• Lucca was not drafted after his junior year of college, as are most prospects who succeed after Divisin I baseball. And the Marlins did not take him until the 32nd round of the draft after his senior season.
• Lou is into rap music.
• He's a fiery player--a sparkplug.
• In '92, Lou was 2nd in the New York-Penn Lg. in homers & 5th in RBI and a Baseball America NYP All Star.
• Lucca wears a necklace with the number "220" on it. "People want to know if that's how much I bench (press), or how much I'm weighing these days, or, worse yet, maybe my batting average," Lou says. "They never figure it out unless I tell them. Two-Two-Oh--It's simple, really: Second to None." The medallion was a gift from his mother, Ginny, who came up with the idea while her son was away at college at Oklahoma State. Lucca mentioned the phrase one day in her presence & the medallion was there the next time he came home.
• When Lou & Brevard Co. Manatees (FSL) teammate Scott Samuels decided to get tattooed early in July, '94, Lucca fashioned his as a charicature of himself. The cartoon drawing, which dominates his left biceps, is of him standing at the plate, bat in hand, but dressed as if he stepped off the set of Beach MTV. On the bat is written: 220. "If people take things like that as arrogant, that's too bad," Lou says. "It's been this way all my llife. People either hate me or like me. There's no in-between."
• Lucca & Samuels also did another interesting thing. During the off-season before '94 spring training, they were extras in the film, "Angels in the Outfield." Lou is the batter in one of the film's prominent scenes, when the angel makes its first appearance. Lucca's character is batting with the bases loaded & hits a drive that is certain to leave the park--until an angel levitates a player who takes the homer away. "A grand salami, they robbed me of," Lucca said. "And the thing is, I smoked it for real when we filmed it. They were going to shoot it so it looked real big--real long. As soon as I hit it, I said, 'You don't need to do anything to make that one look big. It's leaving.' I crushed that ball." Lucca and Samuels landed parts as extras in Nov., '93 when a friend told them the film was being shot in the San Francisco Bay area & the production company was looking for actual baseball players. About 200 people auditioned--which amounted to being photographed & proving you could play baseball. Seven minor leaguers were selected to play in the film. Each of them were on the set for about 15 days & earned about $3,000.
• The Phillies signed Lou, Nov. 5, 1998.
• After the '99 season, Lou led the Puerto Rican Winter Lg. in homers (10), RBI (36), extra-base hits (32) and runs scored (32).
• He plays hurt.
• Lucca signed with the Cardinals organization, Dec., 1999.
• Lou's teammates say he has a refreshing look at life. They say there is no better guy to have in a clubhouse as far as keeping things loose and refreshing and having fun. He is what the game is all about.
• Lucca signed with the Angels' organization, Jan., 2002.

• Lou has legitimate power
• He used a straight-up stance he learned at Oklahoma State, wagging his bat before each pitch, for the first 3 or 4 years of pro ball. But he knew the day would come when he'd have to change his batting stance.
  
  "I was struggling really badly," Lucca said. And he was right--hitting only .168 at Portland. His funky batting style, hands held high and tight against his chest, worked in college, where he used an aluminum bat. But with a wooden bat, the arms and wrists must generat power & Lou was taking both of them out of the picture by holding them so close. So he junked the stance in June, 1995.
  
  "I knew all along that I was going to have to do it, so it wasn't very hard for me to accept," Lou said. "It would be tough for a guy to hit that way his whole life. From Day 1, I knew I was going to have to move my hands away from my body."
  
  Once he did, he hit .400 over the final 2 months of the season and started to generate more power, too.

• Lucca is an excellent defensive 3rd baseman. But he is unorthodox in everything he does, fielding balls between hops & releasing quickly, often off the wrong foot. Lou doesn't set before he throws, whether he has time or not. Not ever
• The first time he took grounders in a Marlins organization workout at Erie (NYP), Sal Rende, now the manager at Edmonton (PCL), tried to alter his style. "He told me I had to learn to stop & throw or I'd never make it," said Lucca, who developed his style at shortstop at Oklahoma St. "He forced me to take ground balls his way, & I proceeded to throw 6 balls in a row over (first baseman Todd) Pridy's head. After he saw that, he said 'Never mind. Your way is fine. Do it your way. It works for me.'"
• Lucca doesn't look like much. He's short, squatty & can't run. But if you hit the ball at him, it's an out. And he'll do anything it takes to help you win. He's all about getting dirty and doing whatever it takes for his team to win.

Lou was injured playing in Puerto Rico in Nov., 2001, ending his winter lg. season.