BOSTON — Fenway Park will never be the same. That's because there will never be another Carl Beane.
Beane, who served as a Boston's public address announcer since the 2003 season, died in a car accident in Sturbridge, Mass., on Wednesday. The 59-year-old's death shocked and saddened the Red Sox clubhouse, which was apparent on Thursday.
"Well it's hard to tell the impact of losing an institution, something that's part of our everyday play until you see what it's like," manager Bobby Valentine said before Thursday's contest. "He'll, without a doubt, his presence will be felt tonight and it'll be missed forever."
Pitcher Clay Buchholz is among those who will forever remember Beane's distinct, booming voice. For him, it became synonymous with Fenway Park's tradition.
"Even before I was drafted by this organization, I got to come up and that's just one thing that you remember whenever you leave the ballpark," Buchholz said of Beane. "Obviously, you remember watching David Ortiz and [Kevin Youkilis] and all those guys come up to bat. That voice, it's definitely a distinct voice that everybody knows and everybody's going to remember."
The Red Sox will go without a public address announcer on Thursday night as a way to pay tribute to Beane.
