Derek Lowe, an Imperfect Red Sox Player 1997-2004

Yesterday, Derek Lowe retired. He didn't say so explicitly but he effectively did after 17 seasons in baseball. I, like most Red Sox fans, cannot forget what Derek Lowe did for us, especially in that special 2004 season. His postseason, including winning all three clinching games of the playoffs, made him a legend. I viewed highlights from his victory in Game 7 of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium, which in my opinion is one of the most under-appreciated clutch pitching performances of all time. My words of praise, like those of other baseball journalists, cannot consecrate enough what Derek Lowe did for the Red Sox. I am glad his career continued strongly after he left the Red Sox in the 2004 offseason, and salute him for his many accomplishments from the 2002 no-hitter to the 2004 postseason.

Yet Lowe remains an imperfect individual that encapsulates all of us. During his playing days, he grew antsy and insecure about his role on the team. Relegated to the bullpen after a horrendous 2004 regular season, he showed the petulance of an immature player who did not take responsibility for his horrible season and the well-being of the team. He knew he was never going to be a star on a team with the likes of Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling, but he often felt slighted by the team. However, the 2004 postseason offered him a chance of redemption, which he grasped. In many ways, that sums up a fact of life - for all of us, regardless the vocation or situation, life offers us second chances. Even when we err or underperform to the frustration of our colleagues or loved ones, they often offer us a second chance to make amends. Lowe grasped his and resurrected his career, and we can do the same when the occasion arises. 

Lauding Lowe for his baseball heroics cannot hide his personal story. In 2005, Lowe divorced his wife, with whom he had three children, because of an affair with a news broadcaster. Lowe and the broadcaster later married. Such behavior is typical of athletes and celebrities today. I am no longer so jaded to believe that athletes are heroes who cannot do wrong and exist on a different moral plane. Lowe, like other athlete heroes of mine and probably yours too, is human and subject to our usual foibles, including the temptation to cheat. Being rich perhaps makes the temptation stronger. As Lowe retires from baseball, I view him as a sports hero but I do not exalt him because I know he is human, just like all of us. He is imperfect, much like the Red Sox, but to me, that is good enough.