Blooper Reel.

The Globe put together a blooper reel of sorts from picture day. A couple of notes: Josh Beckett may have a very dry sense of humor. Jon Lester is thrilled, THRILLED, to wish you a happy Fourth of July. And JD Drew is either madly in love with his hat or was suffering from hat head. (I'd vote for hat head.)

Fear of Flying.

For all intents and purposes, Dustin Pedroia seems fearless when he plays baseball. He's not afraid of anything or anyone on the field; be it rolling his wrist diving for a groundball and ending his career or disturbingly overweight pitchers in New York who might not be able to curb their hunger until the end of the inning and decide to snack on him in the meantime. But it turns out that off the field he's not that brave. He is afraid of going 500 miles per hour and falling 30,000 feet. In short, he's afraid to fly.

Also, JD Drew has his pilot's license. So that's something interesting about him.

The Shoulder Bone's Connected to the Collar Bone (Hopefully).

J. D. Drew has a reputation for being a wimp but an acromioclavicular joint sprain is not a walk in the park and the fact that he could play through such an injury (even with cortisone shots) is impressive--not very smart but still impressive.

The scapula is very much a three dimensional bone and, as such, is difficult to describe; there's a sort of crook (the coracoid process) that goes all the way toward the front of the body and can be felt as a bony bump just under the clavicle and there's the scapular spine that sticks out in the other direction (away from the body) and extends above and beyond the flat part of the scapula.

But the scapula as Africa is a good visual, as it's shaped sort of like Africa. On the left scapula, the glenoid fossa (the socket part of the ball-and-socket joint) would be near Morocco. If you started digging in northern Mali, then you'd be the right area for the coracoid process. But the main feature that we're concerned about is the scapular spine. If it was an African mountain range, then it would start in the Sudan and cut across the continent in a northwesterly direction. At the end of the spine, the bone sort of flattens out and forms a roof above the glenoid process. That section of bone is called the acromion process. The bone you can feel on the back of you shoulder is the acromion process.

The humerus is connected to the rest of the body at the glenoid fossa of the scapula. The scapula's attachment point to the rest of the body is at the clavicle or the acromioclavicular joint (AC joint). It's the scapula's only point of articulation. In the anatomical map, the Middle East doesn't exist.

The shoulder joint is flimsy. Between the two bones (the acromion process and the clavicle) there is a cartilaginous disc. The bones are held in place by the muscular structure--the anterior deltoid in the front and the trapezius muscle in the back--and by ligaments strapping the thing together. The important ligaments (for our purposes) are the acromioclavicular ligament (which connects the acromion process and the clavicle) and the coracoclavicular ligament (which attaches the clavicle to the coracoid process). They form a sort of triangle that stabilizes the joint. But it's not a perfect system and it's relatively easy (through direct impact on the shoulder usually by falling) to irritate the ligaments.

A sprain to the AC joint could be as simple as a stretched acromioclavicular ligament (Grade I) to completely tearing that ligament and the coracoclavicular ligament (Grade III)--this injury leaves the scapula (and, therefore, the humerus) unattached to the main skeleton. (There are three more severe grades of injury but they have to do with how far out of place the clavicle ends up.)

JD sprained his AC joint at the beginning of last season. Because they treated it with a cortisone shot (to reduce the swelling) and a couple of days off, one can assume that it wasn't a severe strain. The pain didn't go away and he got another cortisone shot in September. Obviously, the pain still hasn't gone away as he had surgery on the shoulder last Thursday.

Because AC joint surgery is major surgery (it involves either cutting off the end of the clavicle or, alternately, screwing it in place) and no one seems to think that this is a big deal, chances are this surgery was more of a cleaning than a fixing. Occasionally, patients with Grade II injuries (the acromioclavicular ligament ruptures but the coracoclavicular ligament is only sprained) will experience fraying and tearing of the cartilage between the acromion process and the clavicle. And it develops into an impingement. So they go in arthroscopically and smooth it out the best they can. Recovery from the procedure is maybe eight weeks.

Fun With Captions.

You know that I don't like to poke fun at JD Drew. I always feel bad afterward and yet I continue to do it. The photo caption from Reuters says: Boston Red Sox batter J.D.Drew smiles in the dugout after being replaced by a pinch runner during the eighth inning of their MLB American League baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto August 20, 2009.


He's like a little kid who has been told that he can't leave the dinner table until he's eaten four more bites of his broccoli. There. Four hits. Is that enough? Can I pleeeeease sit down now?




The Nick Green photo is from a couple of days ago and it's more semantics but again from Reuters: Boston Red Sox Nick Green leaps for the ball as Toronto Blue Jays Randy Ruiz steals second on a past ball during the sixth inning of their MLB American League baseball game in Toronto, August 18, 2009.

If it's a past ball, what is it now? Also, Green looks like a prairie dog. Or a whack-a-mole.

A Different View.

It doesn't take much for me to find humor in a situation but I'm almost certain that I have never laughed or even cracked a smile at anything J.D. Drew has said. Until today. Said J.D. to Bradford's outfit regarding the milling around:

"It's Easter. I guess the guys just wanted to get together."

Hee!

March of the Tin Soldiers.

So the coming out of the stands thing? That was just goofy. It's few hours later and I've forgotten what exactly it was supposed to symbolize. It was probably pretty cool if you happened to be sitting right there, though.

It seemed to be a mostly unpopular decision. Saito couldn't get down those steps fast enough and he did so with a look on his face of "Oh my God. What have I gotten myself into? Who Are You People? STOP TOUCHING ME!" but David Ortiz seemed to lap up the attention. Jonathan Papelbon had no time for anyone but Happy was, well, happy. (I can't imagine what you'd have to do to Justin Masterson to make him unhappy.) JD Drew also seems to think of himself as a gorilla:

"I felt like a caged animal there for a while. We were stuck in a little bitty corridor or barricade, surrounded by screaming and yelling Red Sox fans. I felt like a gorilla at the zoo. It was neat."

I could see JD as a gnu or maybe a water buffalo but definitely not a gorilla; a gorilla is much too aggressive.

Tough Economic Times.

$14 million just doesn't go as far as it used to.

Sometimes I feel a little bad about making fun of JD Drew. He seems like a sincere, down-to-earth, decent human being. These are all qualities that I would normally openly admire in a person. I guess my concern is that it seems like he wouldn't get the joke. But somethings just have to be commented on. Somethings cannot be allowed to slide.

There's a nice little heartwarming story about Christmas at the Drew's in the Herald today. The gist of the article is that his son is doing better and is starting to get the whole Santa thing. But then he very casually drops this:

"We pulled up to a Wal-Mart right after the offseason began, and there was a little miniature toy house outside with the toy display. I didn’t even notice it at the time. Later, when we took him to see Santa Claus, he told him he wanted a house with a doorbell. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what in the world he was getting at.

Later, when we brought him back to Wal-Mart, he pointed to that house again. It had a little battery-powered doorbell to it. And you know how little kids think. So he’s all fired up about a little house that has a doorbell.”

JD Drew shops at Wal-Mart. And it wasn't just the one time emergency stop, either. Oh no. They went back to Wal-Mart. I know you live in rural, rural Georgia but really? Wal-Mart? Really?

Happy Birthday JD!

There's another new thirty-three year old today in the form of JD Drew. He's not the most interesting player to ever don the uniform but he doesn't have to be. He's very grounded; very real. I think that's why I like that picture so much: moments later when he was grabbed by a reporter (it was probably Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat wannabe Craig Seger) he was totally and utterly composed but here? Not so much.

So happy birthday JD. Maybe before you blow out your candles you should wish for stronger intervertebral discs.

Nuts.

The news is not good for JD.

He's got a herniated disc. When a disc herniates, the nucleus pulposus in the center of the intervertabral disc squishes out through the anulus fibrosus. From there it can irritate the nearby nerves causing pain, weakness, and loss of motion.

The typical treatment for a herniated disc is to not do anything. For most patients, the disc will heal itself within a month. Pain pills and back strengthening exercises are all that's typically needed. In more extreme cases surgery is necessary. In the surgery they either take out the disc or bits of it. It wouldn't be the ideal solution for someone who needs to keep their back flexible.

Illustration from the Mayo Clinic.

And Then There Were Two.

When JD Drew was drafted out of Florida State in the first round of the 1997 draft by the Phillies, he wasn't the only Drew from Hahira to go in the first round. His younger brother, Tim, was selected by Cleveland, twenty-six picks later. A right-handed pitcher, Tim appeared in thirty-five games before shuffling off to the Atlantic League.

Besides being first-round picks, the brothers have something else in common: a propensity for getting themselves hurt. Two years ago, whatever it is in their make-up that makes them so easily breakable, took it's toll on Tim. He had surgery on a torn labrum and was told he'd be good to go in two years. Two years came and went and he isn't better, so he's calling it quits. On Sunday, he threw the last pitch he's likely to be paid for, ever.

But don't feel sorry for Tim Drew. His wife, while probably not rolling in dough at the moment, will be eventually; she is in the process of becoming an osteopath. Tim, meanwhile, plans to get a degree in physical therapy. More importantly, he sounds content with the decisions he's made.

Poetic.

I try very hard to keep my Yankee-hate in check. But after the bad behavior exhibited by said fans tonight, there's something very poetic about the Yankees players not having all that much to do with the win. Jeter and Rodriguez? Offensive duds tonight. Yankee-trained Navarro? The throw to second was just not good. Rivera? Ridiculously lucky to have a couple of double-plays turned behind him. It was also nice that seventy-five percent of the runs scored by the AL tonight came from the two teams that are ahead of them in the division.

Meanwhile, JD Drew seemed to be the only player still interested in playing baseball five hours after the game started. Voted-in by the players to his first all-star team, JD was declared the MVP of the game. A two-run home run, a single, a walk, a stolen base, and a couple of routine catches in right field will do that for you. So yay JD!

I was never particularly high on JD last year. Trot is a hard act to follow and it's even harder when you're the anti-Trot. Maybe it's just because he sucks less this year but he's starting to grow on me. There was a nice interview describing his feelings about going to the All-Star game on SouthCoastToday yesterday in which he comes across as a really good guy.

Who's Got the Pain?

JD Drew left tonight's game in the third inning after making a very good effort to catch a ball out in right. They say that it's a sprained wrist and that he's listed as day-to-day. Ellsbury came in to replace him.

Then in the sixth inning, Coco left the game with an upset stomach. It must have been really bad, like upchucking in the locker room bad, because their solution seemed desperate at best. They put Youkilis in right and moved Ellsbury into center. Hopefully, it's not anything really serious because although Kevin Youkilis seems like he can do anything baseball-wise, making him play right field is not a long term solution-especially given the fact that tomorrow's game is in the afternoon and getting someone down from Pawtucket might be cutting it close.

Just Catching Up.

This story is a couple days old but I was away and I like it.

J.D. Drew told Rob Bradford:

"My thought process is that I just hope the fans back me and say, 'J.D. turned it around and we saw what's he about at the end.' More than anything you need your home base to be behind you, especially when you carry as much of a contingent as we do. You definitely don't want them against you. There were times last year when I struggling and I felt like saying to them, 'It's not like I'm trying to make outs. I'm trying to get this thing fixed.' And then, all of a sudden, I got to the point where I wanted to be."

The thing that struck me about that quote was that he said "we." It would have been almost as easy to say "the Red Sox" but he said "we" like he finally thinks he's part of the team. He always seemed to be so solitary and (maybe it's just me projecting) miserable. I can't imagine how awful being friendless and mostly living out of a hotel must be. But Drew and I really aren't all that similar personality wise so maybe he was secretly happy as an oyster.

And he does care if he sucks. Good to know.

A Tie, A Loss, and a New Drew

During the first game of the day, Josh Beckett tied the Twins 2-2 in an un-packed house. During the press conference he said:

"It felt like we were in the loser's bracket of an AAU tournament. I spent my whole life in the loser's bracket of AAU tournaments. Because I was hitting fourth, probably."

They're better than the fountain of youth, those good humor waters of Fort Myers.

Kyle Snyder has massive hands. It just needed to be pointed out.

He went three score-less innings, giving up two hits and a walk. Dan Kolb didn't fair as well. (Though I couldn't tell you how poorly he did. It's hard to pay close attention to the game with work getting in the way.) Masterson also pitched poorly. The only other pitcher I remember anything about is Breslow. He struck out his first batter, the second either flew out or was put out, he walked the next two batters, and I think he struck out the last batter. Can you tell I'm pulling for him?

Offensively, not much happened. Jacoby had a sacrifice fly and maybe stole a base. I think he may have had a base hit, as well.

It's really very difficult to recap a game a couple hours after it ended without any notes. I'll do better next time.

What I really wanted to talk about was the new and (hopefully) improved J.D. Drew. He seems to be another member of the team to have partaken of the Fort Myers waters. Last week he told the Herald that he wanted to get into the Oval Office so he could look for secret drawers like in National Treasure II (which was very cute) and then on NESN's Red Sox Spring Break tonight he told Tina Cervasio (clearly, it was filmed before he got at the waters but close enough) that when he played backyard ball with his brothers, his Granny played shortstop. The whole interview (which mostly consisted of Drew driving around his hometown) seemed very un-guarded and the comment about his Granny made me smile.

J. D. Drew, no. 7

After my seeming inability to form coherent sentences yesterday in the face of baseball greatness; today, we have a reality check.






Birth Date: November 20, 1975 in Valdosta, GA

Height/Weight: 6'1", 195 lb.

College: Florida State University

Contract: 5 years for $30 million (through 2011): The last two years are voidable if he spends too much time on the disabled list.

Drew's Batting Average for last season was .270; it's not terrible. He struck out 100 times (21.46%) but walked 79 times (16.95%), so his On Base Percentage (.373) was pretty decent. His Slugging Average, however, was only .423-a career low. The two combined for his On Base plus Slugging is equal to a measly .796. He was brought in for his ability to hit Home Runs but only managed to hit 11 last season-another career low. He managed to create only 74 runs.

Drew's fielding has always been below average and last season was no different. [aside: When selecting a picture to go with this entry, I decided to be kind and go with a positive action shot but it would have been just as easy to go with a misplayed ball. Half of the pictures I have are of errors he made.] His Fielding Percentage in right field was .977 and in center field was .923, the league average for those two positions was .985 and .992 respectively. His Range Factor in right field was 1.62 and the league average was 1.77. His Range Factor in center field was 3.00 and was actually above the league average of 2.42 (probably because he only played 4 games in center field and didn't have enough opportunities to screw up.)

There's little to say about Drew's personality. He's been called indifferent and apathetic. People seem to think that he doesn't have a passion for baseball and doesn't care whether his team wins or loses. I think he's a lot like Varitek, without the bad ass/slightly scary edge to him. He seems serious and quiet, maybe a little bit of an introvert. I don't think it's possible to be a professional baseball player without being passionate about baseball, simply because of all that it entails.

I also think that Drew should be given a pass for last year's performance; not simply because of his son's health issues but also because if we are willing to give National League pitchers a year to get used to American League batters, shouldn't we be willing to give National League batters some time to get used to American League pitchers? That being said, if he manages to get through next season without sticking his hand in front of a pitch and doesn't improve, then I'd be more than willing to throw him under the bus.

It seems unlikely but if they could find someone to take him off their hands, then it would solve their outfielder problem. They could keep Coco in center, put Jacoby in right, and bring back Kielty. They would be a down a potentially powerful bat, though.