Drew: Fascinating turn of events
By Bob Ryan, Globe Columnist | October 21, 2007
So that's the fascination with J.D. Drew.
Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Theo hopes you folks didn't mind waiting close to seven months to see why he lavished $70 million on his seemingly lethargic outfield prize. I believe he would say something like, "Good things come to ye who waits," or "he who waits." Whatever.
But the fact is that everyone has waited for Drew to provide dividends, at least the kind of dividends someone in possession of a five-year contract worth $70 million should produce. That would include the manager. Guys with those kinds of paychecks aren't ordinarily sat down so journeymen switch hitters such as Bobby Kielty can get hacks against a lefthanded starter, as Drew was in Games 1 and 5 of this American League Championship Series.
There is no way to rationalize away his 2007 regular-season failure. He was obtained to be the five-hitter the team so desperately needed, and he put up numbers befitting a routine second baseman, slugging .423 with 11 homers and 64 RBIs. The team did find its No. 5 hitter, but it wasn't J.D. Drew. It turned out to be Mike Lowell.
Drew did draw enough walks (79) to get his on-base percentage up to .373, but that didn't mean anyone wanted to see him up there in any meaningful situation. As the year went on, it became evident the only proper places in the batting order for him were first, eighth, or ninth.
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Suffice it to say, he had not become a Fenway favorite. Children all over New England are probably convinced his first name is "Nancy," having heard him incessantly defamed as such by their elders after each soft fly ball, called third strike, or 4-6-3 with men on base.
Thus it was with minimal expectation the 37,163 in attendance, plus the multitudes taking it all in on TVs across this great Red Sox Nation of ours, watched Drew trudge to the plate with the bases loaded and two out in the first inning last night. The inning was on the verge of being a sick disaster. It had begun with great promise, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis reaching via infield hits and David Ortiz drawing a 3-and-2 walk, having never deigned to offer at one of Fausto Carmona's pitches.
Manny Being Manny was up with the sacks filled and none out, and there might have been one or two among the millions of Red Sox fans watching who didn't know that Mr. Ramírez is the champion grand slam master among all living, breathing creatures (with all due respect to the memory of the great Lou Gehrig), but the number of the ignorant had to be in the single figures. Manny hung tough through 2 and 2 and a foul tip, but he whiffed for the first out.
So that's the fascination with J.D. Drew.
Theo hopes you folks didn't mind waiting close to seven months to see why he lavished $70 million on his seemingly lethargic outfield prize. I believe he would say something like, "Good things come to ye who waits," or "he who waits." Whatever.
But the fact is that everyone has waited for Drew to provide dividends, at least the kind of dividends someone in possession of a five-year contract worth $70 million should produce. That would include the manager. Guys with those kinds of paychecks aren't ordinarily sat down so journeymen switch hitters such as Bobby Kielty can get hacks against a lefthanded starter, as Drew was in Games 1 and 5 of this American League Championship Series.
There is no way to rationalize away his 2007 regular-season failure. He was obtained to be the five-hitter the team so desperately needed, and he put up numbers befitting a routine second baseman, slugging .423 with 11 homers and 64 RBIs. The team did find its No. 5 hitter, but it wasn't J.D. Drew. It turned out to be Mike Lowell.
Drew did draw enough walks (79) to get his on-base percentage up to .373, but that didn't mean anyone wanted to see him up there in any meaningful situation. As the year went on, it became evident the only proper places in the batting order for him were first, eighth, or ninth.
Suffice it to say, he had not become a Fenway favorite. Children all over New England are probably convinced his first name is "Nancy," having heard him incessantly defamed as such by their elders after each soft fly ball, called third strike, or 4-6-3 with men on base.
Thus it was with minimal expectation the 37,163 in attendance, plus the multitudes taking it all in on TVs across this great Red Sox Nation of ours, watched Drew trudge to the plate with the bases loaded and two out in the first inning last night. The inning was on the verge of being a sick disaster. It had begun with great promise, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis reaching via infield hits and David Ortiz drawing a 3-and-2 walk, having never deigned to offer at one of Fausto Carmona's pitches.
Manny Being Manny was up with the sacks filled and none out, and there might have been one or two among the millions of Red Sox fans watching who didn't know that Mr. Ramírez is the champion grand slam master among all living, breathing creatures (with all due respect to the memory of the great Lou Gehrig), but the number of the ignorant had to be in the single figures. Manny hung tough through 2 and 2 and a foul tip, but he whiffed for the first out.
Page 2 of 2 --Mike Lowell and his 120 regular-season ribbies engendered some faith, but he went first-ball hunting and hit a tepid fly to right. Two away. Was this splendid opportunity to give Curt Schilling control of this game in the wake of a 1-2-3 Cleveland first going to be tossed away, like yesterday's newspaper?
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Well, there was one more chance. But J.D. Drew? A major clutch hit? Nah. Maybe he'll get hit by a pitch. Or Carmona will balk. Or those infamous Cleveland midges will take a quick road trip and attack Carmona.
The count went to 3 and 1. Drew swung at the next pitch and the ball took off on a low line trajectory to center. As Grady Sizemore drifted back, it looked as if the ball would hit the wall for a bases-clearing double or triple. But, no. The ball had just enough juice to clear the wall and land in the little hut with the TV cameras.
Get out of town! J.D. Drew hit a grand salami! J.D. Drew had come through in a big moment when Ramírez and Lowell hadn't. J.D. Drew had jump-started the Red Sox to a 12-2 triumph. Somewhere, Scott Boras was smiling.
And so was Terry Francona. "They got a chance to wiggle out of it," Francona noted, "and not only does he get a hit, but he drives in four. That changes the whole complexion of the game with one swing."
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