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Anonymous
Nice moment. I don’t understand all the haters who didn’t care for Carter’s exuberance. He was confident, rather than cocky, and loved playing the game of baseball. The fact that he was happy to share his love of the game with fans and the media should be a point in his favor, not held against him.
Anonymous
All the haters? Carter wasn’t well liked?
Anonymous
Yes, I think Joe Lemire had a story about how all his Mets teammates who were drug addled asses made fun of him for being a goody-two-shoes by calling him “kid”.
Jon Weisman
I really did come close to tearing up watching this. Wasn’t really expecting to, but to me it was just so genuine and wonderful.
Anonymous
Me too, it was quite joyful
Adam Luther
I outright balled when I watched his HOF induction speech (posted on the HOF website): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTDydd9jGws&feature=plcp&context=C3dfb284UDOEgsToPDskJal8TCPWwyLC4qD3LIMjCd
Anonymous
me too – I think it must be the jet lag, but when I read he passed I started crying in Newark airport, then I told the Mrs about Ron Darling holding the sign in that commercial that he was “standing up for his Catcher” and that made me cry more….
Jason Ungar
Words for me (cause I am not good with them!) couldn’t express why Carter was a favorite of mine as a little kid. This video does.
Anonymous
I remember the day that the Dodgers signed Carter – I was ecstatic. Not only was he a deserving Hall of Fame catcher, he was a great human being on and off the field. Sorry Jon, but I did well up watching that video. Thanks for posting it.
God Bless You, “Kid”
Eric Enders
That was great.
Bryan
Andre Dawson described this at bat on XM radio’s MLB show the other day. He said he told Carter that he would be playing in if he batted, so Dawson could throw him out at first. He clearly remembered Carter’s joy after the at bat, and said it represented how Carter played the game every day.
Jon Weisman
I made a small contribution to the ESPN Sweet Spot’s NL players to be excited about. es.pn/ynx0zD
Jim Hitchcock
The only time I saw Carter play was game 1 of the ’88 playoffs. He hit a double off Hershiser (who hadn’t given up a run in 60+ innings, including this playoff game) to drive in the winning run, pounding his fist into his palm.
Unbelievably somber crowd leaving the stadium that night.
Anonymous
nice moment – thx Jon
Anonymous
Gary used to wear the helmet without the ear flap! Wow talk about old school. I remember Ozzie Smith using a helmet like that. And now Gary too :)
Anonymous
My memory plays tricks on me but I seem to remember players in the 60’s, like Mays, not wearing a helmet at all. I know it was pretty standard in the 50’s, but don’t know when helmets became required
Anonymous
I thought helmets were grand fathered in, as well as the ones with the ear flap.
Anonymous
It used to be common for some players to wear a hard inside-the-cap liner.
Adam Luther
Some of the early non-inside, non-earflap hard plastic batting helmets had a felt-like covering either to resemble a ball cap’s “feel”. Anyone else know about this??
Anonymous
I believe that in the film of World Series game 7 in 1965, you’ll see Maury Wills batting with only his cap and no helmet.
Jon Weisman
Dodger Thoughts, 3/1/04: “James Loney, 1B: Ballyhooed, but I have this half-irrational fear his career will be like Todd Hollandsworth’s. Some power, some plate discipline, but not enough of both?”
http://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/12134.html
Anonymous
I can’t figure out why you wanted to remind us of this old post. Loney’s first five years are far superior to Hollandsworth’s first five years with both being about the same age for those 5 years.
Derek TC
Because they both sucked?
Anonymous
Loney enters this season at age 27 and will turn 28 during the season. Isn’t he about to enter his prime 5 years? Duke Snider’s 5 year string of 40 home runs started at age 26, only one year earlier than where Loney is now.
Who are you comparing Loney’s age 23 to 26 production with? Hall of Famers?
Jason Ungar
By age 27 Snider had 146hr, 539 rbi, an OBP around .370 and an OPS avg of .880 or to sum it up an avg OPS+ 129 in 6 seasons..
Loney 67HR, 418rbi, .346OBP, 778OPS and 108OPS+
different era, different players etc..I get all that..but it wasn’t some amazing leap that Snider made..his age 26 aside from steals was last year Kemp like: 132 runs, 42hr, 126rbi 1.046OPS 165ops+
Anonymous
I think that helps to reinforce what a spectacular year Kemp had. And yet it still wasn’t good enough to win the MVP. Hard to understand that!
Anonymous
And Hollondsworth’s pre age 27 production was anemic compared to Loney. Jason, remember I did say Snider started his 5 year string of 40 home runs at age 26, a year earlier than the typical start of the 5 prime years and ended one year earlier to the end of the typical 5 prime years.
Jason Ungar
I would love to eat crow on Loney Bumsrap. At the end of this season I will happily say you were right and I was wrong.
Jon Weisman
It was more about the second sentence, but I do think there’s a parallel.
Anonymous
Interesting to see what was written about ole Victorino as only a singles hitter….sometimes you never know.
underdog
That Carter video was great. Made me teary, too. I was thrilled when Dodgers signed him, even if he was way past his prime at that point, and he had some great moments with the Mets obviously, but his best years were with the Expos, so a lot of people missed ’em. And that was another reason, along with liking Tim Raines and Dawson a lot, that the Expos were my (distant) second favorite team for awhile.
Jack Dawkins
Berkowit…..
How do you explain England looking like the sisters of mercy agaisnt Pakistan spin bowling in the tests, and then unbeatable in the one day? I am confounded!
Derek TC
me too….
Anonymous
Yes, indeed. It looks like it took a full month of practice for a few of them – principally Cook, and now Pieterson, too – to learn how to play spin on those turning wickets, and that’s all it took. Maybe if they’d begun with the one-days, they would have lost all of those and then the first two tests before finally coming around and winning a couple. I wonder how they’ll do in Sri Lanka a month from now. I expect they’ll do fine back in blighty in the summer.
Anonymous
I see Dilbeck at the Times has a post responding to something written by some guy at “Dodgers Thoughts,” wherever that might be.
Anonymous
Man it is hard to believe that only 3 days until catchers and pitchers report to Spring Traning. Man, I’m pumped up :)
Anonymous
Too bad they’ll be reporting to Glendale, Arizona . . . I was just in Vero Beach to visit my Mom and it’s still shocking to see the real Dodgertown quiet this time of year.
Anthony Forkush
Was that Coach Kennedy giving Carter the ball?
Anonymous
It’s going to be an interesting first couple of months to say the least. Some of the guys were making some really really cool observations about depending who makes the winning bid what rout the Dodgers make take, for example if somebody like Torre makes the winning bid we’d expect him to take the conservative approach to some of the changes that might take place etc.
Anonymous
How an organization works really starts with ownership. Ownership sets the tone and course for the organization. Someone like Torre being in control worries me, if only because I believe the game has passed him by to a large degree and the approach that he took as a manager in NY or LA won’t work going forward (unless the NY approach of “spend the most money for the best free agents every year” is adopted).
Anonymous
Just out of curiosity, what is everyone’s thoughts on Bochy telling Posey to not block the plate this season?
Personally, I think it makes sense. I’ve always thought it was a dumb thing to do (and it never made sense that home plate was the one place on the field you could do that). But a lot of commenters at ESPN seems to think it runs afoul of how baseball is supposed to be played or is a sign of weakness or something else that questions the testicular fortitude of the organization.
Anonymous
Ask Mike Scioscia what he thinks.
Anonymous
You have to block the plate man. Just have Bochy teach him how to do it properly, that’s all…
Jon Weisman
NPUT