BERNIE MIKLASZ : Philadelphia becomes theater of the
bizarre for Drew's visit
By Bernie Miklasz 

Caller to Philadelphia's all-sports radio station: "I
have a seat in center field, first row. I'm going to harass J.D. Drew
so much he's going to wish he never came to Philadelphia. I'm going to make him go 
home to his mama."
Host: "He's a greedy, no-good weasel who bucked the system to avoid playing in Philadelphia."
Caller: "I hate him. I hope the Phillies hit him."
Host: "People say Philly fans are unstable. I don't care. J.D. Drew deserves this."
Gee.
Why would an athlete want to avoid a career in
Philadelphia?
Monday was Judgment Day for J.D. Drew. He ventured
onto the mean streets of the roughest, loudest city in America to meet his
accusers, who were prepared with booming voices, banners and insults.
Forgiveness apparently was out of the question when the Rook met the 
Kooks. Asked if he planned to serve as Drew's body guard during this 
excursion to Philadelphia, Cardinals first baseman
Mark McGwire laughed. 
"ABSOLUTELY not," he said. "No thank you."
The Phillies drafted Drew No. 1 overall in 1997, but
he gave a new meaning to "Declaration of Independence." Drew dodged
their contract offers, remained stubborn and re-entered the draft in 98. The Cardinals 
picked him and rewarded him with an $8.5 million contract.
This was the same strategy utilized by a Philadelphia
sports icon, Flyers center Eric Lindros. He was drafted by Quebec,
didn't want to go, circumvented the system, and ended up wealthy and
wanted in Philadelphia.
The Drew-Lindros parallel is obvious, but don't ask
Philadelphians to be bothered with such minor details.
"Mr. Lindros came to Philadelphia because of a contract dispute," 
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "And Lindros was
welcomed with open arms. St. Louis can take in Mr. Drew the same
way."
Alas, the Philly fanatics didn't get their 195 pounds
of Drew's flesh. Drew didn't play in Monday's psychodrama because of a
bruised hand. But the fans had a chance to heckle Drew before the game,
and they made a vigorous attempt to bruise his pride.
Simultaneously, the Philly customers were grooving on
McGwire. It was one of the most bizarre pregame spectacles we've seen.
McGwire's Mania, Drew's Debut.
There is a thin line between love and hate - the foul
line, apparently.
In one spot, Philadelphia fans wanted to sink their
notorious fangs into 
Drew's infidel neck. But he didn't go crying to mommy.
He played along, and absorbed the taunts with good humor.
Only two days to go.  In another spot, Philadelphia had a love fest for
McGwire, who sent bodacious batting-practice souvenirs to the stands in
left field. 
McGwire's BP was televised, live.
We had game-show host Pat Sajak (huh?) behind the
cage, videotaping McGwire's BP swings.
We had Cardinals bullpen catcher Jeff Murphy, parading
on the field, wearing Drew's No. 7 jersey to tease the Philly fans.
Probably safer for Murphy to head to Pamplona, Spain, to run with the
bulls.
We had La Russa, responding to the anti-Drew posturing
of Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling, who mouthed off in the Philly
papers.
"Schilling has said more than enough," La Russa said.
"Fans don't need to be more incited than they are. Schilling has made
his position clear, several times over. The way things go around and come
around, there will be a time when something is unfair to someone
important to Schilling, and he'll understand when enough is enough."
We had Drew, fielding practice balls in center field,
intentionally muffing them so fans could razz him. Drew hit a BP
homer. Fans began chanting "Throw it back." The rejected ball was hurled
back onto the field. Everyone cheered, and Drew laughed.
We had the colorful Phillies team mascot, the Philly
Phanatic, position himself near the Cardinals dugout before the first
pitch. The Phanatic placed three money bags on the turf, and beckoned
Drew. But Cardinals coach Rene Lachemann grabbed the bags instead.
Drew didn't play in the Cardinals' 12-6 victory. La
Russa resisted a mild urge to put Drew in the game as a defensive
replacement, just to break the tension. But La Russa wants to start Drew
here. He doesn't want Drew to sneak into the game through a side door.
"That would have been a weak move," La Russa said.
Still, Drew could see the banners, some that mocked his devotion to God.
Some examples:
* "Greed is a Cardinal Sin, J.D."
* "Greed Will Be Your Demise." (Featuring a drawing of hell's flames).
And there were the obligatory obscene chants from the
crowd.  Drew wasn't sure what to expect. He was rattled,
briefly, when his suitcase disappeared after the Cardinals checked into
their hotel Sunday night.
Sabotage? No, a bellman delivered J.D.'s stuff to the
wrong room, and 
the bag was recovered.
Drew went out to Sunday-night dinner with teammates
Kent Bottenfield, 
Darren Oliver, David Howard and Garrett Stephenson.
Not only did he have 
a peaceful meal at a public restaurant, but the few
fans who recognized 
J.D. politely asked for his autograph.
No need for a disguise. "I don't have my glasses and
mustache on today," 
he said.
Monday afternoon, Drew offered to meet the
Philadelphia media, which has 
a reputation for pulling no punches. But the 15-minute
session was 
surprisingly tame. The Philly press took a pass.
Drew said he's heard barbs from fans in other National
League cities, 
and the words didn't hurt him. Which is good, or he
might have ended up 
on the disabled list again.
Drew once again made his appeal for peace in his
lifetime. "I have no 
problem with the city of Philadelphia and the fans of
Philadelphia," he 
said.
Evidently, they still have a problem with him, but
could do nothing 
about it. At the end of the game, some mindless fans
spat at Drew when 
he returned to the dugout after congratulating his
victorious teammates.
And imagine that Philadelphia is using a new tourism
slogan: "The City 
That Loves You Back."
Eric Lindros, yes.
J.D. Drew, no.




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