – Okay, fair enough, I still think it can be tossed around. I’m pretty sure everyone who called David Freese a hero last October wasn’t thinking in their mind “ahh this ranks higher than firefighters”, they could possibly of been comparing his “baseball” heroics to past October success stories such as Scott Spezio or even Mookie.
Also, people fighting in a far away land are most certainly NOT fighting for my freedom. I’m not going to call you ignorant, but just misinformed. Freedom is just an illusion. Look up the NDAA Act (National Defense Authorization Act) recently passed and signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 31st, 2011. It “empowers the Armed Forces to engage in civilian law enforcement and to selectively suspend due process and habeas corpus, as well as other rights guaranteed by the 5th and 6th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, for terror suspects apprehended on U.S. soil.”
Ok lets try it another way…If not for them you could be living in Syria!
How many shells came through your house today!
Whatever you think of the governments policies don’t make the mistake of attributing those policies to the Military folks who do the fighting and dying because of those policies!
And I wonder how free you would be if we just stayed out of WWII?
We might be typing in German or worse Russian!
As for gary I have no problems with people who want to call him a hero but maybe we SHOULD be giving more thought to who gets labeled what in the media in this country!
terrel Owens is a HERO to someone, So was McGwire and Bonds!
How heroic do you have to be to play the game of baseball or any sport for that matter?
How Heroic must you be to juice up?
Carter’s most heroic time was fighting the good fight against the cancer till he couldn’t fight anymore! THAT should tell you what kind of person he was!
Thats also the spirit that makes the Military folks a hero as well!
Fighting till you can’t fight anymore!
Not making some fantastic catch or getting a game winning hit!
Thats just using an impressive and weighty word for the sake of sensationalism!
I came here for sandwiches. Oh well.
While Gary Carter was a great player, a good team mate and an all around good guy he was so much more. He loved the game and was truly “born to play”. If you saw the Edward James Olmos film, “Talent for the Game” the main character speaks of those players who rise up from the ground and Gary was one of those type of guys. He was hard nosed, he lived and breathed the game and had a great attitude…It is now 27 years since he joined the Mets in 1985, the last piece of the puzzxle that Frank Cashen put together and Gary had the big hits in 3 games in just his first week with the team. More than being a clutch hitter, Gary enjoyed being the guy to meet challenge head on….
An Ernie Banks for his era…..