| This profile of alumnus Mike Lowell '97 originally ran in the Spring
2001 FIU Magazine. FIU congratulates Mike and the Florida Marlins on
their World Series victory! |
Hitting
his stride:
Lowell
a success both
on and off the field
Life
is good these days for alumnus Mike Lowell ('97, Finance), Florida Marlins third
baseman. Part of a young team brimming with hungry talent, Lowell and his teammates
are maturing as promised into playoff contenders. And at the beginning of spring
training, Lowell was eagerly anticipating the new season, just as he has every
year since being drafted by the New York Yankees in the summer of 1995. And that
bat of his that's encased in a display at baseball's Hall of Fame Museum in Cooperstown?
It's a fitting exclamation point to a young career that nearly grounded out before
it had a chance to reach first base.
Not
bad for a guy who was told indirectly by his first high school baseball coach
that he wasn't good enough to play.
Lowell
was a gangly six-footer, weighing 130
pounds, when he played baseball for Columbus High School in Miami. At the end
of his sophomore year, Lowell found out "it wasn't in the coach's plans" to play
him his final two years of high school. Lowell transferred to Coral Gables Senior
High School where he blossomed physically and mentally.
"I
developed there, I think in part because Coach Bisceglia really helped develop
my confidence. He showed a lot of faith in me," Lowell said in February during
an interview at Pro Player Stadium. "That turned me into a potential college player.
And physically I was a late bloomer. I gained 20 pounds in one year.
"My junior year I didn't
even receive one card from a college, and then FIU opened its doors," said Lowell,
who today stands six feet-four inches, 205 pounds.
Lowell
attended FIU on an athletic scholarship, balancing his academic and athletic rigors
deftly, becoming an academic All-America.
"Mike
is a focused athlete," said FIU Head Baseball Coach Danny Price. "He was always
very mature and an extremely hard worker. We're so proud of him and the success
he's achieved."
The
big leagues became interested Lowell's junior year, and he was drafted by the
New York Yankees in the 20th round. Even though Lowell joked that the financial
reward wasn't enough to set him up for life ("We were in negotiations for hundreds,
I think, not millions," he said, laughing), there's no denying that many young
men in his position would have left FIU and never looked back.
"That wasn't an option
for me," said Lowell. "The guarantee to play in the big leagues is so small that
I knew I had to get my degree.
"I
went back to school in fall '95 after signing that summer because I knew it would
be hard to return if I tried out baseball for four or five years before going
back," continued Lowell, who credited his parents with giving him a "realistic
view" of life.
"I'll
never forget the feeling when I finished the last test of my last class," said
Lowell. "I really felt that I had done something positive."
Lowell, who lives with
his wife Bertica in Kendall year-round, continues to volunteer his name and time
to FIU.
"FIU
played a big role in my development, not only as an athlete but as a student,"
said Lowell. "And I really appreciate what Coach Price did. He's a good person.
I think he likes his kids, I think he cares about his kids and, especially when
you've gone through the minor league system and experienced the feeling of being
nothing more than a number, you better appreciate the people who took the time
to get the most out of your talent." Getting
the most out of his talent is something Lowell thinks he has yet to do.
"Each year
I learn more, whether it's about opposing pitchers or travel. There are so many
aspects of the game to absorb," reflected Lowell. "Experience brings a more comfortable
routine. And I think players who want to be good always find something to improve
upon. I try to focus on a different aspect of my game each year.
"It may be somewhat cynical,
but I kind of thrive when people tell me I can't do something because I get that
much more satisfaction when I do it," said Lowell, grinning.
Lowell stayed with the
Yankees until February '99 when he was traded to the Marlins, a move he welcomed.
The happiness was short-lived, however, with the results of the requisite annual
physical. "The internist wanted to conduct more tests. He knew there was a problem,
but he wasn't sure what it was," said Lowell.
The
problem turned out to be a tumor, and Lowell was in surgery 48 hours later for
the removal of a testicle. Suddenly, baseball really didn't matter.
"I was basically uneducated
about testicular cancer," reflected Lowell, growing serious. "I was scared. Scared
for my life. I didn't know if I was going to die."
The
surgery and three weeks of radiation, which Lowell called "physically crushing,"
were successful, and today Lowell is cancer-free. He returned to the club May
29th after beginning the '99 season on the disabled list and hit a grand slam
(game tying, bottom of the eighth) three months later on August 9th against the
San Francisco Giants. Unbeknownst to Lowell at the time, he was one of five players
to hit a grand slam that day, a record for major league baseball.
Cooperstown came calling.
"When I found
out the next morning that the Hall of Fame was requesting my bat, I couldn't believe
it," said Lowell, laughing. "I said, 'Are you kidding? They can have all of my
bats.'"
Lowell
has improved steadily since joining the majors. In 1999, his first season with
the Marlins, Lowell hit .253 with 12 home runs and 47 RBIs in 97 games. In his
first full season in the majors last year, Lowell hit 22 home runs, drove in 91
runs and collected a team-high 38 doubles, the third-highest total in club history.
Lowell was named National League Player of the Week August 28-September 3 when
he batted .471, drove in eight runs and hit three home runs.
Today, the 27-year-old
Lowell considers his cancer scare "a blessing in disguise."
"It was hard for me to
accept because I never felt anything, I never had any signs or symptoms of the
cancer beyond those tests," said Lowell. "Players tend to laugh off the physicals
because they're so boring, really, but in that instant my life changed.
"If I wasn't
playing professional baseball, I probably wouldn't have had a physical," Lowell
continued. "It might have taken years before my cancer was discovered, and it
might have been too late at that point.
"I've
always been a focused person, and I continue to remain focused on my baseball
career, but I think the cancer made me realize that there are other things that
are a notch above baseball, you know?" said Lowell. "The whole ordeal put family,
friends, my health where they should be in terms of priorities.
"Not that they weren't
before," reflected Lowell, "But I don't think I was as aware of it prior to this
ordeal."
