Cardinals fans thought they had a star in the making when Drew made it through the Cardinals minor league system in one summer and managed to have time for a cup of coffee at the end of the 1998 season. In 14 games that year Drew posted a .417/.463/.972 line with 5 home runs. Cardinals fans could not decide if Drew was going to be the next Stan Musial, or if he'd be closer to Mickey Mantle with his power stroke. Collectors were drinking the Kool-Aid too. Best rookie card of 1998, assuming you collected in 1998, was the Fleer Update J.D. Drew card. Maybe a slight nod for the Leaf Rookie & Stars Troy Glaus.
The next season Drew batted .242 and only managed 13 home runs in 104 games. The rest of his time in St. Louis was better, but he was always hurt or looked bored/uninterested/mannerism of a Drew brother. The Cardinals shipped him to the Braves at the end of the 2003 season for Jason Marquis, Ray King, and some minor leaguer (Adam Wainwright).
J.D. played a season for the Braves, a season for the Dodgers, and then ended his career with the Red Sox. I am not sure if J.D. really ever lived up to the hype at any point, but did have a few nice moments for the Red Sox on their way to the 2007 World Series title including a grand slam in the first game of the ALCS. The hit kind of seemed to get the Red Sox on a roll and they never looked back. Can one hit be worth an entirely disappointing contract? I have heard Red Sox fans argue yes.
I never really minded J.D., and the fact that he brought the Cardinals Adam Wainwright always made me like him a little bit more. He's also one of those guys who had ridiculously priced cards for a few years and magically they crashed through the basement. It's always fun to own cards that were too expensive to afford at one point. I run across a few of them from time to time and am always amazed at how cheap I am buying them.
Last week I managed to find a cool formerly expensive card of J.D. last week. I watched nervously as the time on the auction ticked down. Seriously nervous over this card....
The Fleer Platinum Nameplates set was about the best patch set back in the early 2000s. Collectors loved this set and the cards the patch pieces were pricey. I pulled a Bonds card like this out the 2003 set. The card had a piece of black number with the orange and gold trim from the Giants uniforms. There was some serious bidding on the card in the last few seconds and I ended up getting a hefty amount for a card with a tiny patch.
I was thinking about that as the clock ticked down on this card.....In the end I was the only person who bid on the item. I might have spent a few dollars more than I would have liked, but I cannot remember the last time I saw this card.....Well worth it.
Those Nameplate cards were ones I used to drool over in 2001. At least with Pirates cards most of my most coveted wants from 2001 can now be had for a song and a dance on the rare occasions that one pops up for auction.
ReplyDeleteI'm all too familiar with that knot in your stomach feeling as the final seconds of an auction count down. I've expected some serious bidding wars on items that end with just one bid.