Monday, April 2, 2007
The Minnesota Twins are ready to take the field for their season opener Monday, April 2, but they will be doing it without their legendary radio announcer Herb Carneal. Carneal died at age 83 in his Minnetonka home Sunday of congestive heart failure. He had declared a week prior to his death that he would not announce the season home opener due to health concerns, but was hopeful to make a return later in the season.
Carneal’s death marks the third consecutive year in which the Twins have started the season with a loss of someone close to the organization; veteran public address announcer Bob Casey died March 28, 2005, and former Twin and Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett died March 6, 2006.
“Herb Carneal’s voice was the signature element of Twins baseball for multiple generations of fans. Clearly he was one of the most beloved figures in Minnesota sports history. The Minnesota Twins will proudly dedicate the 2007 season to the memory of Herb Carneal,” Twins President Dave St. Peter said. Last year, Twins uniforms bore the number 34, in dedication to Puckett; to mourn Carneal’s passing, the Twins will wear black arm-bands, until a more permanent uniform patch can be designed.
In 1998, Carneal cut back his schedule to only include home games, thus avoiding travel, and he was only scheduled to announce 36 home games this season. A 1996 winner of the Ford C. Frick Award, Herb Carneal announced baseball for 51 seasons, and was the “voice of the Twins” since 1962.