On October 25, I sent off this email:
Dear Dr. [Lowell] Cohn,
I would love to interview you (about your writing) by phone for my blog Lukeford.net. I have interviews on there with dozens of authors. My work has been featured on 60 Minutes, ET, NYT, LAT, etc.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a sportswriter when I grew up. The closest I came to this was working for radio stations KAHI/KHYL from 1985-1987. I covered the 49ers among other things. I read your Chronicle column religiously. Your writing is amazing.
In 1985, I was just 19. I’d look at you with awe at Sierra College, where the 49ers trained. I remember you pulling aside Eric Wright for an interview.
I never introduced myself. I was too in awe.
Reading David Harris’s new book on Bill Walsh prompted me to take this trip down memory lane and to reach out to you.
I went to Placer High School (1982-84). Scott Hamelin was in my class. He’s the oldest son of then Sacramento Bee sports editor Joe Hamelin. Joe and I would broadcast Placer High basketball games. Joe and I were good friends for years. He was a mentor.
I’ve now made my living as a blogger since 1997. I rarely write about sports. I’m best known for my writings on porn stars and Orthodox rabbis.
Thank you for enriching my life,
Luke Ford
I’ve always had a huge need for father figures. When I was in school, it was often more important to me to get close to the fathers of my classmates than to my classmates. This was true, for instance, with my fellow Placer High School buddy Scott Hamelin. It was his father Joe (then Sacramento Bee sports editor) I’d call almost every day for an hour to chat about sportswriting and life. Here’s video of me from 1983 broadcasting a high school basketball game with Joe Hamelin.
I just interviewed sports columnist Lowell Cohn for 90 minutes. It went great.
