Ned Martin

When Ned Martin was named to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000, he was treated to thunderous applause and a standing ovation at the awards ceremony in Boston. It was a moment that crystallized everything he had meant to people all across New England in the 32 years he had broadcast Red Sox baseball. Equal parts poet, literary scholar, and baseball play-by-play announcer, Edwin Roland "Ned" Martin was a fixture in New England starting in 1961. Humble and dignified, he was known as much for his quoting of Shakespeare and Hemingway during games as he was for his succinct and honest play calling. A Duke University graduate and World War II veteran (he fought at Iwo Jima), Martin joined the Red Sox during Carl Yastrzemski's rookie season and stayed until 1992. Upon his death in 2002, the Red Sox observed a moment of silence before their next game and replayed Martin's best-remembered calls on the center field screen.