J.D. Drew keeps playing like he should have all year

J.D. Drew continued his playoff hot streak last night, going 2-for-5 with 2 RBI as the Red Sox absolutely crushed the Rockies 13-1 in Game 1 of the World Series.

Quite improbably, he is now hitting .317 with 11 RBI and a home run in 11 playoff games. We at the J.D. Drew Relief Fund don't know where this production was hiding all year, but better late than never.

It is still frustrating, however, that the Red Sox are paying $14 million a year for such inconsistency. If Drew keeps coming through when it matters most, is he worth it? Leave your thoughts here, and make sure you vote in the poll on the right about the "$14 Million Grand Slam."

P.S.: Big thanks to ESPN.com's Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, for giving the J.D. Drew Relief Fund a plug in his latest column. Bill, if you're reading, are you going to be sending a check to Yawkey Way?

J.D. Drew grand slam leads Red Sox over Indians

J.D. Drew hit a two-out grand slam and finished with 5 RBI as the Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 12-2 last night to force a Game 7 in the American League Championship Series.

The J.D. Drew Relief Fund was established because Drew makes $14 million a year and, until last night, had just a .270 batting average and lots of inning-ending strikeouts and double plays to show for it. It remains to be seen whether last night's heroics will spark Drew to become a consistent clutch hitter, or whether he'll revert to his old, disappointing ways. But for one night at least, he earned his money.

Finding the J.D. Drew Relief Fund

Last month the J.D. Drew Relief Fund featured a list of Google search terms that people have entered to end up on our site. It included such gems as "why does jd drew suck so much?" and "drew worst signing ever." Well here are some new terms that people have searched for since then:

why does j.d. drew suck ass
j d drew awful
JD Drew out of Boston Fund
red sox+jd drew+contract+ salary
j d drew salary
eric gagne blow

J.D. Drew plays less, Red Sox win

J.D. Drew played 2 1/2 innings last night -- far fewer than the 9 he normally plays -- and the Boston Red Sox finally won their second American League Championship Series game, 7-1 over the Cleveland Indians.

It was Boston's first ALCS win since Game 1, when Drew played in just 3 innings. There seems to be an inverse correlation between Drew's playing time and the Red Sox's success, but for some reason, he is still a regular in the lineup.

That's why donating to the J.D. Drew Relief Fund is so important. For just $1, you can help the Red Sox pay Drew's atrocious $14 million contract, lessening the burden to play the overpaid underachiever on a regular basis. Thank you for your continued support.

Poll results: How much does J.D. Drew suck?

The results of the first J.D. Drew Relief Fund poll are in. We asked, "On a scale from 1-10, how much does J.D. Drew suck?" Here's the results:

Eleventy billion (40 votes, 81%)
Ten (7 votes, 14%)
Eleven (2 votes, 4%)

The new poll question is, "J.D. Drew made $14 million this year. How much would YOU pay him?" To vote, check the poll on the right side of the blog.

Back to the same old J.D. Drew

The J.D. Drew Relief Fund has been quiet lately, because J.D. Drew started playing better at the end of the regular season and even had a meaningful hit -- gasp! -- in the American League Division Series. But now he is back to his old ways, hitting four meaningless singles with 0 RBI in 15 at-bats during the A.L. Championship Series. With the Boston Red Sox down 3-1 to the Cleveland Indians, now more than ever is the time to donate to the J.D. Drew Relief Fund. Please. Think about saving this wonderful Red Sox season. And think about the future -- it's in your hands, and it's in your wallets.

J.D. Drew enables Eric Gagne to blow another game

J.D. Drew completely misplayed a ball hit to right field in the eighth inning, allowing the Blue Jays to score the winning runs in a totally pathetic 4-3 win over the Red Sox last night.

The game-winning double should have been an out, preserving a 2-2 tie. But Drew ran straight across right field, instead of taking a diagonal path back towards the fence, and the ball sailed over his outstretched glove. Eric Gagne takes most of the blame for the loss, but Drew definintely helped him choke the game away.

The knock against Drew all year has been his nonexistent offense. Defense was his lone bright spot. Well, no longer.

Now that he has cost the Red Sox with his play on both offense and defense, more than ever, it's time to donate to the J.D. Drew Relief Fund. Please, don't wait any longer. The pennant race is in full effect, and without your immediate help, Drew could send the Red Sox to an early playoff exit -- or keep them out of the postseason entirely.

Hey Google, why does J.D. Drew suck so much?

The J.D. Drew Relief Fund uses a service called Site Meter to monitor traffic on this site. One of the cool things is that it shows you how people found the site -- which site they linked from, and even what they searched for on Google. Here's a sample of the Google search terms that people have entered to end up here:

why does jd drew suck so much?
why does jd drew suck
drew worst signing ever
J.D. Drew & "worst"
j.d. drew double plays
jd drew "double plays"
JD drew double play
jd drew double play
double playss 2007 drew
jd drew million

Terry Francona sticking with J.D. Drew

Red Sox manager Terry Francona says he will keep playing God-awful right fielder J.D. Drew, even when Manny Ramirez returns from his knee injury, according to The Boston Globe today.

Boston.com's Eric Wilbur responds with a column dissecting Drew's miserable season and the rise of Jacoby Ellsbury, the rookie who most want to replace Drew in the lineup. But the truth is, the Red Sox could put just about any major leaguer in instead of Drew, and they'd be getting more bang for their buck.

Francona's public vote of confidence in Drew is another reason why, now more than ever, the J.D. Drew Relief Fund needs your help. Please send $1 to the Red Sox today and help defray the cost of Drew's $14 million salary, so the Red Sox won't feel like they have to play him every day. Thank you for your support.

J.D. Drew kills rally, Red Sox overcome to win

J.D. Drew celebrated yesterday's birth of the J.D. Drew Relief Fund by grounding into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the eighth inning of a tie game last night. Remember, for just $1 a year, you could help stop these traumatic scenes from occurring on a regular basis. So, please, look inside your heart -- and your wallet -- and donate today.

Drew finished the night 0-for-3, although he did manage to walk and score a run. And fortunately the Red Sox rallied in the ninth inning for a 7-6 win over the Orioles.

J.D. Drew Relief Fund established

Welcome to the J.D. Drew Relief Fund. Founders Matt and Colin started the site as a way to ease the suffering that they and millions of other Boston Red Sox fans are feeling at the hands of J.D. Drew, a $14 million-a-year right fielder who has hit more double plays than home runs.

The premise of the fund is simple: The Red Sox put Drew in the starting lineup every day, and the only logical explanation is that they feel obliged to do so because they are paying him $14 million a year. One day, while pondering this quandary, Matt realized that the Sox might feel less likely to play Drew if the fans were subsidizing part of his outrageous salary -- and that fans, anxious to rid themselves of Drew, would happily comply. Colin figured that there are at least 14 million Red Sox fans out there, and if everyone gave just $1, their collective goal could be achieved.

In the coming days this Web site will feature pictures of Matt and Colin making their initial $1 contributions, all the latest news about J.D. Drew and updates on the effort to get him out of the starting lineup. We encourage Red Sox fans to contribute to the fund (see the How to Help section on the right) and to let us know when you do by emailing us. And if you happen to attach your check to a nasty letter about J.D. Drew being the worst free agent signing ever, send us a copy of that, too.