Time for Drew to pay the piper: Fans get first chance
to greet pick who chose not to sign
By Paul Hagen
Philadelphia Daily News

A crowd of 32,000 and change showed up to remember the greatest Phillies moments of the century and honor the largest gathering of great former players ever assembled. More than 40,000 are expected each of the next three nights at the Vet when the St. Louis Cardinals are in town.

Some will come to celebrate Mark McGwire's only appearance of the season at the Vet.

And some will come to denigrate J.D. Drew (rhymes with boo).

Yes, the time has finally arrived for Drew to make his first trip to Philadelphia. Once he would have been greeted as a golden child after the Phillies made him the second player drafted overall in 1997. That was, of course, before he decided the Phillies hadn't offered enough gold, went back into the draft and signed with the Cardinals.

In the process he came across as greedy and conniving. Public opinion turned. Now nobody is exactly sure what kind of reception Drew is going to receive, except that it won't be cordial.

"Nothing's free," noted righthander Curt Schilling. "This is this city's payback time. I'd be gravely disappointed if there wasn't some verbal offering of opinion. People in this city live for this.

"When you say 'Philly fans,' people know exactly what you're talking about. This will be a defining moment for them." Schilling stressed that he is only talking about booing.

"There's no excuse for it to ever go beyond verbal," he said. "Nobody likes to be booed, but it's part of the game. The ugly part. But it should never go beyond that."

Having said that, he expects a rancorous welcome for the gifted Florida State outfielder.

"These fans are what they are," he said. "You can't go to another city and say '700 level' and have it mean anything. It's the red badge of courage. It's 'I climbed Mt. Everest and survived.' "

That should be the case, Schilling insisted, even if most of the seats in the top section aren't sold.

"I fully expect the 700 level Eagles fans to participate in [tonight's] exhibition of booism," he said. "[Drew] will get it with both barrels and then it's over with." Or maybe not. Drew (.255, 9 HRs, 25 RBI) was a late scratch from yesterday's game in Pittsburgh because of a bone bruise in his right hand.


It is uncertain whether he'll even play tonight. Drew told reporters at Three Rivers Stadium that he wants to play.

"It would be good to go ahead and get it over with, put it behind me," he said after the Cardinals lost to the Pirates, 5-1. "But I don't want to take a bat away from my team, either."

Mike DiMuzio, director of stadium operations at the Vet, denied published stories that the Phillies have asked Joe Walsh, director of security at Busch Stadium, to accompany Drew the next three days or even that extra security is planned because of Drew's visit. "We're planning extra for 40,000 people. If anything it's for McGwire, not Drew," he said.

Reportedly, some in the Cardinals organization have gone so far as to suggest that Drew should consider wearing a batting helmet while playing centerfield the next three games.

"I'm not going to go that far," Drew told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I'll just play the game. I would hope that people there, who really don't know me, wouldn't judge me one way or the other. I know I'm not going to judge them on whatever they do."

It's probably too late for that. The tone for negotiations was set early when Drew played hide- and-seek with the Federal Express package containing the Phillies offer, claiming he had never received it.


Then he steadfastly denied that his holdout had anything to do with money, claiming all along that he was simply acting on principle.

The Phillies' initial offer was for the highest signing bonus ever offered a drafted player. According to the Phillies' calculations they eventually offered a four-year deal worth $6.7 million. He ended up signing with the Cardinals for $8.5 million.

Drew played only sparingly because of a hamstring injury when the Phillies played at St. Louis in May.

"It's not going to be like any other place," Drew continued. "But I don't know what to expect. God willing, everything will work out for these three days with no problem. I don't think I'm going to worry about it, because that won't change anything.

"I'll live my life like I always have. When I go to Philadelphia, I'll have my head held high."

Uh, that might not be a good idea.

Schilling recounted a conversation he had at the All- Star Game in Boston last month. "There was a great comment by a Cardinal who I won't name. He said this will be the first city in two years people won't be here to see me," Schilling said with a laugh.

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