I originally posted this on Dec. 12, 2009, when we thought Mike Lowell had been traded to the Rangers. Here it is again, for real this time, updated with more photos and excerpts from this year.
What surprised me when I went back over this year's posts which mentioned Lowell was how many of them also mentioned frustration -- with the abortive trade to Texas, with his position on the team in limbo, with umpires. His final season may have been among his most challenging. You can't say he was quiet or stoic about it, but I felt the statements he did make about it were fair, and his frustration understandable.
I will miss his classy, smooth style and his wry humor. I miss the days of his impressive defense at third base already. I won't miss watching him play, when he does play, in obvious pain, with a limp he can't quite hide.
I may crush a lot on pitchers, but somehow it's the third basemen that always break my heart.
Moreover, we get Mike Lowell instead of Billy Mueller in the deal. Not everyone has seen this as a great deal for the Sox, and I'm inclined to agree with them. In fact, it has been reported that other teams stayed away from Beckett because they didn't want Lowell, and it was apparently a package deal. -- My first reaction to the trade that acquired Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell from the Marlins, now known to be famously, totally, dead wrong.
There are holes everywhere in this lineup right now, not the least of which is Manny, who remains 0 for April. I have no idea what's going on with that; right now I'm going on the theory that Mike Lowell stole his powers somehow, but like the Sorcerer's Apprentice he doesn't know how to control it and so he keeps conjuring up double after double after double like those marching brooms. Singin' In the Rain, April 14, 2006
Who does Mike Lowell look like? This is driving me nuts. My initial guess is George Clooney, but that's not quite it...I miss Buelly. Not for any particular reason--I'm not mad at Mike Lowell or anything. But Lord, how I miss Buelly sometimes... More Marathon Monday Notes, April 17, 2006
There were heart palpitations all over the park when [Jonathan Papelbon] began to gingerly goose-step behind the mound after delivering another crisp strike to Vernon Wells, finally picking up one foot and appearing to try and stretch.
There was a tense moment as he began to walk back toward the rubber, and then the whole infield seemed to release itself somehow, while Mike Lowell walked over and put his arm around Jonathan's shoulders, gesturing for help from the dugout. Jonathan Song, May 5, 2006
The Devil Rays had little in the way of an answer to Beckett's relentless heat, managing to plate just one run to the Red Sox' four. There were some adventures on the basepaths for the Rays, though that's normally their chief strength as a team--in particular one play that I scored as 8-6-3-5, an adventure in which Willy Mo let the ball richochet around in center for a while before tossing it to Gonzo, who inexplicably chucked it to a far-ranging Kevin Youkilis, who fired to Mike Lowell as Julio Lugo dug for third, sliding in to the rising roar of the crowd as Youkilis' throw beat him to the bag. The play was also scored as a double with a baserunning error at third. It's been said before that baseball is a game that has been played for centuries without being exactly the same way twice. Here was a perfect example. Another attempt at a game post, May 27, 2006
inside the line, originally uploaded by Boston Wolverine
...the play between Lowell and Youkilis for the first out of the eighth was as professional, graceful and spectacular an infield relay as I've ever seen. If you didn't see it, seek out highlight footage now. It was a beauty.Pay no mind to the distant thunder, June 9, 2006
And all that is to say nothing of the breathtaking infield defense we were also treated to tonight, especially on the part of Messrs. Youkilis and Lowell. Lowell in particular came through with several gems, including a putout on a bunt-for-base-hit attempt that was a thing of tearjerking beauty. And Youkilis made a diving stop at first, and then there was the pickoff of Reyes attempting to steal second (though I still maintain he'd been out at first three times already), and then when the crafty Mark Loretta helped Schilling pick Julio Franco off second...I lost count of how many times my dad said, "That was a BEAUTY!" A duel of two nightengales, June 30, 2006
7. Mike Lowell's repudiation of a Mets bunt attempt, June 29 - With Curt Schilling and Tom Glavine locked in a pitched battle on the Fenway turf in the greatest game I've ever seen in person, Endy Chavez of the Mets attempted to lay a bunt down for a base hit, and he may have made it, too, were it not for a barehanded charge and a winging throw from Mike Lowell to Kevin Youkilis for an out. There have been many instances in which Youkilis and Lowell have combined for a snappy play, but this is the standout in my mind. Top Ten Moments of the First Half, July 10, 2006
he ALWAYS DOES THIS, originally uploaded by Boston Wolverine
I, for one, dislike everything about the trading deadline, but especially the rumors, especially since 99% of them turn out to be untrue and everyone gets all worked up for absolutely nothing. I hate, right now, HATE, that Mike Lowell's name keeps coming up on blogs and ESPN and all the rest, how some cockamamie deal with Lowell to the Padres (the scarier permutations of which involve Hillenbrand at first base for the Sox) has people wheeling and dealing and arguing as if it were fact. Dog Days, July 21, 2006 (How quickly things have changed!)
How bout that Mike Lowell, eh? I only sorta watched the game last night and I believe I missed his heroics completely. But Sam has the necessary description and MLB.com has the necessary video in case you missed it, too.
Note also that in the MLB video of Lowell's dive into the stands, one of the kids who has his beer spilled in the process, right in the front row of that field box section at Fenway park, is wearing a Yankees hat. I went back and checked--it's not a Yankee Hater hat, it's a genuine standard-issue "NY" cap. Back through the looking glass, August 12, 2006
Mike Lowell's Grand Slam, Originally uploaded by ConfessionalPoet.
Now they're just toying with me.
I should've known it wasn't like the Red Sox to just let me sink gently into a numb and meaningless remainder of the season. Nope, now they're kindling a little fire of hope in the rain at Fenway Park. Alex Gonzalez, Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis are standing around it, blowing on it, feeding it pine needles with their sharp defense. Kason Gabbard, like Julian Tavarez before him, is fanning the flames.
The Red Sox are forcing me to torture metaphors. Help.
[...]
Begin in the first inning, at the very top, when Mike Lowell dove, snared the ball, and threw Pablo Ozuna out at first before he even knew what had happened. Welcome to tonight's ballgame. Mr. Lowell here will be your third baseman for the evening. 1-0, Sept. 5, 2006
3b,
And then, today, just when I get to breathe that sigh of relief, I hear that Lowell is now in still more rumors about being traded...to San Diego...for Scott Linebrink?
Is it just me, or are the Red Sox getting a little Twilight Zone right now? Am I just dumb, and therefore the only one mystified by this? It's like suddenly the sports page of the Globe is telling us "War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. Sox Thinking of Trading Mike Lowell for Nothing. Alex Gonzalez Also Gone. Peyton Manning looking forward to Sunday's Super Bowl. Editorial Column Today from Dan Shaughnessy: 'I, For One, Welcome Our New Robot Overlords'." I mean, what has happened here? Theoretical Milk, January 30, 2007
With Ortiz on second, Ramirez hit a warning-track flyout that would have been a wall-ball at Fenway. Drew didn't deliver, and neither did Lowell, but it was easy, after the first three guys, to imagine that inning going on, Ramirez with a single off the wall, Ortiz to third, still no one out, Drew a double up the left field line, maybe, or a pull hit into right center, and Lowell right behind him, keeping it coming...this lineup has the potential to be very scary indeed, especially as a whole greater than the sum of its parts given the way the on-base machines at the top work off one another and the cleanup men work off them...if a pitcher gets himself into a hole against the top of the lineup, it's easy to imagine his long trudge down through the heart of the order and straight to the showers. Come Together, March 25, 2007
That sense, of an irascible but solid rise to the occasion among the players, was only reinforced by a nifty play by Lowell, who gloved a screaming liner to open the bottom of the seventh and then sent the ball around the horn emphatically as if to say, there, goddamnit. More Like It, April 4, 2007
grand slam, group high five originally uploaded by Boston Wolverine
Now, of course, I'm all optimism. All right, they're getting to the kid, I think. OK, now Drew, base hit, and let's get a rally going. Briefly I contemplate getting up for a drink, settling in for the long haul. Already I'm skipping ahead to Mike Lowell, thinking, if he can double Drew in--
And then from the television there is an unmistakable CRACK and the ball is rocketing out toward the deepest part of the field, landing behind the bullpens almost even with the wall at the triangle, edging into Red Seat territory. It is an almighty blast out of the park by JD Drew, and my thoughts of a drink are forgotten. Now I'm just thinking of that Lowell double...I feel a bit guilty for being so audacious in the face of the baseball gods, but I'm beginning to think we're going to tie up the ballgame this inning. Theo is shown in his box mouthing "Oh my God."
Which is when Lowell reprises Manny's moon shot, launching another offering from Wright over everything in left. By now it's clear we're watching something special. Fenway is dialing it up to 11 as Varitek comes to the plate. That was a relatively decent pitch Lowell got hold of, not like the fat meatballs for Manny and JD. That gravy train might have dried up, but if Tek can get on base, maybe--
And blam, the fourth home run of the inning is headed for the Monster seats. Dream yourself a dream come true, April 23, 2007
It is at the point where multiple people in my life are making fun of me for my frantic obsession with more different players than I am equipped to handle.
Just zinging back and forth between Jonathan and Joshie and Curt and Daisuke leaves me little grey matter to even think about how studly Mike Lowell has been at the plate or how Dustin Pedroia is going Happy Scrappy Hero Pup on all y'alls azz lately or even how freakin' awesome Big Papi still is. Let alone the little things like, you know. Sleep. How do you say "kickass" in Japanese?, May 4, 2007
supercool Mike Lowell originally uploaded by Boston Wolverine
On my TV just now, Alex Cora told Hazel Mae that if he was stuck on a desert island, the one teammate he'd bring along for company is Mike Lowell, which, hullo? NESN? Get on the Dougie-and-Wake-style Oprah interview already. Papelpwnag3, May 18, 2007
People got plunked today. And thrown at. The Yankees scored a bunch off Wake, whatever, sometimes the knuckler doesn't knuckle and all in all it was a stinker of a baseball game. But somewhere along the line, things still got out of control in that delightful way they do when it's Sox vs. Yankees. Joe Torre got ejected from a game he was winning by a wide margin and then stayed in the field screaming in the face of the umpire, which seemed generally out of character for him. Mike Lowell got hit, which is all kinds of random. Then again, so is Robbie Cano getting one in the ribs.
Tragically, it turned out Mike Lowell was a relatively serious casualty in the beanball war, leaving the game after a fastball to the forearm. ("They broke our Lowell!" shrieked Amy.) And then shit, as they say, went nuts.
[the] bottom of the seventh...got downright messy, with two errors by Jeter, five runs for the Red Sox, and a stomach-turning collision between Mike Lowell and Doug Mientkiewicz at first base.
Before that play, the goriest thing I'd ever seen on a baseball field was the collision between Johnny Damon and Damien Jackson in the ALDS against Oakland in 2003. This, in my opinion, was even more gut-wrenching to watch, as Mientkiewicz's head was snapped forward violently and then back again, and he flopped unconscious into the dirt facedown like a rag doll, laying there motionless for a few seconds.
Like Damon after the collision with Jackson, Mientkiewicz was carted off the field on a meat wagon, a familiar fixture in the NFL but something rarely seen on the baseball diamond. The FOX cameras zoomed in on Mientkiewicz's glassy eyes as they carried him past solemnly applauding fans, past the dugout, and out to the left-field garage door, where they exited to a waiting ambulance. Last reports were that Mientkiewicz was at MGH for "precautionary testing"..From some of the comments I've read around the Web today, it seems Lowell feels completely awful about it, even though it wasn't his fault. Like the Fella Once Said, Ain't That A Kick In the Head, June 2, 2007
After being Red Sox deprived for so long, I've been on overload now that they're freely and abundantly available again. Like the other night, when one of the first things I saw on my triumphant return to NESN viewership was Kevin Youkilis with two fistfuls of Manny's hair in his hands like horse reins. I didn't even laugh right away--I just sat there almost catatonic, watching as Alex Cora danced around Youk and Manny crazily and Mike Lowell yelled random stuff in the background and all four of them did so many adorable, lovable things in the space of 30 seconds I couldn't even really take it all in. Home, where my music's playing, June 23, 2007
***
It's official: I have joined the Mike Lowell Hot-Wagon.
It took a while for me to come around, but this is what finally did it:
(Source: http://thumbsnap.com/vf/F4CK1TR8.jpg)
Announcement, July 19, 2007
***
Oh, and Mike Lowell staying in after a pitch from Sonnastine hit his wrist with a sickening thock? Bad. Ass. Studly, even.Pedroia Power, August 21, 2007
do not say another word originally uploaded by Boston Wolverine
Also notable: Tina Cervasio enlightened us tonight as to the man-love between Mike Lowell and Dustin Pedroia. According to Tina, Lowell is always talking about Pedroia after games, and has the following nicknames for him: Petey, Pedro, Dusty, and PeeWee. Pitching Fits, September 8, 2007
It's something you'd dream about. And then tell all your friends about the crazy dream you had.
Especially the part where, after you prevented Mathis from getting the out on Ramirez, Manny walked, bringing up Mike Lowell, who hit the game-tying sacrifice fly to center field.
This series so far has felt almost too good to be true...The Stand, October 6, 2007
if you ask me the gloves over the mouth thing is pointless originally uploaded by Boston Wolverine
Mike Lowell, your World Series MVP, in the postseason: 10 runs, 18 hits, 2 home runs and 15 RBI in 51 at-bats. Can you believe it?, October 29, 2007
when it comes to Mike Lowell, plenty of people have made plenty of probably good points about Lowell's age and performance track record...But I think Lowell is important, not only because of his smooth glove or his solid bat, but because of all we've heard about his role as a bridge between Latin and Caucasian players in the clubhouse, and as a mentor to some of the young guys, in particular Pedroia. I think the Red Sox are a team with the money to deal with whatever the consequences might be of still having him at the age of 38, especially when they just resigned a 42-year-old starting pitcher. And most of all I am tired of the revolving door at our infield positions, and I'm tired of the thoughts we should tinker with what ain't broke. Thanksgiving, November 9, 2007
Curt's collecting messages to Mike at his place (via Center Field). My message, for posterity--
Mike–just as the talk about the playing atmosphere / fans in Boston had begun to seem like so much PR, you go and do something I think 99% of your fellow ballplayers wouldn’t do–choose your team over a richer offer elsewhere. Honestly, I’m flabbergasted. I love all our Red Sox, but I root for the laundry, and reminding myself baseball is a business and letting go of individual players is something I’ve grown used to as a fan. To see you reverse that pattern is nothing short of amazing to me.
You know from all the chants that started as soon as the WS was over how much you mean to Boston and how happy we are you’re staying. But it bears repeating. I, for one, can’t wait to watch you pick the ball in the hole at third and relay it to Youk–watching you and Youk work together is one of my favorite things about the Red Sox. I can’t wait, either, for your first at-bat as a member of the 2008 team; you might want to bring along some earplugs. Want to tell Mike Lowell he's cool?, November 22, 2007
Red Sox fandom in the wake of two World Series does continue to change. It would be impossible for it not to. From $90 ticket prices to the advent of Web-based social networking to new statistical approaches for evaluating on-field talent, the team and the sport and the nature of sports in general have changed.
And maybe Shaughnessy has at least half a point, aside from the one on top of his head, when he notes the growing boldness of requests from Red Sox Nation, whether directed at the front office or invisible baseball gods. We used to fear their wrath, and now we are making more demands. In fact, the demands began before the dust had even really settled on the final out of the 2007 season. Even that night in Denver, Red Sox fans began what would become a ubiquitous chant over the next several months: “Re-sign Lowell!” Yes, right there in the wake of a victory no one would’ve expected even five years ago, Red Sox fans were already looking ahead to the 2008 roster, and making their wishes known. And so many Red Sox fans can plead guilty to at least some of the criticism levied against them: we remain, at times, a strange mix of sentimental and ruthless, and vocal participants in all the goings-on that surround our team.Still, Pretty Good Year: Part VII. Epilogue
During yesterday's loss to the Minnesota Twins, we were graced with the first Rem-Dawg and Orsillo giggle fit of the season, this one over some truly jaw-dropping footage of the Red Sox dancing. Instead of hilarious drunken victory dances, though, the Sox, with the exception of Mike Lowell, were embarrassing themselves attempting to dance for real, with ballroom dancers shipped in for the occasion. Papelbon dance takes a turn for the alarming, March 3, 2008
(Mike Lowell smoothness begins at 2:45)
Daric Barton flubs a routine popup, but Lowell is victimized by a "wide strike zone," as Don Orsillo puts it. They're roaringly happy about this in the Oakland stands. Mike Lowell turns to argue as the inning ends. I'm a fool for April, April 1, 2008
Mikey Lowell! Noooo, etc. But I'm also taking a moment to be grateful for the Sean Casey signing--the man they call the Mayor filled in for Lowell nicely with two hits and a run. And for Kevin Youkilis, the first baseman that takes a licking and keeps on ticking (I wonder what the bruise from that wicked shot he took off the collarbone last night looks like today) at just about any old base you want. It's not cool to lose Lowell, but it could be far, far worse. Edgar's Revenge, April 10, 2008
Francisco Cruceta probably didn't want to face Mike Lowell, per se, but with the count run up on Manny, he might as well put him on base along with Jacoby Ellsbury and take his chances...
Turns out that's what Cruceta did. NESN cut to commercial on a shot of him looking balefully out to the bullpen, where help was not exactly on the way. The score was 8-5 Tigers after Youkilis went deep for the second time tonight. (Beard Power! Youkilis also had a fit at the home plate umpire before all was said and done, accentuating his ferociousness.)
When the game resumed, Mike Lowell took an exceptionally high "strike" from Cruceta, then waited through two more pitches for his meatball, which he crushed into the left-field seats. Tie ball game. 24 combined hits. I think I'm going to need a pencil and paper to work out what just happened, May 7, 2008
You know the injury bug has hit the Sox hard when players are getting hurt between innings. Sure, Danny Haren can make a diving play to catch a bunt from Coco, landing on his pitching arm, and still hold the Sox scoreless for several innings afterwards. But let Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis try to play a little Around the Horn between innings, and a freak bounce on an uncharacteristic throw from the world's smoothest third baseman will somehow elude the lightning reflexes and glove of the world's all-time most error-free first baseman, and instead launch itself directly at his right eyeball. Eric Byrnes and the Case of the Evil Porn 'Stache, June 23, 2008
well, he's likely to do this to anyone originally uploaded by Boston Wolverine
And so it was that Julio Lugo began a rally in the 8th inning, which was followed with a quick pair of singles from Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia. Manny chose to keep his contribution minimal, grounding out but advancing the runners. Behind him came Mike Lowell, who spanked the ball into left center, planting it off the wall and tying up the game. And none other than Mr. Byrnes fell all over himself chasing the ball around the outfield. It was a beautiful coincidence...Papelbon then struck out JD's kid brother on a nasty elevated fastball, and got Orlando Hudson to ground to third. A thoroughly vindicated Mike Lowell put the seal on the game, fielding Hudson's grounder cleanly and throwing to first, where Youkilis was back, in a last-minute substitution, waiting to catch it for the final out. Mike Lowell's Revenge, June 24, 2008
(AP Photo/ Charles Krupa / ESPN.com)
It might not have been a one-run loss if Mike Lowell hadn't been rung up on an inside pitch from Rivera with one on and one out in the bottom of the ninth (see picture). After that, Lowell was literally hopping mad, screaming in the face of home plate umpire Marty Foster until he was reached, and calmly ferried toward the dugout, by Tito.
I can only imagine what Tito's life is like day-to-day--the total serenity with which he guided Lowell away from Foster spoke volumes.Oh, the Drama! (Updated), July 26, 2008
This afternoon, at that point we all have in the workday where it's 2:30 pm for about an hour and you still have more than half your work to do before it's Miller time, I suddenly remembered, oh yeah! Tonight Beckett and Mikey Lowell and The Mayor are back! And they get to beat up on the Texas Rangers* all weekend!
Then I turned back to my work, and sighed. Heavily. But happily.
...Shortly after that, Beckett blood brother Mike Lowell reintroduced himself to the active roster with a homer on the third pitch he saw. Once again, they ride in as a tandem to infuse our team with K's, bombs and victory. Good. Times. The miraculous in the ordinary, Sept. 5, 2008
rather foul originally uploaded by Boston Wolverine
I was overjoyed when Mike Lowell finally returned to the lineup earlier this month - seeing that hip injury flare up again does not bode well, at least for the rest of this season. He says he'll play anyway, but we need our World Series MVP at 100% if this team's going anywhere. Limping Along, Sept. 19, 2008
"No," Mike Lowell said calmly to Josh during a dual interview with Heidi Watney in the clubhouse, his arm around Beckett, "I am not Teen Wolf."
And then, of course, there was the instant-classic exchange:
Josh: That cigar makes you smell like a hamster.
Mikey Lowell: Well, I've been called worse things, so I take that as a compliment. But, as long as Josh can pitch and not curse in the dugout, we'll be fine.
These are a few of my favorite things, September 27, 2008
Still little in the way of news about Teixeira or Varitek. Which is fine, because one scenario involves the potential for the loss of Mike Lowell, the other the potential for the loss of the Captain AS WELL as the equally scary possibility of retaining his bat. All of which still have me plugging my ears and going LA LA LA LA. Caption This...and Christmas, December 23, 2008
Just before Jason Bay cranked the third home run of the inning, the cameras showed Papi approach Tim Wakefield at his post on one of the dugout steps, and nestle himself under Wake's right arm. Wake patted him on the shoulder and they bowed their heads together, deep in excited conversation. My heart melted into a puddle of liquid goo.
But it was Josh Beckett, a few seats down from Wakefield, who pointed out the cloud within this admittedly delicious silver lining. As Mike Lowell returned from tattoing another monster shot off the 22-year old Toronto Blue Jays rookie on the mound, if I read his lips correctly, Beckett said, "this kid fuckin' sucks." Big Papi, Where Art Thou?, May 20, 2009
10. How to fashion a bionic exoskeleton for Mike Lowell which will allow his hip to heal while he plays third base for the rest of the season, so I don't have to worry so much about what it means that they got Adam LaRoche.Top Ten Things I Hope the Red Sox Figure Out by the Time I Get Back from Vacation, July 25, 2009
Mike Lowell for DH. At least for a while. There, I said it. Sometimes you just gotta say, what the..., August 11, 2009
Mike was one of the guys who seemed like he was not enjoying this event one bit. However, Mike at least let fans shake his hand and take pics... A Dream Come True, October 3, 2009
What are we going to do about Mike Lowell? I've just been sort of avoiding it, like discussing religion in public. What an excruciating situation for all involved. Today, Lowell had an at-bat in the second inning, got under a pitch and skied it to right center, where Jason Bourgeois gloved it on the run. Shades of Varitek, 2008...if that's what we have to look forward to, it's going to be a long season for all involved, too -- already unable to move Lowell once, the Sox might also be facing having him like an albatross on the roster if he can't perform well enough to be shopped. Red Sox Spring Training 2010: Notes from the Lazy Season
Here's where the usual platitudes are summoned: it's a business, not personal, etc. And I'm excited for the potential Ryan Kalish brings after tearing up the minor leagues this year. It's always a treat to see a young player's first big-league hit, especially when it comes in his first at bat. Kalish will clearly have to get used to playing the Monster, but that will come with time, and he could certainly have done worse than to get his first Major League RBI and score his first Major League run a few innings later.
I don't think it's arguing against the move to DFA Hermida and call up Kalish, though, to say I feel badly for Hermida on a personal level. He did his best for the Sox and behaved himself. I hope he finds a landing place soon.
Meanwhile, the only person I feel worse for? Mikey Lowell. Sunrise, Sunset: Trade deadline claims its victims while the Sox keep coming back
In the top of the fourth, Garza thought Mike Lowell swung twice when it was obvious that Lowell took a step forward but held up the bat. Not even close. But Garza protested theatrically, which is how he seemingly does everything, to the point of screaming at the umpires after Lowell eventually flied out harmlessly to end the inning. Even his own catcher looked like he was trying to tell him Lowell hadn't swung, and it looked as if Garza brushed it off.
[...]
In the top of the seventh, it was Mike Lowell's turn to fume over a checked-swing attempt that was ruled strike three. He flipped his bat, drawing points in his direction from the third base umpire and a protracted conference with the home plate umpire, though Lowell was not actually tossed. I don't think either Garza or Lowell was correct in their assessment of the umpires' calls, but I do wonder if these altercations are the result of general, mounting frustration with umpires in the league this year. That's All, Folks?
"For example, with Scutaro ailing, they had to move him to second base and Lowrie was the logical choice to play at shortstop in his place. Perhaps the only place you could quibble with their usage is with Anderson over Lowell at first base. But, again, Lowell is also dealing with multiple injuries that have cut into the time he can spend on the field." -- Ask Amalie, Boston.com, 9-28-2010
Of everything that transpired on Mike Lowell Day -- the name on the left field wall; the tributes; the presents; the three at-bats -- there were two moments that defined the 36-year-old's journey better than anything else.
The first came when his young son uttered words virtually every father who ever held a baseball glove would have prayed to hear:
"Dad," said the 6-year-old, "are you the greatest baseball player in the whole world?"
Lowell, who was forced to err on the side of honesty because of a microphone documenting his every sentence, responded, "No, I'm just a baseball player."
Anthony wasn't about to relent. "But everyone is kind of acting like you're the greatest in the whole world."
That was good enough. "Keep that thought," the man of the hour instructed his son. -- Rob Bradford, "The Real Reason Why Saturday was the Perfect Ending for Mike Lowell", Oct. 3, 2010
I'll sure miss Mike. Thanks a lot for this great post.
Posted by: Kathode Ray Tube | October 05, 2010 at 11:39