The Pecan Park Eagle

Greg Lucas (R) with current commenting partner Steve Sparks on the last night of the Astros home schedule, 9/26/12, as pre and post game analysts. Lucas has been the multiple seasons media partner to many others, including Kevin Eschenfelder, Art Howe, Jimmy Wynn, and Allison Footer, among others, in addition to his on the field and spot work as a live broadcaster of Astros games on both television and radio. The absence of Greg Lucas from the new network plan that starts in 2013 shall be felt by Astros fans everywhere.

“Greg Lucas was the first play-by-play voice heard on the network now known as FOX Sports Houston when it launched as Home Sports Entertainment with a Boston Celtics-Houston Rockets NBA game. Since then he has served as lead announcer for the Texas Rangers; jack of all trades for the Houston Astros, including play-by-play, analysis, field level commentator, pre-post game host and contributor on radio and TV.” – Introduction to the Greg Lucas FOX Blogsite that will soon be disbanding with his departure from the network.

Last night, I saw the word that Greg Lucas left on Facebook for the first time. It simply read: “After the Astros season ends I will no longer be a full-time employee of Fox Sports Houston/SW so I will be shutting down THIS Facebook page. I do have another personal site that will continue. (This one is accessed thru a Fox internet address that will become defunct.) Some of you are on both, but not everyone so we may lose touch for a while till that can be rectified.”

We wish Greg well in whatever direction and goals he now chooses to pursue, but we shall also deeply regret the loss of his ongoing presence and running commentary on the Astros’ latest fortunes and misfortunes too.

Greg, please feel free to post a link here for your fans on the best future ways for them to stay in touch with you. You brought so much to the table of a full season that will now be even more sorely missed by your readers as the Astros move to the American League in 2013. People may want  to know how they can best stay in touch with your take on things as the arguably biggest change in Houston baseball history takes place.

Yeah, I know, 1962 was big. Houston was moving from the minor leagues to the big leagues, but 2013 is even bigger in this sense: By moving to the American League, Houston surrenders a 90-year “family” relationship with the National League that began with the purchase of the minor league Houston Buffs by the St. Louis Cardinals in the early 1920s, and continuing all the way through Houston’s last home game the other night against whom? The St. Louis Cardinals, of course.

I wold also like to invite Greg Lucas for his own comments on where he thinks the American League move stands as a fact of importance in Houston baseball history – either here – or on his new blog site. I also  hope the rest of you will contribute your own comments on how important you think this AL move is to our history, whether you like it or not.

Also, please take the time to express to Greg your own take on his departure from the full-time broadcast team in 2013. I, for one, am going to miss him a great deal.