I've got Derek Lowe's back

Wearing Sox jersey at ceremony causes uproar in the media.

"The jersey was made for that ceremony," Lowe said Tuesday before the Dodgers played their home opener against the San Francisco Giants. "It was just part of it."

His sartorial choice was a subject of debate on sports talk radio and television. Lowe was handed the jersey shortly before the celebration began, and gets to keep it or give it to charity.

Lowe, who won the last game of all three postseason series, flew to Boston to be part of the ceremony honoring the franchise's first World Series champion since 1918, as did outfielder Dave Roberts, a former Dodger who plays for the San Diego Padres but is on the disabled list. Lowe signed a four-year, $36 million contract with Los Angeles during the offseason, and the Dodgers were off Monday.

Lowe said he believes the 34-minute ceremony offered closure for him and the Red Sox.

"Absolutely, 100 percent, and it's good," he said. "The guys on the 2005 team, they don't want to see us around. I'm happy it's over with. The main thing is, no one on our team, they didn't care.

"It was good, a first-class deal," he said of the ceremony. "It wasn't too long. From my standpoint, it was good to see a lot of the guys."

Manager Jim Tracy and pitchers Odalis Perez and Scott Erickson supported that notion.

"Absolutely not," Tracy said when asked if Lowe's wearing the Red Sox jersey bothered him. "There are people who have played this game a long time who never had an opportunity to experience what he did yesterday."

Perez said much the same thing.

"The way they did it was good," he said. "I believe it was nice for him. It was 86 years, man. Roberts and Lowe -- well done. If that happened to me, I would (wear the jersey), too. The goal is to win."

Said Erickson: "Eighty-six years or six years, what's the big deal? That was last year."

Lowe spoke after completing a bullpen session. He was hit just above his right elbow by Craig Counsell's liner in the fifth inning of a 5-4 loss at Arizona on Sunday.

"That was an inch and a half away from complete disaster," Tracy said, expressing the opinion that Lowe's elbow was that close to being broken. "That ball was really smoked. When he fell down at first base is when I took a deep breath when I left the dugout."

I support Derek Lowe's decision and I would have done the same darn thing. Of course, I'm biased.