There he was – a blind guy no less – from Jersey City, standing with some of the greatest baseball people of all time, holding a plaque that said he was inducted into the Irish-American Baseball Hall of Fame.
It’s safe to say that Ed Lucas is enjoying life these days.
Lucas, the long-time director of development and public education at St. Joseph’s School for the Blind in Jersey City, is also known for being a sports reporter/broadcaster, even though he lost his sight tragically after being struck in the head with a baseball at the age of 12.
Tuesday, at Foley’s Pub in New York, Lucas took his place alongside some baseball immortals like Dodger great Steve Garvey and former Dodger owner Peter O’Malley to receive his award as the newest member of the Irish-American Baseball Hall of Fame.
Former Yankee great Paul O’Neill and legendary Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully were also inducted, but could not attend the ceremonies. Former Yankee and O’Neill’s broadcast partner John Flaherty accepted on behalf of O’Neill, while WFAN personality Ed Randall accepted the award on behalf of his idol Scully.
Long-time major league umpire Jim Joyce was also inducted and his award was accepted by fellow umpire Wally Bell.
Lucas has worked as a sports reporter and broadcaster for more than 40 years, even though he is blind. Over the years, he has developed great relationships with all of the legendary players, and it’s that association that helps Lucas run the Phil Rizzuto Memorial Gene Michael Golf Classic to benefit St. Joseph’s every year.
“I am honored to be in the presence of such great baseball people,” Lucas said. “Baseball has brought me to what I do today and has given me the inspiration to go on. A lot of people said to me that I couldn’t do it, that I couldn’t be involved in baseball because I was blind. It wasn’t too easy, but I had the encouragement of some great people, like Phil Rizzuto, who really encouraged me.
Added Lucas, “When I first started, there were people who made remarks, like ‘What’s this guy doing here? He’s blind.’ But with the faith of God and my family I was able to make it. This is a wonderful honor. I’m very proud to be Irish. My family always talked about us being Irish and made reminders that we were Irish. My mother always said that there are two kinds of people, those who are Irish and those who wish they were.”
Bell followed Lucas in speaking and made a great joke.
“I know it has to be tough for Mr. Lucas,” umpire Bell said. “But I’m told I’m blind by thousands of people every day.”
Peter O’Malley – whose father, Walter, was the owner of the old Brooklyn Dodgers and was hated by many baseball fans for taking the Dodgers out of Brooklyn and moving them to Los Angeles 50 years ago – said he vividly remembered the days when the Brooklyn Dodgers played some of their home games in Jersey City at Roosevelt Stadium in 1956 and 1957.
“I remember those days in Jersey City very well,” O’Malley said. “I was a student at Fordham University at the time and I remember going to Jersey City to see those games. It opened the door for my father to move the team to California.”
Garvey, a 10-time National League All-Star and the 1974 National League Most Valuable Player, also expressed his gratitude for receiving the award.
“It’s a truly extraordinary class and I am happy to be honored with my old friends Vin Scully and Mr. O’Malley,” Garvey said. “It’s a celebration of those who have Irish roots and my roots go deep in New York. I was blessed to play the great game of baseball, the most difficult sport in terms of will and spirit. I was able to have the opportunity to compete day in and day out.”
Needless to say, it was a great day for Irish-Americans, for baseball, but more importantly, for the Lucas family, a truly deserving honor for a great baseball man…
Jersey City resident Tomasz Adamek will take on Bobby Gunn of Hackensack for the IBF cruiserweight boxing championship this weekend at the Prudential Center in Newark. It’s amazing how well received the Polish native Adamek is these parts and has become a local hero. We’ll have more on the Adamek fight in next week’s editions.
And a very familiar face has resurfaced in professional baseball, giving his illustrious baseball career one more shot. We’ll have the latest on Jersey City’s Willie Banks’ career next week as well…
Hoboken’s Chris Lugo is still toiling in the minor league system of the Washington Nationals. Lugo, the former Hudson Catholic standout, is in his sixth season in the Nationals’ chain, now pitching for the Hagerstown Suns in the South Atlantic League. Lugo currently has a 4-2 record, pitching mainly in relief, with a 5.36 earned run average in 25 games. Lugo is now 22 years old. It’s amazing how time flies… — Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.