Although he had been ill for about a week, Ed Lucas wasn’t about to miss his favorite day of the year on Monday, namely the St. Joseph’s School for the Blind’s annual fundraiser, the Gene Michael Celebrity Charity Golf Classic.
Lucas, the Jersey City native who has been blind since childhood and serves as the school’s director of development and public education, has hosted the annual golf outing since 1991, when he partnered with the legendary New York Yankee player and announcer Phil Rizzuto.
“In 1990, we had a charity auction to raise money and Scooter [Rizzuto’s nickname] told me that the next year, we were going to have a golf tournament, that we could make more money,” Lucas said. “Scooter told me I was going to run it. I said, ‘Scooter, I don’t know anything about running a golf tournament.’ He said to me, ‘Eddie, if you can finish at the top of your class at Seton Hall, then you can do this. Just do it.’ We started it in 1991 and have been doing it ever since.”
Although Rizzuto passed away two years ago, his memory lives on in the golf outing that he helped to start. The headline attraction has been handed down to another former Yankee shortstop, Gene Michael, who was also the Yankees’ general manager for a while and still works with the club in several capacities.
“Stick [Michael’s nickname] came to me and said that he wanted to help,” Lucas said. “So after Phil died, I asked him if he would like to have the tournament named after him. He wondered if he was worthy enough. But Stick has been wonderful in terms of getting celebrities to come every year. He goes out of his way to make sure this outing works.”
The Gene Michael Celebrity Charity Golf Classic was held last Monday at Brooklake Country Club in Florham Park and certainly drew its fair share of celebrities. Hall of Fame legend Yogi Berra, still going strong and playing golf at 84, was on hand and signed many autographs. Graig Nettles, the former great Yankee third baseman, was also in attendance.
“It’s really a nice thing and I’m glad I can help,” Michael said. “We try to draw a good crowd. Having our eyesight is something we all take for granted, but there are so many people who are without sight that need help. It’s natural for us to take it for granted, because we don’t realize the loss. No question, it’s an honor for me to have this named after me. I’m blessed to be able to help.”
Michael said that it was important for the golf outing to continue after Rizzuto passed on.
“Scooter did such a great job with this outing,” Michael said. “I want to be able to carry on in his tradition and in his honor. It’s really a nice thing and a nice way for us to get together.”
The ESPN show “Baseball Tonight” was well represented, with analysts John Kruk, the former Philadelphia Phillies All-Star, and Buck Showalter, the former Yankee manager, in attendance as well.
The celebrities were not limited to just the baseball world. For example, famed actor Tony LoBianco was among the celebrity golfers as well.
Another of the celebrities was former Yankee pitcher Fritz Peterson, who was a solid pitcher in the early 1970s, which was a lean time in the Bronx. While Peterson was a very good pitcher, winning 133 games during his career, he was probably better known for conducting a wife swap in 1973 with teammate Mike Kekich.
Peterson has remained with his wife, Suzanne, the former Mrs. Kekich since they were married in 1974. Kekich and Marilyn Peterson were not together long.
Peterson has just written a book, entitled “Mickey Mantle is Going to Heaven,” which will be released shortly. Peterson, who still has a home in New Jersey, will also go on a tour to promote the book next month.
“It’s a tremendous feeling to be here, to see some of my friends and help this cause,” Peterson said. “I know some of the other players love coming back, as long as it’s helping our friend Ed.”
Peterson said that he had a good time writing the book.
“It took too long of a time to get it done, but I was laughing to tears doing it,” Peterson said.
Peterson, who is a prostate cancer survivor, also does a lot of charity work for that cause.
“I was part of a research program at a practicing clinic in Iowa,” Peterson said. “I was like a guinea pig.”
Peterson said that he doesn’t like the fact that he is best remembered for the wife swap, even though he and Suzanne have been together for so long and have four children.
“It’s unfortunate that I’m remembered that way,” Peterson said. “I didn’t like being laughed at by people who didn’t know me. But I still love coming to events like this. We’re all fatter and grayer and walk with limps, but we’re out there having fun. With God’s grace, I’ll be back again next year.”
And fortunately, so will Lucas. He might have been too sick to unfortunately miss the Mets’ 40th anniversary celebration of the 1969 Amazin’ Mets World Series team and see his old-time friends Ron Swoboda and Ed Kranepool, but it would have taken an army to keep him away from the golf outing he initiated with his best friend, the Scooter.
“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” Lucas said. “We have so many people who come and help us.” Lucas pointed out one special friend.
“Our golf chairman, Harold Reeves, was very sick and did some work from his hospital bed,” Lucas said. “He gave me the inspiration to be here. If Harold could do it, then I could do it. I had to be here to see my friends today.”
That’s good, because the day wouldn’t have been the same without Ed Lucas. q
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.