Mike Silva's New York Baseball Digest » Gary Carter

Ducks Open Season Honoring #8

Friday, April 27th, 2012

When you think of the late Hall-of-Fame catcher Gary Carter you immediately remember his days in Montreal or leading the Mets to the ’86 World Series championship. Perhaps his final years in Los Angeles and San Francisco come to mind, as well. What you don’t think of is Carter in a Long Island Ducks uniform, but he […]

Shea Stadium Nearly Had Astroturf

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

I was surprised when I found out earlier this week that Shea Stadium nearly went Astroturf for the 1985 season. Over at Sports Media Watchdog, I interviewed Michael Damergis, author of a great 25th anniversary book about the United States Football League called “USFL: The Rebel League the NFL Didn’t Respect but Feared.” During the […]

Sisk on Carter, How the Montreal Deal Went Down, and the Canadians Tribute

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

I wanted to share some final thoughts before we put the final touches on the tribute to Gary Carter. Doug Sisk, Carter’s teammate from 1985-1987, joined me during my show tonight to discuss his memories of “The Kid.” Hear Doug talk about the impact of Carter on the Mets, their appearance together in a bubble […]

Listen: Pitchers & Catchers at 8pm

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

The Hot Stove is officially over and we kick off the Grapefruit League schedule with the first radio show of spring training. Jody McDonald of ESPN Radio and WIP in Philly talks about his memories of Gary Carter and his take on the what the big stories are in Mets and Yankees camp. I will […]

“Kid” by Annakin Slayd

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

As a tribute to Gary Carter, Annakin Slayd, a musician from Montreal, recorded a song called “Kid” along with a video featuring highlights of Carter during his playing days. There are some great highlights from Carter’s days in Montreal and New York.

Listen: Gary Carter on AM 1240 WGBB 4/22/2007

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

With the passing of Gary Carter, I thought I would celebrate his life and career by sharing my interview with him from April 22nd, 2007 on 1240 AM WGBB. When Carter was diagnosed with cancer, I wrote about my personal connection with #8. You can download this interview here or listen below. You can also […]

Listen: Tom Seaver: The Last Icon

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

We do a Mets-centric show tonight, as Steven Travers, author of a new book called “The Last Icon: Tom Seaver and His Times.”  We will discuss Seaver’s career, learn about him personally, and see how he rates versus the greatest pitchers of all-time. Later in the show I will discuss why the Mets should retire Gary […]

ESPN Touting Access To a Site You Can View

Friday, January 20th, 2012

ESPN New York has been providing the public updates about the health of former Mets catcher and Hall of Famer, Gary Carter, from the family’s website. A common quote in these ESPN stories is “ESPNNewYork.com has been granted access.” Learn why this might not be the case over at Sports Media Watchdog.  More importantly, you […]

Vote: Retiring Gary Carter’s #8

Friday, January 20th, 2012

Retiring Gary Carter’s #8 shouldn’t be done because his health has taken a turn for the worst. I think it makes sense based on his impact to the organization. Back in June I wrote this piece, which outlined my thoughts on the importance of Carter to those teams in the 80s. Everyone knows the eighties Mets […]

Closing the Book on Jorge Posada and the Yankees

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Jorge Posada announced his career with the Yankees is over. “I don’t think there’s even a percentage of a chance that I can come back,” Posada said to the Daily News. “It’s not going to happen.” It was a rough year for Posada both on and off the field. On the […]

Getting to Know Josh Thole

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

Full Name – Joshua Michael Thole Born – Breese, Illinois on October 28, 1986 Height & Weight – 6-1, 215 Nickname – Josh Hobbies/Interests – I enjoy playing golf Player you would pay to watch today – Gary Carter, I played for him a few years back in the minors. It would be neat to […]

Morning Digest: Classic Media Meltdown Edition

Sunday, August 21st, 2011

The New York media has gone soft. As someone who started watching sports in the first days of WFAN, the era of the Worst Team Money Could Buy, and when George Steinbrenner had his fastball I can attest to it. I am not asking for what happened here in the 70s. You aren’t going to […]

Watch: McDowell vs. Jefferies Brawl in 1989

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

Great video I found on YouTube. This is a blast from the past. It’s the final Mets home game in 1989. I still remember watching this game. Gregg Jefferies grounded out to end the ball game, and promptly raced over to brawl with the Phillies closer, and former Met, Roger McDowell. From what I have […]

Why Carter’s #8 Should Be Retired

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

I was a bit surprised about how polarized the fans are about retiring Gary Carter‘s number. This debate was born yesterday after Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post wrote how even the “tone-deaf” Mets know this is the right thing to do. The naysayers had a mixed bag of reasons; citing statistics, belief in […]

My Personal Connection With Gary Carter

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

When you reach your mid-thirties, like me, weird things start to happen in your world of sports. Former players you watched are now coaches, managers, or front office executives. For some, that finely tuned athlete body has gone soft. The David Cone who works for YES doesn’t have that baby face anymore. Jason Isringhausen is […]