BLUE JAYS REMEMBER
TWO GREATS
AT HOME OPENER

Toronto – The Toronto Blue Jays are pleased to announce Shirley Cheek, the wife of the late Tom Cheek, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at General Motors Opening Night presented by The Toronto Star & The Fan 590 on Tuesday April 4th. As part of that night's opening ceremonies, the Club will pay tribute both to its longtime radio voice and also one of the most popular players in the history of the visiting Minnesota Twins, Kirby Puckett.

While game-time between the Blue Jays and Twins is set for 7:15 pm, the opening ceremonies will begin after 6:45 pm. The Blue Jays ask fans heading to the game, to arrive early as lineups are expected to develop at ticket windows and the entrance gates. Fans are also advised lights in the stadium will be turned out to begin the opening ceremonies.

During the past offseason, Ms. Cheek was named by the Toronto chapter of the BBWAA as the 2005 recipient of the John Cerutti Good Guy Award. This award recognizes the compassion, courage, determination and love she demonstrated during her late husband's hard-fought battle with brain cancer. Tom Cheek passed away on October 9, 2005 at the age of 66. A two-time finalist for baseball's prestigious Ford C. Frick Award recognizing broadcasting excellence, Cheek was well known for his remarkable streak of calling 4,306 consecutive regular season Blue Jays games between Opening Day in 1977 and June 2004.

A 2001 first ballot inductee to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Puckett passed away on March 6, 2006, after suffering a stroke the day before. He was eight days shy of his 46th birthday. A ten-time American League All-Star, Puckett batted .318 with 207 home runs and 1,085 RBI in 12 seasons with the Twins. He led the Club to a pair of World Series Championships, capturing titles in 1987 and 1991.

Major League Baseball – 29 March 2006