Crapshoot
11-19-2005, 02:53 PM
Nice story - isn't this close to bunch of people here ?
When 11-year-old Jonathan Lucas decided to write former Major League All-Star John "Blue Moon" Odom a fan letter, he had no reason to expect a response.
But boy, did he get one.
Jonathan might have thought the autographed picture, personalized letter and baseball cards he received from the former Oakland Athletics pitcher through the mail was as much as he could have hoped for.
So imagine Jonathan's surprise when his mom woke him up Sunday morning, informing him that Odom himself was in the family's driveway.
"It's the best experience I've had through the mail ever," Jonathan said.
So, how does a kid who was born nearly two decades after Odom threw his last big-league pitch become a fan - and later friends - with a guy who pitched for three consecutive World Series-winning teams and now lives in California?
About a month ago, Jonathan and his dad, Bradley Lucas, were at a baseball card show at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Deciding not to stand around waiting in a long line, the Lucases decided to look at the exhibits. They found a display for Odom, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year.
"(My dad) told me all about him," said Jonathan, a student at Clifton Ridge Middle School in Jones County. "I thought it was neat how he was born and raised in Macon. I sent him a letter. Luckily, he sent me something back."
Fan mail for Odom is nothing new, but this one letter was a bit different.
"I get hundreds each month," Odom said. "This one just stood out, the way he went about it. There was my Sports Hall of Fame display, and he and his dad were asking questions about me. He sent me a couple of cards. He just wanted to get something from me because we were from the same area."
So Odom replied to his letter with the cards and photos, all autographed. Then, Odom decided to go one better.
'DO SOMETHING SPECIAL'
Odom usually returns to Macon a couple of times a year, and he was in town to play in Kevin Brown's charity golf tournament. Brown, a Macon resident, pitches for the New York Yankees.
"I said to my wife, 'I'm going to do something special. I'm going to surprise him when I'm in Macon,' " Odom said.
Libby Lucas, Jonathan's mom, was the first to be surprised. She was taking the family's parakeet outside because it was too loud. As she was taking the bird to the porch, a car pulled up, and the driver asked if it was the Lucas residence. When she said it was, the driver asked if Jonathan was there.
"I told him, 'He is,' " Libby Lucas said. "Then he said, 'Tell him Blue Moon Odom is in his driveway.' "
Libby Lucas ran back into the house to wake up her son. Jonathan knew his mother didn't have a penchant for practical jokes, so he got dressed quickly.
"I couldn't wait," he said. "I didn't know what to think."
The younger Lucas gave Odom a tour of his room and showed him all of his sports-related items, including more than 1,500 baseball cards.
The two hung out for an hour. Odom even let Jonathan try on one of his World Series rings. Jonathan told Odom he plays center field and second base for his youth baseball team.
Odom encouraged him to give pitching a try, noting that he also played in the infield and outfield before going to the mound one afternoon in the sandlot.
After Odom left, Jonathan called all of his family and friends to tell them about the experience. He had quite a tale to relate the next day at school.
"I called everyone as soon as he left," Jonathan said. "I brought all my pictures to school and showed everyone in class."
Jonathan originally found Odom's address on the Internet. The Web site, he said, hasn't been updated for several years, so he didn't have access to the addresses of current baseball stars. Jonathan also has written letters to Phil Niekro, Stan Musial and Ozzie Guillen. So far, only Niekro has responded with a couple of autographed baseball cards, which was fortunate, because Jonathan forgot to enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope with his letter.
His experience with both Odom and Niekro has only encouraged him to write more letters.
"I'm definitely going to try a lot more players," Jonathan said. "The only hard thing is writing the letter and the money for stamps. Every day I can get two stamps and some time, I'm going to write a letter."
Odom said he always tries to make time for his fans, especially the kids.
"I'm for the kids," he said. "I haven't turned down any kids yet who have wanted an autograph, adults too. (Jonathan's) letter just touched me. This one was special."
Might this lead to more surprise visits to fans, especially as Jonathan spreads word of his experience?
"Just tell them, I only do it once in a blue moon," Odom said with a laugh.
When 11-year-old Jonathan Lucas decided to write former Major League All-Star John "Blue Moon" Odom a fan letter, he had no reason to expect a response.
But boy, did he get one.
Jonathan might have thought the autographed picture, personalized letter and baseball cards he received from the former Oakland Athletics pitcher through the mail was as much as he could have hoped for.
So imagine Jonathan's surprise when his mom woke him up Sunday morning, informing him that Odom himself was in the family's driveway.
"It's the best experience I've had through the mail ever," Jonathan said.
So, how does a kid who was born nearly two decades after Odom threw his last big-league pitch become a fan - and later friends - with a guy who pitched for three consecutive World Series-winning teams and now lives in California?
About a month ago, Jonathan and his dad, Bradley Lucas, were at a baseball card show at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Deciding not to stand around waiting in a long line, the Lucases decided to look at the exhibits. They found a display for Odom, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year.
"(My dad) told me all about him," said Jonathan, a student at Clifton Ridge Middle School in Jones County. "I thought it was neat how he was born and raised in Macon. I sent him a letter. Luckily, he sent me something back."
Fan mail for Odom is nothing new, but this one letter was a bit different.
"I get hundreds each month," Odom said. "This one just stood out, the way he went about it. There was my Sports Hall of Fame display, and he and his dad were asking questions about me. He sent me a couple of cards. He just wanted to get something from me because we were from the same area."
So Odom replied to his letter with the cards and photos, all autographed. Then, Odom decided to go one better.
'DO SOMETHING SPECIAL'
Odom usually returns to Macon a couple of times a year, and he was in town to play in Kevin Brown's charity golf tournament. Brown, a Macon resident, pitches for the New York Yankees.
"I said to my wife, 'I'm going to do something special. I'm going to surprise him when I'm in Macon,' " Odom said.
Libby Lucas, Jonathan's mom, was the first to be surprised. She was taking the family's parakeet outside because it was too loud. As she was taking the bird to the porch, a car pulled up, and the driver asked if it was the Lucas residence. When she said it was, the driver asked if Jonathan was there.
"I told him, 'He is,' " Libby Lucas said. "Then he said, 'Tell him Blue Moon Odom is in his driveway.' "
Libby Lucas ran back into the house to wake up her son. Jonathan knew his mother didn't have a penchant for practical jokes, so he got dressed quickly.
"I couldn't wait," he said. "I didn't know what to think."
The younger Lucas gave Odom a tour of his room and showed him all of his sports-related items, including more than 1,500 baseball cards.
The two hung out for an hour. Odom even let Jonathan try on one of his World Series rings. Jonathan told Odom he plays center field and second base for his youth baseball team.
Odom encouraged him to give pitching a try, noting that he also played in the infield and outfield before going to the mound one afternoon in the sandlot.
After Odom left, Jonathan called all of his family and friends to tell them about the experience. He had quite a tale to relate the next day at school.
"I called everyone as soon as he left," Jonathan said. "I brought all my pictures to school and showed everyone in class."
Jonathan originally found Odom's address on the Internet. The Web site, he said, hasn't been updated for several years, so he didn't have access to the addresses of current baseball stars. Jonathan also has written letters to Phil Niekro, Stan Musial and Ozzie Guillen. So far, only Niekro has responded with a couple of autographed baseball cards, which was fortunate, because Jonathan forgot to enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope with his letter.
His experience with both Odom and Niekro has only encouraged him to write more letters.
"I'm definitely going to try a lot more players," Jonathan said. "The only hard thing is writing the letter and the money for stamps. Every day I can get two stamps and some time, I'm going to write a letter."
Odom said he always tries to make time for his fans, especially the kids.
"I'm for the kids," he said. "I haven't turned down any kids yet who have wanted an autograph, adults too. (Jonathan's) letter just touched me. This one was special."
Might this lead to more surprise visits to fans, especially as Jonathan spreads word of his experience?
"Just tell them, I only do it once in a blue moon," Odom said with a laugh.