Lowe on learning Griffey will return: 'I got chills'
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 | 10:20 am
Mark Lowe is living his dream as a major league relief pitcher, but that dream became something special this year when he played on the same team as his childhood idol, Ken Griffey Jr.
Lowe had always hoped Griffey would return for another season but knew there were no guarantees. That's why he was thrilled to hear this morning that Griffey was returning.
"I got a text from my girlfriend, and I got chills right away," Lowe said. "Being my favorite player growing up, I wanted him to come back. It's exciting to know I'll get to spend another seven months with the guy and laugh every single day."
Lowe said the younger players learned volumes from Griffey -- and veteran Mike Sweeney -- in how to handle the pressures of a long season. The 2008 team, favored by many to win the division, self-destructed into a group beset by clubhouse conflict. This year's team was an example of what solidarity can do.
"They have that personality where they have a good time, but at the same time they respect the game and love what they do," Lowe said. "There was nothing better than to walk into that clubhouse and see those two guys being the same every day.
"A lot of the things this year we learned just by watching. There weren't a whole lot of things said, and we had very few team meetings. It was just a matter of being able to sit back and watch the veteran players go about their business the same way every day. It's all part of 162-game season. You're going to have ups, you're going to have downs, you're going to go through slumps and have streaks where you might win 20 games in a row. But those guys stayed focused on doing what they could do for that day, and they didn't look beyond that day."
Lowe had always hoped Griffey would return for another season but knew there were no guarantees. That's why he was thrilled to hear this morning that Griffey was returning.
"I got a text from my girlfriend, and I got chills right away," Lowe said. "Being my favorite player growing up, I wanted him to come back. It's exciting to know I'll get to spend another seven months with the guy and laugh every single day."
Lowe said the younger players learned volumes from Griffey -- and veteran Mike Sweeney -- in how to handle the pressures of a long season. The 2008 team, favored by many to win the division, self-destructed into a group beset by clubhouse conflict. This year's team was an example of what solidarity can do.
"They have that personality where they have a good time, but at the same time they respect the game and love what they do," Lowe said. "There was nothing better than to walk into that clubhouse and see those two guys being the same every day.
"A lot of the things this year we learned just by watching. There weren't a whole lot of things said, and we had very few team meetings. It was just a matter of being able to sit back and watch the veteran players go about their business the same way every day. It's all part of 162-game season. You're going to have ups, you're going to have downs, you're going to go through slumps and have streaks where you might win 20 games in a row. But those guys stayed focused on doing what they could do for that day, and they didn't look beyond that day."
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