The Passion Of J.d. Drew

But when he arrived in Kissimmee for spring training last month, Drew immediately felt at home, especially with his brother's stall just across the clubhouse. In St. Louis, Drew—who says he has never drunk alcohol, smoked cigarettes or used drugs, and remained a virgin until his marriage two years ago—struggled to connect with some of his more freewheeling peers. His numerous stints on the disabled list and unfulfilled potential didn't help matters. "Do we miss him?" one Cardinal recently said of Drew. "I don't think anybody really does." But in Atlanta, Drew felt comfortable right away, even expressing his faith. On one of the first days of full-roster workouts, Drew and 17 teammates, including pitchers Smoltz and Russ Ortiz, attended the opening of The Passion of the Christ. A few weeks later several of them rented out a theater to watch the movie again.

The film moved Drew in ways he'd never felt. There, on the big screen, was the man to whom he had devoted his life; a man who suffered and suffered, then finally fulfilled his destiny. Besides causing tears to stream down Drew's cheeks, it gave him a new perspective.

"I've had my trials and tribulations," he says. "But whatever happens, in the end I'm just a baseball player. I'm not the savior. I'm not special. I'm just human. I can only be me."