Drew hype gets to take the night off
By by Paul Hagen
Philadelphia Daily News

ST. LOUIS -- The Phillies had been trying for days, with little success, to downplay their looming showdown with J.D. Drew.

That left it up to Cardinals manager Tony La Russa to make sure all the wind came out of this overhyped controversy.

If Phillies starter Carlton Loewer wanted to throw at Drew for having the temerity not to sign with the Phillies after they made him the second player taken overall in the June 1997 draft, he had to fire a four-seamer into the Cardinals' dugout.

That's where Drew spent the night, nursing the strained right quadriceps that has limited him to one start and two pinch-hit appearances in the last week.

Drew expects to play before the Phillies leave town after the series finale tomorrow afternoon.

"There's a good chance I'll play," he said. "It all revolves around how I feel. I'm looking forward to getting back in the lineup and staying in the lineup. But I don't want to hurt the team if I go out there and I can't track an easy fly ball."

Like the Phillies, Drew insisted he attached no special significance to his first series against the team he snubbed.

"It's a good series, but it's just another series for us," he said. "It's not awkward. I'm with the Cardinals and the Phillies are a team coming into town. I just hope we play well and win."

Drew conceded that his first trip to Veterans Stadium, Aug. 16 to 18, could be more difficult, but added he doesn't understand why Phillies fans would hold a grudge.

"I hope they see my side of the story and judge me by the way I play ball," he said. "I don't regret anything that happened. It builds a lot of character. Things happen for a reason. I have no hard feelings against the Phillies."

That, of course, misses the point.

The point is the feelings the Phillies and their fans have toward Drew.

copyright Philadelphia Daily News newspaper

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