LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION mourning the death of Major League Baseball Hall
of Famer Gary Edmund Carter

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to the
memory of those exemplary athletes from the State of New York who
attained unprecedented success and achievement through their personal
courage, integrity and dedicated effort; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body mourns the death of Major
League Baseball Hall of Famer Gary Edmund Carter; and
WHEREAS, Gary Carter, the slugging catcher known as Kid for the sheer
joy he took in playing baseball, died on Thursday, February 16, 2012, at
the age of 57; and
WHEREAS, Born on April 8, 1954, in Culver City, California, Gary
Carter was both an infielder and a star quarterback at Sunny Hills High
School in Fullerton, California; he planned to play football at UCLA,
but pursued baseball instead when he was selected by the Montreal Expos
in the third round of the 1972 draft; and
WHEREAS, The Expos switched Gary Carter to play catcher, and he made
his debut for them in September 1974; playing his first 11 seasons in
Montreal, he became the face of the franchise, but was later traded to
the New York Mets in December 1984; and
WHEREAS, Gary Carter's big opening day in 1985 was the prelude to a
season in which he hit a career-high 32 home runs; this major accom-
plishment set the stage and helped to propel the Mets for their dramatic
1986 World Series championship year; and
WHEREAS, In his five seasons with the Mets, the right-handed-hitting
Gary Carter added considerable power to a lineup that featured the left-
handed-hitting Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry; and
WHEREAS, Gary Carter played with intensity and flair, hitting 324 home
runs and punctuating many of the ones he hit at Shea Stadium with arm-
flailing curtain calls emblematic of the Mets' swagger in the mid and
late 1980s; in his 19 seasons in the major leagues, all but two of them
with the Expos or the Mets, he was an 11-time All-Star and was twice
named the most valuable player in the All-Star Game; and
WHEREAS, In addition to his 324 home runs, Gary Carter drove in 1,225
runs and had a career batting average of .262; his 298 home runs while
in games as a catcher rank him No. 7 on the career list; and
WHEREAS, Elected to the MLB Hall of Fame in 2003, Gary Carter won
three consecutive Gold Glove awards, from 1980-82, with the Expos; he
caught in 2,056 games, placing him No. 4 among major league catchers;
and
WHEREAS, After his playing days, Gary Carter was a roving minor league
instructor for the Mets, a broadcaster for the Florida Marlins, a manag-
er in the Mets minor league system and with the independent Long Island
Ducks; he was most recently the coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University;
and
WHEREAS, Gary Carter is survived by his wife, Sandy; two daughters,
Christy and Kimmy; son Douglas James; and three grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of
compassion, Gary Carter leaves behind a legacy which will long endure
the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory to his team-
mates and the numerous fans who watched him play America's favorite
pastime; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Gary Edmund
Carter; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Gary Carter.