Derek Lowe is my Homeboy

I didn't know too much about Derek Lowe before he signed with the Dodgers in 2005.  The few things that I did know was that he was a solid starter, closer and a champion while pitching for the Boston Red Sox.  Those seemed like good qualities to have.  I was happy that the Dodgers signed him.

Lowe had some really good success as a Dodger.  In the four years that he pitched in LA his ERA was never above 3.88.  His ERA+ was never lower than 114.  He also had time to cheat on his wife with a Fox Sports reporter.  His infidelity didn't affect his mound performance.  He is either a sociopath or he under performed due to his indiscretions.  No matter how you look at it, Derek Lowe was my kind of Doyer.

I will also never forget the game that he pitched in the 2008 NLDS against the Chicago Cubs.  Lowe pitched Game 1 of that series.  He pitched 6 innings, gave up 2 runs and struck out 6 to pick up the victory. This was also the game where James Loney hit a grand slam in the 5th inning to give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead.   That's right Loney was a hero for a day rather than a goat.  Things were different in 2008.

Also, I checked the box score for this game and Greg Maddux pitche the 9th inning to close out the victory. I forgot that little tidbit from the game.  I also remember angry Cubs fans leaving early because they lost faith in there team despite the final score being 7-2 in the Dodgers victory.

These are my first two autographs of Lowe.  I was happy to see that he signs through the mail.  When I saw that on the Sports Card Forum, I knew that I had to mail out to him quickly.  He was one of the first Dodgers that I sent cards to.

I wrote him a super nice letter.  I mentioned that I used to wear a Derek Lowe jersey shirt to Dodger Stadium when he was starting.  I felt that would give him extra luck.  I also may have been the only Dodger fan with Lowe's name on the back of my shirt.

Thanks for the memories, Derek Lowe.  Thanks for the autographs!  As long as you don't pitch for the Giants, you will still be my homeboy.