Pick Up Your Oar and Start Rowing

For fans of love and baseball.

My boss, two co-workers, and I stood behind the hard plastic seats. We were in the front section, on the first-base line at Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets. We were so close to the infield, there was a protective net over our heads. I was new to the New York City area. It was my first visit to Shea Stadium. These were dream seats. My heart pounded with excitement.

We stood with our umbrellas held high. The rain beat down on everything around us. It bounced off the seats and formed deep puddles on the tarp protecting the field.

“Steve,” I asked my boss, “How did you get such great seats?”

“They came from Ed at the office. His dad is a blind sports writer and has a long-standing relationship with the Mets and Yankees.”

The game was called due to rain. We left the stadium disappointed. On the long subway ride back to Jersey City, I wondered about the man behind the seats. How could a man be blind and be a sports writer?

Years have passed since that rainy night. Old friends back in Canada often ask, “Mike, have gone to a baseball game in New York yet?” I say to them, “I’ve been to a few, but let me tell you about the best seats I ever had but couldn’t use.”

Whenever this happens, the memory of that night comes flashing back. I wonder about the blind sports writer. What was his story? It had to be special.

I sat at my computer one night. An email popped into my in-box. I didn’t recognize the return address. The subject line said, “Inspirational SI article about my dad, Ed Lucas.” I was curious. I opened the email. It was from a gentleman sending me a clip of a story written by Steve Rushin for Sports Illustrated. It was a wonderful read about a special man. Through the article and the man who sent it to me, I learned the full story.