[contributed by: Rhubarb_Runner]

Hi Everybody!

by Herb Carneal and Stew Thornley

Copyright © 1996 by Nodin Press

hardcover, 232 pages, 34 b/w photographs

About the Authors: "HERB CARNEAL has been the voice of the Minnesota Twins since 1962. He began broadcasting sports in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, in the 1940s and later did play-by-play for the Philadelphia Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, and Baltimore Orioles before coming to Minnesota. Herb lives in Edina with his wife, Kathy."

"STEW THORNLEY has written a number of books on Minnesota sports history, including The History of the Lakers, Ray Christensen's Golden Memories and Holy Cow! The Life and Times of Halsey Hall, which was named the Best Regional Book of 1991 at the Midwest Book Archievement Awards. He has also written several books for young readers, including biographies of Cal Ripken and Deion Sanders."

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from the dust jacket:

Ever since 1962, the year after the Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins, Herb Carneal has announced their games on the radio.

In Hi Everybody!, written with sports historian Stew Thornley, Herb highlights the ups and downs of those seasons, the two World Series championships and the bad years, too. He shows how the Twins were affected by rule changes, such as the advent of the designated hitter and free agency, and how shifts in pitching strategies have transformed the pace and spirit of baseball itself.

Above all, he tells the story of the Twins, with an emphasis on key individuals -- Calvin Griffith's sixth sense for hiring players, Harmon Killebrew's mammoth home runs, and the dramatic debuts of Kent Hrbek and Kirby Puckett. Through the decades, as players have come and gone, Herb has distilled the essence of what makes the Twins the Twins.

Besides the saga of the Twins, Herb recalls his early years as a boy "crazy about baseball" in Richmond, Virginia, and as a neophyte radio sportscaster in several east-coast cities. In the late 1950s he annoucned for the Baltimore Orioles, along with his broadcast mentor, Ernie Harwell. It was during an Orioles game that Herb predicted Ted Williams's home run in his last at-bat.

Throughout his career, which included a few years of announcing for the Minnesota Vikings, Herb has worked with many colorful broadcast partners. Now he takes us behind the scenes to meet them, with their eloquent quips and verbal gaffes, and he devotes a whole chapter to the inimitable Halsey Hall.

Spring training, controversial trades, pitching duels, late-inning comebacks and upsets, and tales told in the off-season -- they're all here in Herb Carneal's life story and chronicle of the Minnesota Twins. "During a half-century of broadcasting various sports, mostly baseball, I've seen a lot of great moments," Herb writes. "This book is about what I've seen and the people I've met, to relive some of those moments and share them with the fans."

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Personal notes:

• Have to say, I'm intrigued by Thornley's book on Halsey Hall; may have to track that one down. I barely remember Halsey's gravelly voice back in the late 60s.

• With a polite email to WCCO before a trip north to Mpls to attend this 2002 ballgame, I was able to line up a pregame meeting with Herb Carneal in the pressbox. I was so caught up by Herb (he sure looked old, though!) that I never thought to see if Joe or Dazzle was also there. Anyway, besides this radio legend shaking hands with me, he made my copy of his book a priceless keepsake:

  

   

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