5 Questions with Cards OF J.D. Drew
Compiled by Mike Eisenbath
Of the Post-Dispatch
09/01/2001 10:27 PM

1. Why do you think you've been able to start putting up such impressive offensive numbers this season?

"It takes a couple of years to learn at any level. I did the same thing in college. This being my third year in the big leagues, I've been around and seen the pitchers. I understand my weaknesses, what I need to work on. I was really looking for that swing I had in college more in the offseason, trying to get that leverage back."

2. Do you realize that a lot of people expected this kind of season from you two years ago and thought you were held back by not playing every day?

"I don't mind hearing it because people get excited about the kind of player I can be, and that gets me excited. But there were times I was struggling the last couple of years and I didn't need to be in there - I needed to sit back and watch from a distance to learn a little more about it and talk with the guys a little more about it. I was fine with it. Getting time off helped keep my legs fresh. This year, the more I play against lefties, the more comfortable I am against them, the more I build my endurance up."

3. Were you surprised to learn firsthand how difficult it is to play well for a full season?

"The bad thing about playing so many games is there are days where I love coming to the ballpark, I feel like I'm in a rhythm and it's a lot of fun. But there are days where you just think, 'I wish I could sleep a little longer.' Those days, it's like work. The season is so long, there are times you can go through 20-game stretches and feel like you don't have any legs. That's when you have to learn to take what you can get and not try to do too much. Then, when you feel really good, that's the time you step it up a notch."

4. Knowing how you have felt called to be a ballplayer, is there anything you don't like about baseball?

"The lifestyle, with the travel and attention from the fans and the fame is something I shy away from coming from a small town. I never will get used to it. It's got certain perks, I guess, where if you need to get in somewhere quick and someone recognizes you, that helps. But my dad and mom have always been humble. And growing up on a farm, you realize the importance of hard work. When you get here, the people that want your time, I can seem a little standoffish. I'm just shy about all that stuff."

5. Do you think the attention you give your Christian faith and love for the outdoors provide enough of a balance in your life to baseball?

"I look forward to that time when I can come home to my wife and I have someone to share things with. There are a lot of times that I have an off-day and the other guys have their families to go to, and I'm wondering what I'm going to do. I've got some friends in town. But it's more like sitting around and twiddling my thumbs."

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