Here's to you, Kid.

There aren't enough good guys in sports anymore. At a time when most athletes are focused on big contracts and self-recognition, I long for the days of baseball that I grew up watching. As a kid, there were certain players that I looked up to and admired for their talent and their love of the game. One of those players was Gary Carter.

Gary Carter was one of the top catchers in the game at a time that my world revolved around baseball. He was on countless baseball cards in my collection, his image graced the cover of my 1982 Topps Sticker Album, and he taught me about proper fielding techniques as a guest on the Baseball Bunch.

 

On and off the field, Gary was a class act.

Today it was announced that Gary Carter died at the age of 57 after a battle with brain cancer. The same type of cancer that took Dan Quisenberry at the age of 45. The same type that took Tug McGraw at 59. The same type that took my mother when she was 58.

Here's to you, Kid.