Since losing his sight during a sandlot baseball game as a 12-year-old in Jersey City, N.J., Ed Lucas has inspired many by adjusting while never giving up his love of baseball. He went on to study communications at Seton Hall University and, with the help of former Yankee great and broadcaster Phil Rizzuto, began his own broadcasting career, interviewing major-leaguers and hosting his own radio show. He’s been a constant presence in the press corps at Yankee Stadium for the past 60 years. He tells his story, appropriately enough, in a book published by Jeter Publishing, the new initiative of now-retired Yankee captain Derek Jeter.
Here’s an excerpt from Seeing Home:
“Over the years, people have asked me to describe what it sounds like to hear a ball hit and to know instantly where it’s going. It’s an innate sense that just comes naturally to me, so it’s hard to put into words, just like it would be hard for you to describe what ‘salty’ tastes like, without using that exact term. The closest analogy to my unique method of following a game would be echolocation that bats use in caves. They hear sounds bounce back to them, enabling them to tell where they are and where they are headed. The volume and pitch of a baseball bat making contact tells me all I need to know as it rings through the ballpark. To my sensitive ears, a long home run sounds almost like a cannon being fired. A weak fly ball reminds me of a champagne cork popping, and an infield hit is reminiscent of twigs snapping underfoot. The direction is just a matter of listening for the echo. I’ve always been able to tell the difference, without fail.”
