An Ode to "The Kid"

If you've read my blog enough you know if I want to write about a topic and I can find someway to tie it in to food, weight loss, body image, etc. I'll write about it. Well, tonight I'm going to tie it in to baseball and the passing of Hall of Famer,Gary Carter.
I have been a baseball fan pretty much all of my life. I went to my first major league baseball game in the late 70's, I was four. It was a Montreal Expos game. I of course grew up in a small New York town an hour south of Montreal. That day I started the longest love affair I have ever, my love for the Montreal Expos.  From then on I saw at least one game a year ( I think my record was four in one year) up until 2001. That was my last game. They may be remembered as the laughing stock in baseball , but the Expos in their heyday were amazing. Of course the guy who stands out the most is Gary Carter. He was probably the most loved Montreal Expo ever. He was a great player, a man of class, full of charm and a wonderful smile. I have to admit. I think part of my love for him as a player were his good looks.  He was with the Expos for ten years, '74-'84. He then came back for his final year in baseball, 1992. I have many fond memories of  watching him play. .
My Maternal Grandmother and I would call him "Gare-ree!" because of how the announcer would say his name "Gare-ree Car-tear". I even had a Sports Illustrated poster of him on my wall when I was a kid. Granted, he was wearing a Mets uniform in it but it was still my Gare-ree!". The last time I saw Gary he was at the 2010 National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown. I find it fitting that the last time I saw him was when they were honoring his long time teammate Andre Dawson. Carter and Dawson are the only Montreal Expos in the HOF and might turn out to be the only ones ever.
So what does this have to do with my weight loss? Well, I know I've said a few places that I can finally fit into my Montreal Expos Jersey. I think the last time it fit me the Expos were still a team. The Expos haven't been a team for almost 8 years now. Tomorrow will be the first time I've worn it since then. I'll wear it with pride and a heavy heart. RIP Gary. Thanks for the memories. You will be missed. The world needs more Gary Carters.