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AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIPJuly 17, 2013Derek LoweSTATELINE, NEVADA THE MODERATOR: Derek, thank you for joining us. You just got off the golf course, looks like. DEREK LOWE: We did. Q. How did you do out there? DEREK LOWE: I think we got a whopping 17 points, I think. Fantastic. Birdied the last two to get us there. Great, this is my first time. It's just been tremendous. Q. I was going to say first trip to Tahoe. What a difference a year makes. A year ago you were down in Texas pitching with the Rangers. Tell us what your future plans are. DEREK LOWE: Well, I was with Texas actually this year, sorry to‑‑ but, yeah, I'm official no longer going to play the game. It was still enjoyable, but the role I was having wasn't fulfilling. The competitor that I was able to do throughout your career. So this is going to be it. And we're going to do need to do a lot better than 17 points if we try to do something in weekend. Q. So the next profession will not be golfer, is that what you're trying to tell the group? DEREK LOWE: Yeah, I think I'm always going to have an A next to my name for amateur. But, no, again, it's a tremendous golf course. It's in great shape. The weather's fantastic. We've played with‑‑ I think the beauty of this thing you play with a lot of people maybe you wouldn't cross paths with, and everyone's been gracious, and we've had a really good time. Q. Tell us a little bit about your game since we haven't had a chance to see you before. DEREK LOWE: Short game is by far the weakest. My caddie over there I've been asking for putting lessons and he's given me none. No, I think most guys that are good eye/hand coordination drive the ball a fair distance. It's just again the short game which separates the Dan Quinns and Rick Rhoden and Jack Wagners, I've watched the tournament every year, and they get it up and down from anywhere. Q. Is this official as far as retirement announcement? DEREK LOWE: No, like I told my dad, I'll never retire. If you're not playing it's pretty self‑explanatory. I don't‑‑ I'm not going to go to The Hall of Fame so I don't feel like I need to have a retirement speech. But yeah, I was able to play 17 years in some pretty cool teams and win a World Series. So everyone's gotta stop playing at some point and this is my time. Q. First, did you watch the All‑Star game last night and what did you think about the applause that Rivera got? DEREK LOWE: I did not. But I was just told about it. And I think he's so well respected in our game as far as what he's been able to do. I saw him for eight years when I was with the Red Sox. And I mean he changed the game, because you knew you had to score before the ninth inning or the game was pretty much going to be over. Arguably the best closer of all time. And probably for him, especially the way last year went, and to be able to pitch in a World Series‑‑ or sorry All‑Star game in New York, and then the 1‑3‑0 comes in. Just a classy guy. Great to see him go out this way unlike last year. Q.  Overall impressions of the course? DEREK LOWE: Again, it's in beautiful shape. This is my first time, but everyone's raving about how the greens much improved from last year. Again, I wasn't here, but there's definitely opportunities to score. But as I found out, those trees are unforgiving. You get in them and you can just keep whacking them off it. You just play 17 and 18 and it's just a beautiful setting. And I think we're always so fortunate because you know the weather's going to be beautiful every day. Q. Did you know when you were DFA'd by Texas that that was it, or did you take a week to step back to see whether or not you wanted to play? DEREK LOWE: I knew even‑‑ I told my wife ten days before I got released, I said we're not going to make it all year. Because they had to have‑‑ they had to make numerous moves. I was basically the 12th guy. I was grateful for the opportunity that they gave me in spring training. But having been able to be a starter or closer throughout your career, being the mop‑up long relief guy, I just turned 40. Let someone else try that. But bottom line is once they said we're going to let you go, there was no going to Round Rock, put it that way, their triple A affiliate. Q. Is it weird? You used to have be all‑star break, three days off and now it's indefinite. DEREK LOWE: 100percent. But I think with the way last year, you kind of go from Atlanta to Cleveland to New York to Texas, once you start doing that, but if I was starting, I would probably still play. But not to just, again, to be a fan and root against the starters who can actually play. Q. Have you stopped baseball workouts? Are you closing‑‑ DEREK LOWE: We're two months in. I have a 9‑ and 13‑year‑old. And for a lot of people, they'd probably understand, we never get to see our kids in the summertime do any school or whatever‑‑ my son plays baseball. I've seen him play probably five games his whole career. It's nice to be able to support him and be there. I'll be a Tigers fan. And I grew up outside Detroit, so they're my team. You still have lots of relationships with lots of guys throughout the game. It's fun to talk to them. Q. Any camaraderie with Mulder and Smoltz and Rhoden welcoming another pitcher in the fray in Tahoe? DEREK LOWE: I've seen them in passing. I know those guys are beyond competitive. I think everybody here is. And I think anytime they welcome someone that may be able to do a little bit, probably what I'm going to be able to do. But I think starting pitchers we've always been so fortunate to‑‑ we have so much down time that that's why you see a lot of pitchers that are halfway decent at golf. Q. 17‑year career in the bigs. 3‑0 in the postseason in 2012 when the Sox won for the first time in 86 years. What's that like? I know you've answered that question before but you've gotta be still feeling some of that? DEREK LOWE: I think what made that year so meaningful is what happened in'03. We're up, I don't know what it was, 5‑2 in the seventh inning, come back against Pedro. Aaron Boone hits a home run. We were pretty close in 2003. And it was just you have to have so many things go right. In the first round I came in relief. I pitched one inning; I got the win. That was a little bit shady. No, it was a tremendous rivalry and it was a lot of fun. 86‑year curse. It was a team that was a great fun team to be around. And your Red Sox fans will be forever grateful for that team. Q. I think you're going off at 25‑to‑1 odds over at the Harrah's book. Gonna make a trip over there? DEREK LOWE: I haven't seen my line move. I think we're safe at 25‑to‑1. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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