GARY CARTER – RIP

I grew up in NY and was a fan of the 1986 Mets team that won it all. When I invented the Knee Saver a few years later it was really tough to get any traction with pro baseball players. Living in Houston at the time (right before medical school) I was able to get in touch with the Montreal Expos’ trainer to set up a meeting with Gary to see if he would try my prototype. It was his last go round with the team and he was at the end of his career. He gave me all the time in the world to hear my pitch and he was just as nice as you saw him on TV. The problem was that he could not even bend his knees past 90 degrees as they were so arthritic and swollen and therefore he couldn’t even try my pads. About five or six years later the product finally became commonplace on the market.   Fifteen years after our first meeting I was at a medical conference where Mr. Carter was a spokesperson for an arthritis medication.  Obviously, he wasn’t making up the problem.   The drug company said that was going to show up for an hour and sign autographs, etc.   I happened to be there as a vendor for the Placebo Journal.   I got in line like everyone else to meet him and after a half hour or so it was my turn.   I couldn’t help mentioning to him that I had met him years back in Houston and that he was the first pro to give me time about the Knee Saver. He remembered immediately!   He gushed on and on about how he wished he had that product earlier in his career. He made a point to mention to all his entourage and even the crowd who I was. He went overboard and it was so genuine. Gary Carter, the dude with the constant smile on his face, had it for a reason. He was just that nice of a person.   At the age of 57, The Kid, died yesterday from his brain tumors. You will be missed. Thank you again for being so nice to a young man with a crazy dream.