Montreal – For 19 seasons Gary Carter thrilled baseball fans with his superb play behind the plate and with the bat. His boundless enthusiasm for the game earned the superstar catcher the nickname "The Kid," a moniker that stayed with him throughout his spectacular playing career. Now it's the Kid's turn to be thrilled. "It's a great honor and I am very thrilled," Carter told MLB.com after it was announced he would serve as Honorary Captain of the National League in next month's All-Star Game at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. "I've been on 11 All-Star teams but played on 10 – the other one I was injured. I'm really looking forward to this. I think it's going to be a lot of fun."

Hall of Fame shortstop Luis Aparicio will be the AL captain. Carter said he was recently notified of his selection by Katy Feeney, MLB Vice President of Club Relations and Scheduling. "I was excited about it then, but obviously I couldn't talk about it until now," Carter said. "It's really been kind of a roller-coaster year for me. I was notified [that I would be inducted into the Hall of Fame] on Jan. 7, then my father passed away 17 days later, so it went from a time of being very happy to being very sad." Carter has been working as a catching instructor in the New York Mets' system. His work has kept him on the road frequently. U.S. Cellular Field is one park he hasn't had a chance to see yet, and Carter is looking forward to seeing the facility as well as visiting with the players and coaches at the July 15 Midsummer Classic. Carter, who was named an All-Star Game Most Valuable Player twice (1981, '84), hit .300 with three homers and five RBIs in his All-Star appearances.

On July 28 Carter, who played for the Montreal Expos, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, will be in Cooperstown, N.Y., for his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. "It's been such an eventful year with so many things happening, I don't think it's all sunk in yet," Carter said. "Maybe when I'm up on that podium or later on, when I've had a chance to step back and consider all that's happened, it will hit me. Right now, I'm just keeping busy with work and looking forward to the All-Star Game."

In 1986, Carter was an integral part of a 108-win, world championship Mets team and led Montreal to its first playoff appearance in 1981. Carter drove in 11runs in the '86 playoffs and hit safely in all 10 postseason games for the Expos. He is a lifetime .280 hitter in postseason play with four home runs and 21 RBIs.

While Carter amassed nine 20-plus-homer seasons and four 100-plus-RBI seasons in his career, the backstop was also considered one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. He captured three consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Awards (1980-82) and set a Major League record by allowing only one passed ball in a single season of 150-plus games (1978). In 1989, Carter received the Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to the player who best exemplifies baseball on and off the playing field. Carter retired from baseball in 1992, finishing his career with 2,092 hits, 324 home runs, 1,225 RBIs and a .986 fielding percentage. He is the first former Expo to serve as Honorary Captain and the first Met so honored since Willie Mays in 1992.

The 74th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, while ESPN Radio will provide exclusive, national radio coverage. MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage and MLB.com Radio will provide exclusive play-by-play coverage of the game on the Internet.

Montreal Expos – 30 June 2003