Two days after he went into the Hall of Fame, Gary Carter was honored at Shea last night for being a cornerstone to the Mets’ 1986 World Series championship.
But in Carter’s mind, all his accomplishments won’t mean as much unless he can pass them on to others.
Gary Carter Night was nice, but it will only temporarily mute the last-place struggles the current Mets are going through.
The 17-year gap between the club’s last World Series title grows larger every day. Characteristically, Carter is buoyant about the organization’s future.
“I think they’re excited about what’s gonna transpire over the next couple of years,” Carter said. “I wouldn’t write the Mets off by any means.”
Carter, currently the Mets’ roving catching instructor, believes he and his 1986 brethren can help restore the glory of the franchise by instructing the future major-leaguers. Last night, key components of the team congratulated Carter and reminded fans of a much better time.
“I think it is important – the Wilpons understand that,” Carter said before last night’s pregame ceremony.
“To bring back Howard Johnson, Bobby [Ojeda] and Davey Johnson, I think they realize you have to keep some of that. You lose that, and you have to build from a different foundation.”
Some New York baseball fans may be too young to remember, and some may have forgotten. But for a few years in the mid-1980s, the Mets ruled the town. As many Yankee caps as you see on the streets of Manhattan and the beaches of Long Island, that’s how many Mets caps there were.
As Davey Johnson said with a smile, “We kinda influenced George’s [Steinbrenner’s] thinking a little bit.”
Carter fondly remembers “the battle for the back page,” a time when the Yankees were the pursuers and not the reigning kings of the city.
Carter isn’t the only ’86 Met still involved in the organization. Mookie Wilson manages Rookie League Kingsport, Tim Teufel manages Class A Brooklyn, Ojeda is the pitching coach for Double A Binghamton and Howard Johnson is the hitting coach in Class A St. Lucie. Leaning on such former players, Carter said, is “an opportunity to instill that winning feeling.”
At a time when the Mets are three years removed from their last playoff appearance and on the way to their second straight last-place finish, Carter takes his stature as seriously as his job.
“If I was playing today and Mickey Mantle came around, I’d want to bend his ear,” Carter said. “I’ve been through it. Now I’m in the Hall of Fame.
“I would not do it for any other reason than the Mets are concerned about the future.”
Through his travels, Carter has grown optimistic of the farm system. He spoke of how rookie center fielder Jeff Duncan, whom he called “something special,” bent his ear a few years ago. He sounds convinced brighter days are ahead.
“It might turn around next year,” he said. “You don’t have to have the highest payroll to win. There’s a lot of talent in the minor leagues. I’ve seen this talent. I’m encouraged.”
