The Lowe-Down on the 2000 Red Sox Bullpen

BOB GEORGE Continued from Page 1 So, is Lowe's role with the team now clear to everyone? As Annie James put it in The Parent Trap, "Crystal!” as in "crystal clear" for those who don't understand the vernacular of an eleven-year-old girl. Lowe is to the Red Sox what Troy Brown is to the Patriots, as stated in a prior column. If we take a second to expand on this claim, it will shine a new light on Lowe and how valuable he is to the Red Sox. Take Brown. Brown got the nickname "Third Down Brown" for his penchant to make impossible catches on third down. He once did such a thing against the New York Giants in 1996, except that he made the catch while lying flat on his back. But what makes Brown incredibly valuable to the Patriots (and the Chiefs and Cowboys and Browns also) is his punt return abilities. Brown became one of the best in the NFL at that position this past year, and his returns often put the Patriots in great field position. Lowe is much like that to the Sox, extrapolated to baseball. In his tenure as a Red Sox jack-of-all-trades pitcher, the Red Sox have asked him to do literally everything. Tim Wakefield can also make this claim, but Lowe is much more reliable in this area except as a starter. This, unfortunately, is the area Lowe wishes he were in the most. Take last year. Lowe did his usual great setup work. Even though the man Lowe was setting the game up for changed a bit over the season (Gordon, Wakefield, Beck), Jimy Williams had a good idea that a lead after six innings was in good hands. Lowe would bridge the game to whoever was closing at the time, and that was that. In the ALDS last year against Cleveland, he was nicked up a bit by the mighty Indian offense (as was every Sox pitcher not named Mr. Pedro). Lowe took a tough loss in Game 1 in long relief of Mr. Pedro, and could not hold a 7-5 lead in the deciding game when he came in in the second inning. Had Lowe become too tired? Or were the Indians just too much for the normally unflappable Lowe to handle? The Yankees series was not much better for Lowe. The one win was a blowout, and poor bullpen management and bad umpires’ calls

scuttled the other games. Lowe did get a blown save in Game 1, and he surrendered two unearned runs in the clincher. In a closer's role, his stamina might not falter come October. With Rheal Cormier, Rich Garces and perhaps John Wasdin and Sang-Hoon Lee at their avail, Lowe could perhaps leave the setup role in good hands and move into the closing role. And with the reduced workload brought on by no longer being Joe Everything, that will also help. What many folks want to see right away is whether Lowe is mentally ready to close games. Atlanta manager Bobby Cox blandly said the other day, "Anyone can get three outs", a reference to the possible exit of John Rocker. But to the closer himself, it is more than just "getting three outs." Closers need to be mentally tough and be able to forget failure. Gordon made things look incredibly easy in 1998 when he rattled off his record streak, but all people remember from that season are his meltdown in Atlanta (which did not snap the streak as Wasdin got the blown save and loss) and his poor outing in Game 4 against Cleveland. As dependable as Gordon was, Gordon had an annoying knack for letting his emotions get the better of him, and this is something that Lowe needs to be careful of. Lowe has never shown any tendencies to be as hyperactive as Gordon has. He goes out there and just does his job. He did not seem to get too down after his poor Game 1's last October; that experience alone will help greatly as this season dawns. As far as his approach to pitching goes, Lowe will benefit even more from going to a one-inning pitcher. As a starter, Lowe would get into trouble by not focusing properly and he'd get hammered early. In just one inning, Lowe will be forced to bear down on every batter and unleash that wicked sinker of his. He can even work on developing a better fastball and use it in just one inning. One thing that being a sinkerballer in a closing role will mandate is that he throw more strikes. This is why the best closers you see are those with the blazing 95-plus mph fastballs, and why it was so incredible that Wakefield did as well as he did last year. Beck had to rely on his sinker last year, and he had his good days

and bad days. For Lowe to have more good days than bad, he must learn the importance of "strike one" and go from there. One thing that Williams and Joe Kerrigan must also think about is whether the setup role is well covered without Lowe there. It is incumbent upon Garces to have a great year and show the promise he showed last year. Cormier, who never should have been let go after 1995 as he was, also needs to provide steady work from the left side. Wasdin is still better as a long man and Lee is a crapshoot. However, the pieces are in place. The Yankees started all this in 1981. If the Yankees had a lead after six, fuggedaboutit. Ron Davis came in and pitched the seventh and eighth, and Goose Gossage the ninth. Ball game. That worked all the way up until the World Series, but it did awaken baseball to the importance of the setup man. Remarkably, it was not until more than ten years later that the Yankees left an indelible impression on the setup role. Rivera replaced Davis and John Wetteland replaced Gossage, and this twosome was the best three-inning closing combo baseball has ever seen. Rivera had to step into the closer role when Wetteland left as a free agent, and though Rivera was more dominating as a setup man, he has enjoyed great success as Yankee closer. Can Lowe make the transition as Rivera did? The key here is that Rivera was better as a setup man, and perhaps still is. But Rivera did become a great closer. Lowe may always be at his best as a setup man. Though he does not possess the wicked fastball Rivera has, Lowe can get men out with consistency. Given three batters instead of six or nine, he might be fresher come October. Right now, just hope that Lowe does well enough as a closer to stop his thoughts towards a starting job someday. Lowe never demonstrated an ability to throw six or seven good innings on a consistent basis. He seemed to be the next Andy Hassler, a decent reliever who could never seem to collect W's. Lowe should change his favorite letter from "W" to "S" right away. And reduce his role to just one sentence: Lowe is a closer. Period.