Joe Carter.Photo illustration The Globe and Mail. Source photo Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press
It’s been more than 30 years since Joe Carter galumphed triumphantly around the bases, touching ‘em all after clobbering that ball over the SkyDome’s left-field wall to walk off the 1993 World Series. But he still occupies a special place in the hearts of Toronto Blue Jays fans, not least because, for the past 15 years he’s hosted a golf tournament every June that has raised more than $5-million in support of various charities, from the Children’s Aid Foundation to Cardiac Kids and Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. This year’s edition of the Joe Carter Classic, which will welcome such celebrity guests as Roger Clemens, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Rachel Homan, Damon Allen, Jayna Hefford, Doug Gilmour, and Rick Vaive tees off at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont., on Wednesday. He spoke with us from his home in Leawood, Kan.
Your Instagram bio mentions your time as a Blue Jay and then says: “Golfer, Golfer and More Golf.” What do you spend your days doing?
Golf. No, I don’t just always do that. My wife won’t let me. We have a small real estate development company. My wife had built an apartment complex, a small six-plex down on the plaza in Kansas City, Mo., that we run. But mainly it’s just doing things here around the house, relaxing and enjoying my retirement.
Is there an invitation you’d like to receive?
Yes, an invitation to play Augusta National.
What would be your favourite journey?
My journey to Tokyo in 2018 was unbelievable: The people, the city, how clean it was, the atmosphere. It was the most organized, well-run city I have ever been to in my entire life. And the honesty of the Japanese people – they had vending machines on the roads out in the country, where they put their own food and stuff in there. But it was an honour system. You take what you want out, you put your money in the little bucket. And I’m thinking, in the U.S., that’s not gonna happen because there would be no money in the bucket and all the food would be gone. I was there for two weeks, and I don’t remember a horn blowing the whole time I was in Japan. And then, you know, you fly back, and you land at LAX, you get off the plane and you hear all the hustle and bustle and you’re like, Oh, man, they’re worlds apart.
But that hustle and bustle is held up as one of America’s great qualities.
We as Americans, you grab a coffee on the run, you’re drinking it on the run. In Tokyo, you don’t drink it on the streets as you’re ripping and rolling. You take your time and enjoy it. I like that.
Do you have a favourite film?
No – if it’s good, it’s good. I like all genres. If you open your mind and look at film as an art, it’s someone expressing how they see the world, how they see life.
Is there a talent you would like to have?
I would have loved to play the piano. There’s this one girl on Instagram, her name is Zoe. And she has perfect pitch, I think she’s like 7 or 8. She was on America’s Got Talent. She can hear a song and within 10 or 15 minutes she’s playing it perfectly on the piano. So, those prodigies – movies I’ve watched, like August Rush, about the musical prodigy, if I’m scrolling through the TV and I see August Rush on, I have to watch it again. Because I’m fascinated by that.
What’s your favourite sport to watch nowadays?
Football. That would be No. 1. College basketball would be right there. And playoff NBA basketball. Not the regular season, but playoffs.
What did you make of that in-season tournament?
I did not care at all. And they actually raised the banner in L.A.’s arena? Er … okay. That doesn’t count. They’re trying to get more interest for the regular season. As an athlete, you’re paid to do something that a lot of people would do for free, a lot of people do on their days off. And I just can’t fathom that guys actually take all this time off when they’re playing. So-and-so’s not going to play because he’s resting this week? No. Our motto is, You rest in the offseason. One game could make a difference. As a professional, there are no days off, not while your team is playing. To me, that’s absurd.
One of the reasons for the in-season tournament is to increase fan engagement, which includes betting. What do you make of the sports betting wave?
The house never loses. That’s why Las Vegas keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger, because eventually you’re all going to lose. So – nope, I don’t need to do that, I just keep my money. The fans are interested in the betting part because it gives them a thrill and it makes them feel like they’re a part of everything. But at the end of the year, all that engagement is like: Ooh, that cost me a lot of money. It’s the way our society is. Our society is a gambling society.
Do you have a greatest extravagance?
A lot of athletes will have a lot of cars. I’ve had my car, a BMW, for 7 1/2 years. I can only drive one at a time. I’ve never been a person that collects a lot of things. I never really even collected autographs when I played. And it wasn’t until my wife said, ‘You should get these people’s autographs, some of the old timers.’ But no, the biggest thing I collect is golf clubs.
Which brand?
Callaway. Callaway does my tournament so yes, indeed, I absolutely love them.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Nothing.
Nothing?
No. You know, some people live with regrets. But I’ve always been a very positive person. We’re all unique. There’s only one of me – unless you happen to be twins. But I’m not a twin. And life is all about lessons that you’re learning every single day. So all the things, whether they’re good or bad that I went through, those are life lessons. No, there’s nothing I would change about me. I like who I am.
What would you consider your greatest achievement?
[Deep laugh] You know, people always talk about the home run, the World Series. But I think one of my greatest achievements is just being able to become a professional baseball player. Setting your mind and having a goal when you’re seven years old: that is what you wanted to do. So, to achieve that and play for 16 years – to me, that’s quite an achievement that I’m very proud of.
You turned 64 in March. What bit of wisdom would you wish 64-year-old Joe could have told you at 24?
Wow. That your body is going to ache a lot more! (Pause) Ah, man, that’s a deep question. I would have told myself to really enjoy the journey that you’re on. Really soak it in, because you’re one of the few that are able to live that journey. I would tell myself to take more pictures, bring people with you along the way. Because it’s something that, when you become 64 years old, you sit back and all you have left are your memories, and you hope that they’re all good.