Lowe report cites drinking

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Former Red Sox pitcher Derek Lowe said in a deposition during divorce proceedings that the Red Sox believed he had a drinking issue but that he disagreed, according to RonFineman.com, the website that last year posted allegations by the pitcher's ex-wife that he was having an affair with a TV reporter with whom he is now living.

Lowe also said in his deposition, according to the website, that he suffers from attention deficit disorder and was provided with Ritalin by a Red Sox doctor. The website also reports that Lowe said he has been given daily doses of the stimulant Adderall by Dodgers trainer Stan Johnson.

Lowe's ex-wife, Trinka Lowe, alleges in her deposition that Scott Boras, Lowe's agent, told her that the Sox allowed Lowe to leave after the 2004 season as a free agent because of an alcohol problem.

Lowe signed a four-year, $36 million offer from the Dodgers; in his deposition, he said he turned down a $45 million offer from the Marlins.

Ron Fineman is a longtime TV and radio news writer and editor in California; his website is subscription-only. The website LAobserved.com, run by former Los Angeles Times reporter Kevin Roderick, also posted Fineman's findings.

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, who had returned to Boston, had no comment.

Lowe pitched the Dodgers' opener Monday, allowing eight runs (seven earned) in five innings, and was charged with the loss in an 11-10 decision. It was unclear whether he was informed before the game of the pending publication of the depositions.

Lefthander Al Leiter, who retired last month after 19 major league seasons, and has the same agent as Roger Clemens, is convinced Clemens will pitch again, and will do so for the Yankees or Red Sox.

''There's no way the greatest player in the history of the game is going to retire the way he did, last pitching again Mexico and losing," said Leiter, who was Clemens's teammate in the World Baseball Classic. ''That has nothing to do with the fact that I have the same agent. I've just got to believe he'll either be a Yankee or a Red Sox.

''Think about it," said Leiter, reached by phone yesterday. ''He's 43. You think he's going to melt in Arlington all summer? No way.

''The only reason he goes back to Houston is out of guilt, if they're three games back, and they have a shot at pushing for the playoffs. If that were the case, he would look like a bad guy if he left."

Josh Beckett, a native of Spring, Texas, about four hours southeast of Arlington, makes his Sox debut today. Again yesterday, Beckett turned away reporters. He has yet to embrace that aspect of pitching in Boston. But Leiter, who pitched in Florida's rotation last year with Beckett, and Sox manager Terry Francona believe Boston's big stage will enhance the 25-year-old's focus.

Asked if Beckett is someone who genuinely wants to be great, Francona said, ''Yeah. I was talking to [former Marlin Mike] Lowell about that a little bit. He thought coming to Boston would be great for him, because there's interest, there are critics. He thinks that could give him a kick in the pants in a good direction."

Leiter, too, suggested that maturity will be forced upon Beckett.

''This is going to be a bit of an awakening for him," Leiter said. ''He was nurtured in South Florida as far as crowds, media presence. That's mild, in the sense of the sharp knives. It will be a big learning and growing-up process for him. If he has a good start and stays healthy, he's going to take the town. People are enamored by him, his look, his swagger.

''He will have something edgy to say once in a while, but it's fairly well thought-out. He's a bright guy, he really loves the game, and he knows the game. He could rub people the wrong way with the cockiness. But you don't ever want to take that away, a la Schilling, or whoever else."

''I think he will have a hell of a year," added Leiter. ''I think he's a young Schilling. Curt is not short on words, not afraid to express his opinion in the clubhouse and nationally. Josh is from the same mold, a gunslinger with good, sound mechanics."

Tim Wakefield fell to 7-13 career vs. the Rangers, 4-10 with a 5.95 ERA in Arlington. ''Somebody mentioned that to me earlier, my record here," Wakefield said. ''Just one of those teams, you look back over the course of your career, you're kind of like, 'Wow.' I couldn't believe it when I saw it." Last night Wakefield was bounced after just 3 2/3 innings. To find the last time he failed to complete four innings, you'd have to go back to Sept. 28, 2003, when Wakefield went just two innings, though that appearance was abbreviated because he was merely tuning up for the postseason. To find the last time he lasted fewer than four simply because he was rocked, you must meander back more than 31 months, to Aug. 26, 2003 . . . J.T. Snow and Wily Mo Peña pinch hit in the bottom of the ninth for their first at-bats with the club. Against closer Francisco Cordero, Snow flied to left and Peña doubled in a run with a one-hopper off the right-field fence. The only Sox position player or reliever on the active roster yet to appear in a game is Mike Timlin . . . The Sox haven't begun a year 2-0 since 1999 . . . Though Francona is on record as saying Keith Foulke is his closer, the manager acknowledged that he still needs to find out exactly what he has in Foulke. ''I do believe in him, I think more than most people," Francona said. ''At the same time, you kind of want to know what a guy is going to do. That consistency is huge in our game."