Everyone who ever came across Beane, however, suffered a true loss on Wednesday when the Red Sox public address announcer tragically passed away after a car accident in Sturbridge, Mass.
The 59-year-old’s death shocked and saddened all of those who crossed paths with him over the years, dating back to his upbringing in Agawam, Mass., through his media jobs and ultimately his time as the PA announcer with the Red Sox.
One of the biggest goals in life for most people is to do what you love and love what you do. By every single account, Carl Beane did just that during his time as the Sox PA announcer at Fenway Park.
“No one loved his role with the Red Sox more than Carl did his,” Larry Luchhino said in a statement Wednesday.
Open the newspaper on Thursday, check out the websites and blogs, turn on the radio or the TV, and that will be a recurring theme. Beane simply loved his job, and he loved baseball. He had an undying love for what he did, and that shined through for anyone who was lucky enough to meet him.
The news of Beane’s death brought an outpouring of shock and sadness from just about anyone who has crossed paths with him over the course of his life.
Longtime Red Sox beat writers shared stories of encounters with Beane. They spoke with reverence about how much Beane was committed to living up to the lofty standards set by Sherm Feller, the voice of Fenway Park for so long. You’ve probably also heard the stories about Beane’s involvement in the annual Boston-New York media game, in which he would take the reins as “manager,” showing up to the event in a full Wade Boggs uniform.
National media members ranging from Erin Andrews to Jon Heyman weighed in on Twitter to share their memories and grievances. Even the Bruins sent their condolences via Twitter, remembering Beane for his days as a member of the B’s press corps.
Maybe no one captured the sadness of the moment better than Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz. It makes sense, too. Both Ortiz and Beane came to Boston prior to the 2003 season, and it has been Beane who was there to set the stage for all of Ortiz’s Fenway heroics over his time with the Red Sox.
“One way or the other, all of us, we get to be a family, know what I’m saying?” Ortiz told reporters prior to Wednesday’s game in Kansas City. “You guys as reporters, us as players, him as announcer, everybody, we get to be a family — family members. Once things like that go down, it hurts.”
Even if you didn’t meet him, however, you felt like you knew him. Anyone who’s made the pilgrimage to Fenway in the last decade can attest to that. Beane’s boisterous voice was always captivating and attention-grabbing, but never overbearing. He never tried to steal the show, but he was undeniably always a part of the show.
One of the greatest experiences a baseball fan can have is to take in a game at the theatre that is Fenway Park. Beane was the narrator of that nightly drama, and the Fenway experience won’t be the same without him. He was the voice of Fenway during the old ballpark’s grandest days.
His impact as person and even a PA announcer reached further than just the 36,000 at Fenway and the many more listening along on TV or the radio. Beane embraced his role as the Fenway PA announcer, making appearances at weddings and lending his voice to voicemail messages everywhere.
He was even known to return to Western Mass. to call a Holyoke Blue Sox game in the NECBL, giving college players a taste of the bigs, if just for one night.
“Have mike, will travel,” Beane told The Republican when asked why he had returned to Western Mass. one night in 2008. “One of their coaches contacted me and asked if I’d be available. I was, so here I am, and glad to be. It’s baseball in Western Mass., and that’s good enough for me.”
It was instances like that earned Beane the reputation as a kind man who simply loved what he did in life. There are also countless stories of Red Sox fans running into Beane here and there, with Beane more than happy to let those fans try on his World Series rings.
Instances like those are also what he’ll be remembered for, long after his untimely death.
And while not all of us are able to say that we took the field for him in a media game or got to work beside him on press row at the Garden, we’ll at least be able to look back on his time at Fenway and recall those times shared with him — as a “family member.”
I never met Carl Beane, but I’m happy to say that I knew him.
Photo via Flickr/WBUR
