Pun Invoving "Noah" and Something Rhyming With "Ark"

In the latest post from Across the Seams, Marty gives a rundown of a Q & A session he was lucky enough to attend. The notes were much appreciated, and there was one thing that stuck out:

That's a bold statement, even accounting for the obvious hyperbole. In the months of the baseball offseason -- collectively known as Lametober -- there isn't too much baseball to talk about other than which free agent is going where. So on a couple of different message boards, the subject of Noah Lowry came up. There is a definite schism among the Giants fans, with some believing Lowry will be just as good as he was last year, and others believing he will get beat down his second time around the league.

Before the season, the major scouting publications mentioned Lowry's changeup. It was an afterthought, almost. Lowry is left-handed...average fastball...decent control...has a changeup...etc.... Only Baseball Prospectus mentioned his changeup as a potential out pitch, though my memory could be off.

In this game against the Reds, Noah Lowry donned his shiniest gown, and had just a swell coming out party. The changeup featured by the lefty wasn't something you tack on to the end of a scouting report. This was a changeup you named a battleship after. This was a changeup you made a rock opera out of. Every hitter through the first nine went back to the dugout, and said something like, hey, watch for the changeup. Every hitter that followed continued to look for the change, would get it, and miss it by three feet. Wily Mo Pena is still waiting for it.

His change was a bit more hit-or-miss for the rest of the year, depending on if Lowry's control would dip and waver. But for that one night, Giants fans saw something pretty sweet. If that changeup is the one Lowry throws with consistency, he'll be an All-Star. Trevor Hoffman and Jaime Moyer both made it more than a couple of times around the league, and Lowry's change was just as good at times. For the Reds game, it was good the whole nine innings.

If Lowry's changeup is as temperamental as the curveball of He Who Shall Not Be Named When Discussing the Future of Noah Lowry -- hint: he wore #55, and was mortally wounded by a rogue second base bag in the 2000 playoffs --, the naysayers have it. The smart money -- or, at least, the optimist's money -- is on the changeup being for real, and on its way to being consistent.

Lowry is also the best hitting prospect the Giants have developed in the past decade, so that's nice as well.