JD Drew

 

Photo taken by Kelly O’Connor

(See, folks, he DOES smile!) 

As I watch JC Romero cough up the go ahead run in the bottom of the 8th, my mind wanders to thoughts of JD Drew.

Trot Nixon was (hell, IS) a Red Sox fan favorite.  I sat in the pouring rain with my friend Melissa in 2006 to see Trot at what we all pretty much knew would be his last game in a Red Sox uniform.  Trot handled his exit from Boston with grace and while we wished him luck in Cleveland, for many of us, it didn’t ease the pain of his being gone.

Then we get JD Drew.  Anyone with Google can tell you his stats.  It’s also a good way to find out about his reputation.  I had followed Drew for a while and always liked him. I’ve never been one of those people who demanded to see ‘passion’ from my players.  If they play well and don’t piss off their teammates or fans, well I’m usually good with them.  

But liking JD Drew and wanting him to replace one of the most beloved players the Sox had seen in a decade are two different things.  So I was less than enthusiastic about his signing.  Then, adding insult to injury, the Red Sox gave him the number 7.  Trot Nixon’s number.  They were replacing our left-handed right fielder who wore number 7 with a new, older, more expensive left-handed right fielder wearing the number 7.

Were they freaking kidding me?

I was pissed.  I was annoyed.  I vowed not to cheer for JD.

That lasted about a day.

Then I realized that he was on my team and he wasn’t a baby thief or mother killer so I had no beef with him.  It wasn’t his ‘fault’ that the Sox threw a lot of money at him to replace Trot.  And, as much as I hated to admit it, with Trot an Indian and Drew on the Sox, that number 7 was more Drew’s than Nixon’s.  So I sucked it up and said, ‘the hell with it, he’s one of OUR boys now’.  And I was convinced he’d do well.

To say he didn’t do well this season is an understatement.  He finished the season batting .270 with 11 home runs and 64 RBI. I won’t get into the rest of his stats, there’s no need.  A lot of people bemoaned his big paycheck and small return.  Hell, last night, after he drove in the first two runs of the game, there was still a guy behind me yelling at him to "earn his money!".

Along the way, this season, I learned that fans had many differing opinions of JD.  There were the fans who fell into my group, willing to give the guy a break because of his history (and the fact that he’s, say it with me, ON OUR TEAM), there were fans who were looking forward to his being n the team, and bitterly disappointed with most of his performances…and there were fans who never gave him a chance.  They believed all the hype (He has no passion because Tony Larussa said so.  He’s always hurt.  You know the complaints.) and wouldn’t budge an inch when it came to their opinion of him.  These are the fans who inspired me to bear down and all-out support him.  I bought a t-shirt, I traveled to Baltimore with it, I wore it along side Kelly and her JD Drew shirt…and JD started really picking things up. 

Kelly and I credit JD’s great September to our unwavering support of him. 🙂

At the last game of the regular season that I got to attend (Big Papi hit a walk-off against the DRay), I ended up getting my entire section to cheer for JD (after they made fun of me for cheering for him at his first at-bat).  I convinced them all that positive energy was better than negative energy.  (And it worked; JD had a great game!)

So I watch JC Romero give up, what is now, the series-winning (well, LOSING for the Phillies) run. And I think about the Phillies fans the same as I did about the Mets fans last week – that could have been us.  It could have been any of the fans who follow their teams for 7-8 months.  No fans invest the time baseball fans do.  162 games (and that isn’t counting Spring Training and post-season) is a lot of time to spend with these guys.  I  understand the frustrations that come with being a fan.  As a long-time Red Sox fan, I understand it  lot better than many other folks.  And, yet, I still come back, game after game, year after year, and support whatever group of 25 Theo throws out there.

Sox have a chance to sweep in a few hours.  Angels will fight hard, but I have a lot of faith in my team pulling this out.  I want them to win.  I want them to sweep, and rest and then kick Cleveland in the jimmy.

But if they don’t?  Hell, all the fun I’ve had this season, it’s almost criminal to ask for more.  (But, just to be clear, I AM asking for more.  Thanks!)

Phillies fans and Cubs fans have nothing to hang their heads over.  Their fans of teams that fought hard to get into the playoffs and came up against teams that were just relentless.  It happens.  Hopefully the Cubs and Phillies fans can appreciate what they got to experience this season.  Something so many fans of so many other teams haven’t.

(I suppose I forgot to add that my focus on positive energy toward JD has turned me into a genuine fan of his.  I root for him a little harder than the rest of the guys and take special pride whenever he does well!) 

Between 2003-2007 there was only one season the Sox weren’t in the playoffs.  Honestly, we’re blessed and fortunate to be a part of this fanbase.  Enjoy the ride, folks, and don’t get caught up in all the hype.