JD Drew's Back Will Be A Season-Long Problem

Red Sox rightfielder JD Drew is still having back problems. A herniated disc is bulging and coming into contact with the sciatic nerve, and that causes considerable pain and stiffness. Drew had an MRI in the offseason that showed no significant damage, but this is something that should have been taken care of well before the start of spring training. I had the same problem in '78 and the pain that ran down my leg was the most severe I've ever experienced. I had an operation and the doctor removed the cracked disc. The relief, when I regained feeling from the waist down, was immediate and blessedly great. JD had this to say...

"Just been one of those injuries that have kind of lingered and I've been able to hit and run and do all that stuff," Drew said. "Some days I wake up and the back is an issue, some days it doesn't seem to be too bad. Just in the maintenance stages. Everything's well enough to perform and play as far as that goes. Just try to isolate it and keep it from flaring up too bad."
"I'm not concerned that I won't be at full capacity to play," Drew said. "If we had to go out there and play a game today I could do that. It wouldn't be a problem. That being said, I have battled with this the entire offseason, just as far as stiffness goes. Not really mobility as much. You wake up . . . you move around, you do a few things, you sit down for a while, you get stiff."

I think JD is a stiff for not taking care of this. Rocco Baldelli might be seeing more playing time than he or we thought. This is a shame because when JD's back is feeling good, as it did much of last season, he can be and is a potent force at the plate, a much needed bat for the Mannyless Red Sox. This is a problem that the Red Sox do not need and it ain't going away without surgery. It seems like that's not the way the Red Sox medical staff and JD himself are going to go about it, though. We'll have to hope for the best. Everyday, every game will be different, with good ones and bad ones, one after the other. I hope the good outweighs the bad...bigtime.

I hope you had a marvelous weekend. Enjoy this Monday, President's Day, and as always, BE WELL. Click on this post's title for more on Drew, among other things. Aloha, cheers, take care, see ya. Comment if you'd like...please.