For the third consecutive year, the Twins will open the season on a sad note. Herb Carneal, the team’s Hall of Fame broadcater, died Sunday morning of congestive heart failure. He was 83.

In 2005, the Twins opened the season while mourning the death of longtime public address announcer Bob Casey. In 2006, they were mourning the death of Hall of Fame center fielder Kirby Puckett. Carneal, a Twins broadcaster since 1962, also had been elected to the broadcaster’s wing in Cooperstown.

“This is a sad day for the Minnesota Twins organization and millions of baseball fans across the Upper Midwest,” Twins president Dave St. Peter said in a statement. “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.”

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 1st, 2007 at 12:09 pm and is filed under Twins thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.