When will JD get his Due?

[TheKilo]

[youtube=Theo talks JD Drew]e2aN4S2fGoA

 

When does the nonsensical bashing start, and the appreciation of just a really good baseball player begin?

 

What has Drew done the last two seasons to warrant getting bashed, by anyone?

 

Refreshing to hear Theo stick up for his guy and further proof that the baseball ops team is a lot smarter than any of us.

[Cocos Disciples]

Indeed.

 

I know you guys are kidding' date=' but Drew has been great this year, especially since the trade deadline (.333/.444/.624/1.068), and has played the full season. Probably his best year on the Sox.[/quote']

[TheKilo]

He's got his defenders on his board but it still feels like he has never gotten his due in this town.

[Cocos Disciples]

I know what you mean. Personally, I don't listen to sports radio and it's equivalents in other mediums, but I do get that sense just by talking sports with other people. He's severely underrated by many.

[redsoxrules]

JD is f***ing awsome

[a700hitter]

He's got his defenders on his board but it still feels like he has never gotten his due in this town.

Do you think that he gives a s***? I think he is getting his due once a month when the enormous check hits his bank account. Bigger stars have come through this town and been trashed by the press and booed by the fans. I haven't seen any feeding frenzy on J.D. No sad songs for me about him. He's doing just fine on the field and off the field as well.

[Dojji]

I agree with a700. Drew is a very good professional player who's well paid for what he provides, which is extremely valuable for this team. His worst fault is that he's a bit stoic and doesn't tell the world what he really thinks. And if that's a guy's worst fault then he's doing pretty good.

[TheKilo]

It's pretty clear Drew doesn't give a s*** what you, I, or anyone else thinks.

 

For supposed "educated" baseball fans, I still hear a lot of anti-Drew nonsense.

[a700hitter]

It's pretty clear Drew doesn't give a s*** what you, I, or anyone else thinks.

 

For supposed "educated" baseball fans, I still hear a lot of anti-Drew nonsense.

People have opinions. Just because he is a good player doesn't entitle him to being popular. He probably doesn't care.

[Dipre]

It's pretty clear Drew doesn't give a s*** what you, I, or anyone else thinks.

 

For supposed "educated" baseball fans, I still hear a lot of anti-Drew nonsense.

 

f***. GREATER TRUTH HAS NEVER BEEN SPOKEN. (Sry for the Caps fury outburst.)

 

JD Drew is awesome. Enough said.

[BigPapiEnFuego]

Calling J.D Drew awesome is a stretch. Talent wise, A-Rod is awesome, Pujols is awesome, Ortiz was awesome for awhile, Manny Ramirez is awesome. J.D Drew is good. He doesn't suck like I make him out to. He is good. Not awesome, not amazing, just good.

[Dipre]

Calling J.D Drew awesome is a stretch. Talent wise' date=' A-Rod is awesome, Pujols is awesome, Ortiz was awesome for awhile, Manny Ramirez is awesome. J.D Drew is good. He doesn't suck like I make him out to. He is good. Not awesome, not amazing, just good.[/quote']

 

Al those dudes you mentioned were GODLY, Drew and Youk are awesome.

 

Get your s*** straight.

[BigPapiEnFuego]

Al those dudes you mentioned were GODLY, Drew and Youk are awesome.

 

Get your s*** straight.

 

I can accept this. You're right.

[Spudboy]

Allow me to bag lap here.

 

Thank you Kilo for posting the interview.

 

That said:

 

I'm probably one of the people at Talksox viewed as a Drew basher because I have said "Nancy" several times and have expressed concern over his absence from the line-up at times.

And, I have playfully poked fun with sarcastic comments (with smileys!) many times.

 

But I recognize his value to this team. I want him on the field so he can get on base, score runs, and play sound defense in right field.

 

I "drew' three things from the Theo interview:

 

1.) I gained a more thorough understanding of the Sox philosophy.

 

2.) I now realize just what Drew has done to fulfill the Sox expectations of him.

 

3.) Mazz and Felger are total pussies.

 

I look forward to seeing Drew have a big post season and will be pissed if Tito sits him for any reason other than injury.

[Looch Ness Monster]

I've really learned to love Drew. I realized after a while the contract really doesn't matter..it isn't like we're paying his salary. He's a good OBP guy and fits in our system well. He's our 8th hitter on our best days and he's very good in that role. He can also be a leadoff if Ellsbury has to miss time and he always adjusts to new roles fairly well. He isn't great but I feel like he does everything solid. I also feel like he's been more durable this year and that has been encouraging.

 

I'll always remember his amazing catch against the NYY in that 15 inning thriller too.

[YAZMAN]

It's pretty clear Drew doesn't give a s*** what you, I, or anyone else thinks.

 

For supposed "educated" baseball fans, I still hear a lot of anti-Drew nonsense.

 

All true. I think some of the "educated" fans never got over the balls he showed after he got drafted. Plus he's hurt/sore/stiff a lot - not quite quantifiable injuries so he's suspect to some there. And he's neither flashy nor personable, so the kids don't take much to him either.

 

People don't care that he has a sweet, pure swing or that he hits for decent power for a guy who doesn't swing like a power hitter.

[redsoxrules]

Just got a chance to listen to the clip as I was work earlier

 

Great stuff from Theo

 

I love how Theo says I dont care about RBI's ,JD does the most important thing in the lineup and that's not making outs , keeps the lineup moving

[Spudboy]

Just got a chance to listen to the clip as I was work earlier

 

Great stuff from Theo

 

I love how Theo says I dont care about RBI's ,JD does the most important thing in the lineup and that's not making outs , keeps the lineup moving

 

Theo put things in clear perspective.

[TheKilo]

Allow me to bag lap here.

 

Thank you Kilo for posting the interview.

 

That said:

 

I'm probably one of the people at Talksox viewed as a Drew basher because I have said "Nancy" several times and have expressed concern over his absence from the line-up at times.

And, I have playfully poked fun with sarcastic comments (with smileys!) many times.

 

But I recognize his value to this team. I want him on the field so he can get on base, score runs, and play sound defense in right field.

 

I "drew' three things from the Theo interview:

 

1.) I gained a more thorough understanding of the Sox philosophy.

 

2.) I now realize just what Drew has done to fulfill the Sox expectations of him.

 

3.) Mazz and Felger are total pussies.

 

I look forward to seeing Drew have a big post season and will be pissed if Tito sits him for any reason other than injury.

 

Good post Spud. Those three things are pretty much spot on.

 

Theo embarrassed Felger and Mazz, probably the best thing about it.

[BigPapiEnFuego]

JD does the most important thing in the lineup and that's not making outs ' date=' keeps the lineup moving[/quote']

 

That is a good point. To be honest I'd rather have him up at the top of the lineup because of that, instead where he is now. Jacoby would be better toward the bottom.

[example1]

Theo embarrassed Felger and Mazz, probably the best thing about it.

 

They embarassed themselves. No help from Theo needed. Theo just added made their dumbassness more embarassing because he so clearly knows what he's talking about and didn't even have to touch on the depths of the Sox system to talk circles around those clowns.

 

I loved how he brought up JD Drew out of nowhere and then didn't drop it when they were trying to joke with him and change the subject. He's clearly frustrated not only about how poorly so many people understand JD Drew's production, but also about the implications that this means that so many people just don't understand what is important in baseball--thus meaning that the he will have to deal with this s*** with other "Red Sox type" players, whether drafted, traded for or signed as FAs. It sounds like he's thinking to himself "if these people can't understand why JD Drew is a good value on a team, they'll never understand why a cost-controlled Jed Lowrie is a good value or why we care about so many of the things we do."

 

I think his explanation about Gonzalez's contribution to the team was very balanced and makes a lot of sense... a team that's well below average defensively can be improved a lot just with average performance at key positions. Gonzalez is a better than average MLB fielder in a few very important areas, like hands, release and throwing accuracy. I think this speaks to the enthusiasm that some people felt about him. His improvement on the team seems obvious, especially when he's not making outs every time he's up.

 

That said, I think Theo was also very honest in not overstating Gonzalez's skills or overall talent.

 

I appreciate him because he doesn't tend to speak in platitudes unless it is warranted and he's good at admitting mistakes.

[BSN07]

I've been a Drew supporter from the start. He's a great fit on this team.

[RWTP24]

Drew is a very good player and fits well in the Red Sox lineup. I really have a hard time saying he is a great player at this point, but maybe that will change some day. Also, with his over all numbers I think he is a bit over paid, but that is a very small thing in the big picture. If i remember right, I think he is the highest paid player on the Red Sox. When I think about that, it is quit shocking to me.

 

Also, I think the reason a lot of people do not like Drew is because he is not an emotional ball player at all. He never has been and he never will be, but the one thing he does is play a 110 % very very quietly. In addition, people want some like a Trot Nixon IMO and Drew is not that kind of ball player. Nixon was very emotional and he would play hard noise baseball every day. Drew does almost the same thing, but much quieter.

[TheKilo]

I despise the whole "highest paid player on the team" argument. Beckett, Lowell, Ortiz are all within 3 million I think, and Drew's contract came when he was a FA in a much different economic climate. The Sox had a need for RF and filled it with the best player possible. Did they overpay? Maybe. But in the grand sceme of things it"s irrelevant to a team like the Sox and heMs earned his contract the last two seasons

[Dojji]

I agree with Kilo. It's one thing to talk about the objective financial value of a player, but sometimes you have to pay a premium to get the best available guy in a given year.

[Paradisecity]

Isn't getting your due getting paid?

 

What else are "we" supposed to give him? Credit? The talksox seal of approval? The key to each of our respective cities?

 

I'm confused here.

[yeszir]

Remember when the entire Dodger Blues message board tried to invade basically because the sox signed Drew and they hated him so much? That was a blast.

[TheKilo]

Isn't getting your due getting paid?

 

What else are "we" supposed to give him? Credit? The talksox seal of approval? The key to each of our respective cities?

 

I'm confused here.

 

I'll be honest, I chose the wording of the title for the play on words with his last name. Still, I feel like this guy is tremendously undervalued in this town and we should be giving him more credit for the offensive turnaround we saw in the second half.

[Dojji]

Well, he's finally had a 20 HR season for us.

 

He's a good complete-package offensive player but I do think we were expecting more raw power.

 

That said, he's a very competent offensive RF and a find defender, so no complaints here.

[Dipre]

Isn't getting your due getting paid?

 

What else are "we" supposed to give him? Credit? The talksox seal of approval? The key to each of our respective cities?

 

I'm confused here.

 

"We're" supposed to not bash the guy to death and bitch and moan about the guy being the highest paid player on the team.

 

I fail to see the difficulty in understanding that.