Thy Will be done: With Clark's nudging, Drew emerges as star <br>
By Bernie Miklasz<br>
06/03/2001<br>
<br>
<br>
As J.D. Drew knows, the Lord works in mysterious ways. And so it was 
late 
last summer, when the flamboyant baseball apostle Will Clark walked 
into the 
Cardinals clubhouse and directed his notoriously loud and X-rated voice 
at 
young Drew.<br>
<br>
Clark made Drew a personal project. A pet that needing to be 
disciplined. 
Clark made sure that Drew heard about every on-field transgression. 
Drew is 
blessed with enormous talent, but he often has been content to let that 
ability ride, reacting to failure with a shrug.<br>
<br>
A base-running blunder or a fielding miscue may have been God's will to 
the 
devoutly religious Drew, but these errors of the mind were not Will's 
will. 
Clark found them unacceptable, and the old first baseman wasn't bashful 
about growling at Drew.<br>
<br>
Clark was so impressed with Drew's talent, he took it upon himself to 
impart 
wisdom and a work ethic. Clark yapped at Drew from the time he arrived 
until 
the time he retired at the end of the 2000 season. And that may have 
been 
Clark's greatest gift to the Cardinals during his brief stay in St. 
Louis: 
He made a positive difference in Drew's career.<br>
<br>
"Naw, I don't mind Will at all," Drew said Saturday, smiling at the 
recollection. "We got along really well. And I learned. He's a great 
player 
who brought a lot of fire to this team. I've just tried to take 
something 
from everybody, and Will's competitive attitude toward the game is 
definitely something that everybody can learn from."<br>
<br>
Two months into the 2001 season, right fielder Drew is becoming the 
player 
that the Cardinals fantasized about when they gave him a $7 million 
signing 
bonus in 1998. Drew is doing it all: running, catching, throwing, 
hitting 
for average, hitting for power.<br>
<br>
"A legitimate five-tool player," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.<br>
<br>
After homering, stealing home and scoring two runs in Saturday's 8-5 
victory 
over Cincinnati at Busch Stadium, Drew is batting .318 with 19 home 
runs, 41 
RBIs, six stolen bases and a team-leading .705 slugging percentage.<br>
<br>
Drew's 19 home runs are already a career high -- he hit 18 in 407 
at-bats 
last season -- but this isn't about power. It's about polish. And 
purpose. 
And after stretches of inconsistency through his first two full 
major-league 
seasons (1999-2000), Drew is producing up to expectations.<br>
<br>
"He's got so much talent, and he's doing so many things well," La Russa 
said. "It's really been fun to watch him."<br>
<br>
La Russa was not always Drew's biggest fan. Like most of the Cardinals, 
the 
manager was often annoyed by Drew's casual, cruise-control ways.<br>
<br>
And this is why La Russa would park Drew on the bench. La Russa's 
refusal to 
hand Drew an automatic, full-time starting job was a constant source of 
aggravation to Drew's many fans, but La Russa was correct in his 
strategy 
with the prodigy.<br>
<br>
Drew needed to realize the scope of the effort required to earn a daily 
spot. And by challenging Drew, La Russa (and Clark) sparked Drew's 
internal 
pilot light.<br>
<br>
Drew, 25, is an outstanding person. But as a player, he needed a nudge. 
And 
he seems to understand that now. He also needed experience. He's doing 
a 
better job of studying pitchers, anticipating their pitching patterns 
and 
finagling the count to his advantage.<br>
<br>
"I'm working on my attitude every day," Drew said. "My concentration, 
my 
effort and playing the game that way."<br>
<br>
Playing the game the right way.<br>
<br>
"My faith grows stronger every year, too," Drew said. "I think that's 
the 
biggest key for me, my prayer life and being consistent on the field 
every 
day. I don't pray for home runs. I pray to play hard every day, and 
give it 
the best shot I've got."<br>
<br>
On that last count, La Russa's prayers have been answered, too.<br>
<br>