Drew undergoes knee surgery <br>
BY JOE STRAUSS<br>
Of the Post-Dispatch<br>
10/17/2002<br>
<br>
Cardinals right fielder J.D. Drew will be slowed in
the spring and early next season after having surgery
Thursday morning for removal of a portion of his right
patellar tendon.<br>
<br>
The surgery involved an arthroscopic procedure and an
incision to the front of the knee. A series of holes
were drilled in Drew's kneecap and a significant
portion of dead tendon removed. The holes were drilled
to promote bleeding and speed regeneration of the
affected tendon. <br>
<br>
"From everything we've heard, it went very well,"
Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said Thursday
afternoon. "I think there's a good chance he'll be
pretty far along after spring training."<br> 
<br>
Drew will remain on crutches for seven to 10 days
before beginning strengthening exercises for the leg.
Only hours after surgery, he spoke enthusiastically of
the future and with a sense of relief over what he
left behind. "It was pretty bad. I don't know if
everybody realized how bad it was," said Drew, who
underwent an hourlong procedure performed by the
team's orthopedic surgeon, Dr. George Paletta. "There
was definitely nothing I could have done except have
surgery. It wasn't going to get any better."<br> 
<br>
Drew played with chronic knee soreness throughout the
season and ended with an atrophied right quadriceps
because of the tendon's intolerance for bearing
weight. <br>
<br>
Drew, 26, was classified "day-to-day" by the Cardinals
medical staff after the All-Star break and, despite
receiving a career-high 424 at-bats, suffered a
dramatic decrease in power and consistency. <br>
<br>
Drew batted .252 this season, 71 points lower than his
2001 average and 39 points below his career figure.
His slugging percentage dropped from .613 to .429. He
homered only twice after July 25. <br>
<br>
"I can't explain how much of a relief it is," Drew
said Thursday night. "Nobody can really understand it
until they go through something like this. The tendon
was dead. It was killing me." <br>
<br>
The amount of dead tendon surprised team doctors and
trainers, Drew said. The tendon is expected to
regenerate in about six weeks but Drew's
rehabilitation is expected to require four to six
months.<br> 
<br>
Former Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire underwent much
the same procedure after the 2000 season. However,
scar tissue later formed, contributing to McGwire's
decision to retire following 2001. Drew intends to
perform weightlifting exercises and take some swings
in spring training but is unsure how much he will be
able to participate in exhibition play.<br> 
<br>
The club anticipates Drew serving a part-time role
until at least June. It's expected that the Cardinals
will peruse the trade market for at least a fourth
outfielder whom they feel can bridge the gap between
next season's opener and the day Drew receives
clearance for unrestricted participation. <br>
<br>
"If I do everything right, a month before the All-Star
Game I hope to be 100 percent," Drew said. "If I
hadn't had this done, I'd be in and out of the lineup
just like this year. That's not much of a contribution
to a six-month season. I'm willing to sacrifice a
month or two on the front end (of next season) to be
locked in not just for the next four months, but for
the rest of my career." <br>
<br>