A Fitting Farewell To 'The Kid'
(This was a piece I did back on February 19th, 2012 paying tribute to Gary Carter) Yesterday, I talked to Montreal hip hop artist Annakin Slayd, and he told me that he was in tears all that morning. Slayd was, and still is a diehard Montreal Expos fan. And hearing about the passing of Expos great Gary Carter, made many eyes well. But it was Slayd who had a special connection with Carter. In Carter’s last game on September 29th, 1992 at Olympic Stadium, Slayd snuck down from the bleachers, to the dugout. He made a sign that had a drawing of Carter, along with the years he played in the Major Leagues. Six years later, Slayd met Carter and showed him the front page that he made after the game. Carter told him that he had the same picture framed at home. Carter signed it with a smile. I think that infectious smile that Carter had shined more than his electric play behind the plate. It was a smile and breaking into the Majors at age 18 that got him the nickname “Kid”. Originally ...