COOPERSTOWN Carter, Murray punctuate class

They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame today in Cooperstown, N.Y.
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) -- Outwardly, they couldn't have been more different: Eddie Murray, the silent slugger, and Gary Carter, the nonstop-talking and smiling "Kid."
Yet their lives have been almost mirror images: Both were born in the Los Angeles area, just two years apart; both were drafted in the third round; both played for the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers; and both played on one world champion team.
And today, both will enter the Baseball Hall of Fame.
"This is pretty awesome," said Murray, only the 38th player elected in his first year of eligibility. "This is the main place to be. I can't wait."
Emotional moment
Carter's election in January came on his sixth try.
"My emotions are running sky-high," he said. "It completes my life, my career."
Joining them on the podium in Cooperstown will be Milwaukee Brewers announcer Bob Uecker, who will be honored with the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting, and Ohio sports writer Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News, who won the J.G. Taylor Spink Award.
Born in 1956, Murray grew up in a family of 12 children. At Locke High School, he starred with fellow Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith and progressed quickly through the minors after the Orioles drafted him in 1973.
After a torrid spring training in 1977, Murray was ready for the next level, and Orioles manager Earl Weaver knew it.
"He burned up the Winter League in Puerto Rico, and all the scouts down there kept telling me he was some kind of player," Weaver said. "At the last cut, they said they were sending him down, and I said, 'You can't. You'll break his spirit.' "
So Weaver made Murray the designated hitter and a willing sub for veteran first baseman Lee May. It was a sensitive time.
"It was a bad situation," Weaver said. "I had a veteran [May] who had performed well for us. He was a good first baseman and great guy to have on the team. Maybe people got the wrong impression of Eddie right off the bat."
Proving himself
He certainly made a big impression with his bat, hitting .283 with 27 homers and 88 RBIs -- the sort of numbers "Steady Eddie" would produce with amazing regularity throughout his career -- and being named AL Rookie of the Year.
"When I came up, everyone was trying to say I was a home run hitter," Murray said. "I didn't want to be labeled that. I wanted to be a hitter."
The switch-hitting Murray quickly became one of the most feared clutch hitters of his generation. He hit 504 homers, including 19 grand slams, second in major league history to Lou Gehrig's 23. He also drove in at least 75 runs for a major league-record 20 consecutive seasons.
Those who knew Murray best adored him. When Cal Ripken broke Gehrig's consecutive games played record in 1995, Murray was one of four people he specifically thanked, saying it was his teammate's professionalism that made him believe that he should be in the lineup every day.
"He was a fantastic teammate," said Ken Singleton, who played on the Orioles with Murray from 1977-84. "That's why quite of a few of his former teammates are going to be there on Sunday. He was just a guy you could rely on, and not just on the field."
Murray played in three World Series in his 21 seasons, winning the title in 1983 as the first baseman and cleanup hitter for the Orioles.
Hurt feelings
However, the affection from fans and the media that Murray had earned deteriorated after a misunderstanding with team owner Edward Bennett Williams.
In 1986, Murray had a hamstring injury and Williams accused him of dogging it, even though for his career, Murray played in 90 percent of his teams' games.
"To me, it was senseless," Singleton said. "He's a guy who had played every single day. To intimate he was jaking it was ridiculous. Terrible. It probably hurt him."
It did.
"I'm sorry he did what he did," said Murray, who with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays are the only players in history to amass both 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. "I always said the most important thing to me was that my teammates knew I was there every day and knew what I was about. And that was questioned. That's the way it goes."
Murray's eventual return to the lineup coincided with the start of a slump by the Orioles, who went on to post just one winning season in six. As a star, Murray became the prime target.
Feeling betrayed by a community to which he had given so much, including millions of dollars to improve Baltimore's inner city, Murray stopped talking to the media and requested a trade.
The Orioles dealt him to Los Angeles in December 1988, and for the next several years, he quietly put up decent numbers with the Dodgers, Mets and Cleveland Indians. He rejoined the Orioles at midseason in 1996.
"I got to go home, and let me tell you, that was fun," said Murray, who slammed a home run in his first game back and helped lead the Orioles to a playoff berth. "My dad got to see me play and cheer for me all the time. It was like being back in Little League."
When he retired in 1997, Murray had played more games at first base than anyone else in history, and only Mickey Mantle had hit more home runs as a switch-hitter (536).
Carter's progression
While Murray was mauling American League pitchers, Carter was doing the same in the National League and developing into one of the finest catchers in major league history.
Although Carter was a star quarterback in high school in the Los Angeles suburb of Fullerton and signed a letter of intent to play football at UCLA, he chose baseball after being selected by the Montreal Expos in the 1972 free-agent draft.
Carter, nicknamed "Kid" for his youthful exuberance, worked his way up the Expos' minor-league ladder, playing catcher, outfield, first and third base, and made the big club for good in 1975.
As a rookie, Carter was named to his first All-Star team and finished the season with a .270 batting average, 17 home runs, and 68 RBIs in 144 games.
He became the Expos' full-time catcher in 1977 and developed into one of the game's best defensive backstops. In that first full season behind the plate, Carter led NL catchers in putouts, assists, total chances, and double plays.
"All I ever wanted to do was play," said Carter, who had nine knee operations during his 19-year career. "I never feared embarrassing myself. If I am remembered, I hope it's most for giving it all I had and playing hard every day."
In 1981, Carter made his first All-Star start behind the plate and hit two home runs to win game MVP honors. He led the Expos to their first and only playoff berth.
Trading places
Despite winning his second All-Star MVP award, attaining career highs in hits (175) and batting average (.294), and leading the league with 106 RBIs in 1984, Carter was traded to the New York Mets after the season.
With the Mets in 1985, Carter hit a career-high 32 home runs, drove in 100 runs, and batted .281 while handling a talented young pitching staff that included Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling and Sid Fernandez.
The next year, Carter drove in 105 runs and led the Mets to their stunning World Series victory over the Boston Red Sox, driving in 11 runs in the postseason.
Although Carter hit 324 homers, his two-out single in the bottom of the 10th of Game 6 may have been the most important hit of his career.
With the Mets trailing 5-3 -- and after the scoreboard in left briefly flashed "Congratulations, Red Sox" -- Carter lined a 2-1 pitch from Calvin Schiraldi to left to begin the dramatic three-run rally that gave the Mets their improbable victory and forced a Game 7, which they won.
"We won over the city," said Carter, now a roving catching instructor for the Mets. "There were 2.5 million people at the parade going crazy. It was awesome."
After single-season stints in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Carter returned to the Expos for one final campaign before retiring. He still holds the major league career record for most putouts at catcher (11,785) and most chances accepted at catcher (12,988).
Murray was elected to the Hall on the day of his sister Tanja's funeral.
Carter's dad, who was his Little League coach, died less than three weeks later.