Remembering Herb Carneal
Hi Twins fans,
Well we have truly lost a friend. Like I said on the radio Monday in our
tribute to Herb, "life, games, and broadcasts will go on, but it won't be
the same with Herb not being around." Just a couple of quick personal
stories on Herb and it will be time to get ready for the White Sox series.
When I joined the Twins in 1987 the Twins traveled by commercial air and
Herb and I used to sit in first class together. We talked and we talked and
we talked. Neither of us liked to sleep on the plane, or read, so we jus
talked. Mostly baseball of couse, but we did mix in some conversations
about our families and our personal life. Herb always had an interest in
the stock market, but mostly we talked baseball. And I guess that's where I
learned most about Herb's knowledge of the game. Yes, he knew about the
players and their stats and backgrounds, but I was always amazed about how
much he knew about the game and its strategies. When the Twins stopped
traveling by commecial air and went to charter I knew that those
conversations would stop and man did I miss them.
Although Herb was svelt and carried himself well, he was as good an eater
that I have ever seen. He liked to frequent favorite restuarants, and he
loved to order a lot of food. One of his favorite spots was Pfister Hotel
dining room. He loved to eat there. He didn't care much for eating after a
game, but if we had a day game or a day off on the road I knew we could
always count on a big meal that night. He also liked Anthony's Pier 4 in
Boston. And Herb liked any kind of food. Fish, steak, whatever, he would
tuck his napkin under his chin and dig in! We had some great nights out,
eating and talking.
There are many more stoires I could tell, but I thought I would just give
you a couple of memories of my time with Herb Carneal. We spent 20 seasons
together and I always enjoyed being in his company.
John Gordon
Hey John, Thanks for sharing your stories about Herb, he sounds like he would have been a great guy to get to know. Also, keep up the great work on this blog, your insight on the Twins is a great resource for all of us fans.
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John...any Herb stories you can ever remeber will be greatly enjoyed. He's a man I listened to for almost all of his 45 years as the voice of the Twins. I always wanted to meet him and I always imagined that someday I could sit down and talk baseball with him. You had that chance and I'm really pleased to hear you're going to miss that part of the relationship. Now YOU'RE the voice of the Twins so carry on a wonderful tradition.
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Hey John,
Welcome aboard. I actually visited Twins camp this spring. What a great experience it was. Herb was a great announcer. I want to share a blog/vlog I did of my time at Twins' camp. I did a little tribute to Herb Carneal. Thought you might enjoy it (link below).
http//bestblog.mlblogs.com
Carl The Cabbie
INSIDE PITCH
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John, thanks for the stories and count me among those wishing condolences to all who knew Herb. My uncle Johnny Goryl brought me up as a Twins fan in the days of Killebrew and Oliva and Tovar and Kaat and Perry and Carew, and since he played for and managed the Twins, I know that my Uncle Johnny is saddened by Herb's passing as well according to my cousins (Mullion's daughters). I'm glad you all are blogging. I work for all 30 clubs but always have a soft spot for the one that I grew into baseball with.
Mark Newman/MLB.com
http://mlblogs.mlblogs.com
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John,
Thanks for the nice remembrances of HC. He was a great announce for a young kid like me to listen to as a pre-teen and teenager.
I hope you, Dan, Bert and **** have fun this season--it really comes across to us listeners when you guys are having a good time at the game!
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lronglien@goldengate.net has got it right. We, as Twins fans are very lucky to have such great play by play and color guys. John and Danny work very well with and off each other on the radio side and **** and Bert are so knowledgeable and entertaining on the television side without being overbearing. We have a classy team to follow and classy people to bring us the action.
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Gordo - Thanks for the thoughts and Herb WILL be missed.
Excited to read your blog this season and love listening to you and Dazzle on the radio ... makes mowing the lawn a lot more fun!
John Nemo
http://thekingsgame.mlblogs.com
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John, thanks for the memories of Herb. I received a transistor radio for my 10th birthday in 1966. It had an earphone attachment and I used to fall asleep listening to Herb doing the Twins play by play. I would wake up in the morning with a dead 9 volt battery and a sore ear from sleeping on the earphone but it was worth it. Hard to believe I was still listening to him 40 years later. He will be missed.
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John,
Thanks for sharing your stories about Herb! I grew up in the TV era, but still love listening to games on the radio, whether it be at work, or on a whispy summer's afternoon with the windows open and my bare feet kicked up on the ottoman. I will miss him and I know I'm not alone, so any stories you can share are really appreciated. Thanks John, and keep up the great work!
Mark
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John, Great to hear some things about Herb that we didn't know. I grew up on a farm in Southern Saskatchewan, becoming a Twins fan in 1983 after a family trip to Minnesota to watch baseball. We were able to listen to all the Twins games on the radio back home on the farm; in the tractor, the combine or whatever we were doing. I couldn't wait each day for the time to pass until the ball game came on and for you and Herb to paint us a picture of the unfolding events. I will miss Herb's calls very much.
Russ
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Herb Carneal Made Me Cry
Dear Mr. Gordon,
I want to share my memory of Herb Carneal. He made me cry at least three times in my life. The first time, as a young farm boy, I had to stop the tractor and cry after a heartbreaking Twin's loss to end their season. Herb was announcing. Once again in 1987 when he announced "to Gaetti, the throw to Hrbek, the Twins are World Champions!" I cried again last Sunday. Thank you for listening.
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I grew up listening to Herb and John! I graduated in 1988 and when I was out of Highschool, right after the big '87 season I went from a big fan to a HUGE fan of Twins Baseball! I even had a "special moment in a Man's life" (Hint: I LOST something...) listening to game 5 of the 87 serries!
To me, summer in MN meant being out doors, enjoying family, friends, and nature, and having that AM radio in your hand to listen to the Twins! Win or lose, I was always happy to listen to the game. My mood would change from score to score, but the overall feeling was one of complete happiness!
Now, 1/2 of that team is gone, but not forgotten. Listening to Johns voice will ALWAYS bring me back to those summer days on the lake, and the star lit nights next to the fire listening to the boys of summer battle thier way to a win!
Herb, you will be missed, but I can't think of a better person to continue on the terrific tradition of Twins Baseball than John! Not to mention the addition of Dan and Jack! I think Herb would agree.
Thank you guys for being in my opionion, the BEST in baseball! With you guys on the radio, and Bert and **** on TV, I KNOW we have the BEST broadcast crew in the MLB, if not one of the best in all of professional sports!
Thanks guys! God bless! I am a time collector, and the time I spend with you all is time I will never forget!
-Pete
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