Former KITV sports anchor Greg Lucas has written a book about a sport he loves and is very familiar with: baseball.
In “Baseball: It’s More Than Just a Game” ($19.95, Chart House Press), Lucas covers the many aspects of the game’s history. It is full of unusual things that have happened over the past hundred-plus years of our national pastime’s history. This month we look back on Lucas, his time in Hawaii and his book on baseball.
Lucas grew up in Kokomo, Ind., and attended Butler University in Indianapolis, He majored in radio and television, and broadcast Butler sports on radio. After graduating from Butler in 1969, Lucas served in the Army for two years in South Korea.
He served as sports director for AFKN radio and television in Seoul and met his future wife, Yong Ae, while there.
Returning to the States, he worked in radio in Indiana and in 1972 was hired by KHVH Radio to broadcast news and sports in Hawaii.
“The memories from our three years in Honolulu will never fade. We were married there. Our son was born there. My wife started her college career at Kapiolani CC and the University of Hawaii,” Lucas said.
In 1974 Lucas began anchoring sports at KITV, alternating newscasts with Jim Leahey.
He also broadcast the boys state high school basketball finals, covered the Trans Pacific Yacht race and professional tennis in the islands.
“I handled radio play-by-play for the Hawaii Leis of World Team Tennis from the old HIC (Honolulu International Center). Barry Court and Rock Rothrock were my partners. Radio play-by-play for tennis is an adventure. Trying to stay up with the stroke-by-stroke requires a great deal of concentration and a quick use of the vocabulary, all the while not getting too loud,” Lucas said.
“Covering Hawaii’s attempt at joining big-time pro football was an experience. The Hawaiians of the (first) World Football League were fun. That franchise could have made it, if the league could have. They were pulling in 18,000-plus for home games once the then-new stadium opened. That was only a start, but well above what many other teams in the WFL were doing,” said Lucas.
He has fond memories of local sports as well.
“The University of Hawaii football and basketball teams were just beginning to gain prominence during my 1972-75 Honolulu run. The hoopsters had broken upon the national scene a year or two before I got there. You couldn’t get a ticket to home games at the Honolulu International Center. Tom Henderson, with whom I would later hook up with when I was television play-by-play man with the Houston Rockets, was the star,” said Lucas.
In 1975 Lucas left Hawaii and landed play-by-play broadcasting gigs with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks.
He also broadcast games for Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers, sometimes announcing games with the then-owner of the team, future President George W. Bush.
His call of a ball that bounced off Jose Canseco’s head for a home run has been a highlight on sports blooper reels for years.
In 1994 Lucas called Kenny Rogers’ perfect game for the Texas Rangers. Later that year Lucas was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame.
Lucas went on to become a Houston Astros announcer and field-level commentator for Fox Sports Southwest/Houston from 1995 until 2012.
In 2012 he began writing “Baseball: It’s More Than Just a Game,” but he really had spent his career preparing for the book.
Lucas worked more than 3,000 games covering 25 different sports for radio and television.
“It took me my whole career to write ‘Baseball: It’s More Than Just a Game’ since the stories collected began as parts of pre-game, in-game or special programs features I had researched and written for years,” said Lucas.
Some interesting facts from the book: Did you know Jeremiah Denny was the last defensive player to play his entire career without a baseball glove? Denny also holds the major league record for the most errors at 533! Joe Sewell played 14 seasons in the major leagues and used only one bat.
Recently, Lucas has kept busy broadcasting home baseball games for the Sugarland Seekers, who are based just outside Houston, while starting work on additional books.
“Baseball: It’s More Than Just a Game” is available on Amazon.com or bn.com.
But his heart remains in the islands. “My wife and I very much want to return to Hawaii,” said Lucas.
On the Net:
>> gregclucas.com
A.J. McWhorter, a collector of film and videotape cataloging Hawaii’s TV history, has worked as a producer, writer and researcher for both local and national media. Email him at flashback@hawaii.rr.com.
