Editorial Content for Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story: A Blind Broadcaster's Story of Overcoming Life's Greatest Obstacles
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These days, the word “inspirational” is tossed around a lot for things that really aren’t. But in the case of Ed Lucas, it somehow doesn’t seem adequate.
Like many kids of his generation, Lucas loved baseball. It was ironic then that this passion would be the cause of the blindness that has afflicted him since he was 12 years old. He was hit in the face by a line drive that exacerbated an already deficient vision. The fact that this occurred on the same day that Bobby Thomson was hitting his historic “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” --- October 3, 1951 --- just adds to the improbable story.
But Lucas, a man of great faith, believes this was all part of a bigger plan. Would he have been able to achieve his goals as a sportswriter, meet and befriend hundreds of athletes and celebrities otherwise? Perhaps. Would he have fathered two sons with whom he still shares a marvelous relationship? Who knows? Would he have been able to serve as an example for untold numbers of blind people? Doubtful.
"These days, the word 'inspirational' is tossed around a lot for things that really aren’t. But in the case of Ed Lucas, it somehow doesn’t seem adequate."
In SEEING HOME, written with his son, Christopher, Lucas recounts the difficulties of adjusting to his new realities, always with the support of his loving family, teachers and mentors. If there were any doubts in his mind, he pushed them aside, displaying a can-do attitude. He never let the ignorance of others stand in his way as he worked in the insurance industry while still hanging on to his original dreams of writing about baseball.
Lucas expresses a great deal of gratitude for the kindnesses he received along the way, including from New York Yankees Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto, who became a lifelong friend and even introduced him to his current wife. Lucas gives special thanks to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who went out of his way to make sure that the Lucas family was part of the Yankee family.
(Lucas’ experience with his first wife and the mother of his sons is heartbreaking as she abandoned them because she felt stifled and unfulfilled. She returned years later, demanding and winning full custody in a contentious legal battle predicated on Lucas’ inability to care for them adequately because of his handicap. The decision was overturned on appeal in a landmark decision.)
In a way, Lucas’ blindness made him a better person. While he was the target of discrimination from members of the sports media who didn’t understand how a blind person could possibly do their job, Lucas was unable to prejudge a person. In fact, he notes that while many players were reluctant to accommodate his requests for interviews, it was such African-American stars as Willie Mays --- the subject of Lucas’ first big interview in 1957 --- and Bob Gibson who reached out to this earnest soul and gave his work the credibility it needed.
Nothing is sacred in the locker room, and Lucas was proud to be in on the good-natured teasing from Yankees legends like Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Billy Martin, Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson, Goose Gossage and Don Mattingly, who he counts among his friends.
SEEING HOME is one of the first books to be released under Jeter Publishing, an imprint of Simon & Schuster run by the former Yankee shortstop. If this is an example of the projects Jeter will produce, baseball fans can look forward to some outstanding reading.
Teaser
Soon to be a major motion picture, SEEING HOME is the incredible true tale of beloved Emmy-winning blind broadcaster Ed Lucas, who refused to let his disability prevent him from overcoming many challenging obstacles and achieving his dreams. Over his long and amazing life, Ed has collected hundreds of anecdotes from his personal relationships and encounters with everyone, from kings and presidents to movie stars and sports Hall-of-Famers.
Promo
Soon to be a major motion picture, SEEING HOME is the incredible true tale of beloved Emmy-winning blind broadcaster Ed Lucas, who refused to let his disability prevent him from overcoming many challenging obstacles and achieving his dreams. Over his long and amazing life, Ed has collected hundreds of anecdotes from his personal relationships and encounters with everyone, from kings and presidents to movie stars and sports Hall-of-Famers.
About the Book
Soon to be a major motion picture, SEEING HOME: The Ed Lucas Story is the incredible true tale of a beloved Emmy-winning blind broadcaster who refused to let his disability prevent him from overcoming many challenging obstacles and achieving his dreams.
In 1951, when he was only 12 years old, Ed Lucas was hit between the eyes by a baseball during a sandlot game in Jersey City. He lost his sight forever. To cheer him up, his mother wrote letters to baseball superstars of the day, explaining her son’s condition. Soon Ed was invited into their clubhouses and dugouts, as the players and coaches personally made him feel at home.
Despite the warm reception he got from his heroes, Ed was told repeatedly by others that he would never be able to accomplish anything worthwhile because of his limitations. But Hall-of-Famer Phil Rizzuto became Ed’s mentor and encouraged him to pursue his passion --- broadcasting. Ed then overcame hundreds of barriers, big and small, to become a pioneer --- the first blind person covering baseball on a regular basis, a career he has successfully continued for six decades.
Ed may have lost his sight, but he never lost his faith, which got him through many pitfalls and dark days. When Ed’s two sons were very young, his wife walked out and left him to raise them all by himself, which he did. Six years later, Ed’s ex-wife returned and sued him for full custody, saying that a blind man shouldn’t have her kids. The judge agreed, tearing Ed's sons away from their father's loving home. Ed fought the heartbreaking decision with appeals all the way up to the highest level of the court system. Eventually, he prevailed, marking the very first time in US history that a disabled person was awarded custody over a non-disabled spouse.
Even in his later years, Ed is still enjoying a remarkably blessed life. In 2006, he married his second wife, Allison, at home plate in old Yankee Stadium, the only time that such a thing ever happened on that iconic spot. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner himself catered the whole affair, which was shown live on national television.
SEEING HOME: The Ed Lucas Story is truly a magical read and a universally uplifting and inspirational tale for everyone, whether or not you happen to be a sports fan. Over his long and amazing life, Ed has collected hundreds of anecdotes from his personal relationships and encounters with everyone, from kings and presidents to movie stars and sports Hall-of-Famers, many of which he shares in this memoir, using his trademark humorous and engaging style, cowritten with his youngest son, Christopher.
