I was sad to read about the passing of Gary Carter on the twitter feed last night. My family and I are life long New York Mets fans and the teams with Gary Carter behind the plate were what I grew up with. I never missed a game. Those Mets teams made me love the game of baseball.

I remember my cousin and I would play in the backyard, him as Gary Carter and me as Dwight 'Doc' Gooden. He was infatuated with Carter and I with Gooden. My cousin went so far as to model his batting stance and swing after 'The Kid' and used it all the way through high school. Every time we played against each other it was like watching a childlike Carter impersonator. I loved it.

We lived and died with those Mets teams and I loved watching Gary Carter play the sport. I was always the rough, hustle everything out type of player and I learned it from watching Gary Carter play day in and day out. He always looked like he was having fun playing a game that most little boys grow up wishing to play.

I never knew him as a person, but when you grow up watching and loving certain people and professionals, it's tough not to feel like they are a part of your life. Everything I've ever heard or read about the man has lead me to believe he was a good person. I'm glad that a gentleman like Gary 'The Kid' Carter existed and he will obviously be missed in the baseball world.