Luke Allen always made it look so effortless.

Those were my thoughts when I watched him play for the Newton High School Rams during the 1996 season while I was sports editor of The Covington News.

Allen would step into the batter’s box and never seemed to be overmatched against any opposing pitcher. He had all the fundamentals down and he always seemed to deliver when his team needed it the most.

His playing days lasted well beyond his high school career as he would compete for years in the big leagues. Allen’s career took him to six Major League Baseball organizations. He made it all the way to the majors for both the Dodgers and Rockies.

Even as a much younger sports writer in those days who was still learning and figuring things out, I knew I was in the presence of someone special in Luke Allen.

The stunning news of his death at the age of 43 has sent shockwaves through the Newton County community. His love of the game was special even among those who played the sport as their professional.

The Newton Rams had a ton of talent in the mid-1990s. They played at a very high level classification-wise and their players had the skills to shine, even against the state’s premier players.

Despite all the talent on the field in those days, Luke seemed to stand tall even among his giant counterparts.

Professional broadcaster Kevin Holden, who like this young sports writer at the time, was working on his craft back then as the play-by-play announcer for the local Covington radio station. It was also clear to him how Luke was going to be playing the sport for many years.

“The Rams were blessed with so much talent… so many players who played in college and even professionally through the years,” Holden said. “But Luke Allen was maybe the best of all…a special talent.”

Holden, who now is a sports anchor in Wisconsin, said he spoke to Allen as recently as last Christmas.

“Luke even posted a few of our old radio broadcasts earlier this year, with some commentary attached,” Holden said. “He had made a difference in so many young lives in recent years, teaching young hitters and reveling in their accomplishments.

Across the years and across the miles, this one still hurts.”

A few years ago while visiting Covington, I drove by the old ballfield that Allen and the Rams used to play on. It has since been abandoned as newer fields have been constructed.

I thought it a shame that the field would have not been maintained. Surely there was a youth team in a county with hundreds of such teams that could have used it.

Still, it wasn’t difficult to see Luke stepping into the batter’s box with his calm demeanor. The familiar sound of the ping of his bat would echo throughout the ballpark as Luke would deliver another double or even another homerun.

Luke is always a humble person and player. He had a habit of giving away items such as a cap, a bat or even a custom-made wristband with the letter “L” on it. I still have that wristband today, more than 25 years later.

The Allen family has had to deal with too much tragedy in recent times. Things of this nature never make sense. It’s not something we can ever truly understand.

Family was extremely important to Luke. He had numerous siblings and an extended family of friends, teammates and those who all admired his skills.

I always wished I could swing the bat the way he did. Effortless. 

Sports memories are a funny thing. They don’t dim with time. In fact, they become more vivid. I guess you need to be a sports fan to understand.

Those were special times for me personally and professionally. Luke Allen was a big part of that. I’m glad I was able to talk with him one last time before this occurred. He helped me with a story I was writing for a local magazine. Just like during his playing days, he was more than willing to do so.

It made me think of those days back in the 1990s when I would interview him before practice, allowing me to be in the presence of greatness. It wasn’t just because of his ability on the field, but because of the kind of person, friend and teammate he was.

Editor's note: Graveside services for Allen are set for Thursday, May 5, at 11 a.m. at Starrsville United Methodist Church Cemetery. 

Chris Bridges is managing editor of The Walton Tribune, a sister publication of The Covington News.