Reds pitcher Joey Hamilton. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        SARASOTA, Fla. — Joey Hamilton thought about moving on, quitting baseball.

        “I was thinking about looking for another job,” he said. “I don't know what. Baseball is all I've ever done since high school.”

        But baseball had become a miserable undertaking for Hamilton. It was Aug.3, 2001. He was pitching in pain. The Toronto Blue Jays had just released him after he went 5-8 with a 5.89 ERA in 22 starts.

        “I was getting my butt kicked,” he said. “It wasn't any fun.”

        Hamilton's wife, Angie, persuaded him to give it another try. That led him to signing with the Reds. Seven months later, Hamilton is the Reds' Opening Day starter. When Hamilton came to spring training as a non-roster invitee, his goal was less ambitious.

        “I came in trying to earn a spot in the rotation, regardless of where it was,” he said. “No.1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 didn't matter to me. I hadn't conceived of being the No.1 starter.

        “It's very gratifying for me after what I've been through the last three or four years. There were a lot of people who didn't give me a chance in hell of making the team or getting back to throwing like I used to. I look forward to facing those teams.”

        A lot of things had to happen for Hamilton to go from where he was (a released player thinking about quitting) to where he is (back at the top of the major-league staff).

        The biggest thing that happened is Hamilton got healthy. His shoulder problems go back to 1997. He was in the middle of a two-year run in which he went 15-9 and 12-7 with the San Diego Padres. He missed five starts in '97, marking the first time in his career he missed any starts. He was healthy in 1998.

        But the problems came back in 1999. In September 2000, he had surgery to fix the problem, or so he thought. The surgery, performed by Dr. James Andrews, tightened the shoulder capsule. The procedure isn't performed very often anymore.

        “Guys have a problem regaining their flexibility after that surgery,” Hamilton said. “I saw Dr.Andrews during the physicals this spring. He said the more they did it, the more they realized it was 24 to 27 months before people started gaining their flexibility back.”

        Spring training started 28 months after Hamilton's surgery.

        “I noticed the difference the first time I saw him tossing,” Reds pitching coach Don Gullett said.

        Hamilton did more than just let the natural healing process take its course.

        Given last year's results — he was 1-2 with 6.23 ERA after the Reds signed him — he knew he had to produce this spring or his career might be over. The Reds' offer — a minor-league contract and $500,000 if he made the club — was the best he got.

        “I worked a lot harder, lifted a lot more weights and did a lot more shoulder exercises,” he said. “While I was in San Diego, for the most part I threw 200 innings. So I didn't go out and throw a lot in the winter. This year, I threw off the mound about five or six times before I got down here, which is something I've never done. I really worked intensely on getting my body stronger.”

        The mound sessions convinced Hamilton he'd be in the rotation.

        “Once I started throwing in January off the mound, I knew my arm was feeling good and the movement was coming back on my pitches,” Hamilton said. “That eased my mind. If I was healthy, I didn't think there was any way they could keep me off this team.

        Hamilton still had to put up numbers in spring training to make the club. He has looked like a No.1 starter from Day One. Hamilton has a 0.69 ERA in four outings this spring. He has allowed seven hits and one walk while striking out 11 over that period, and that doesn't include a 75-pitch, six-inning outing against Baltimore's Single-A team.

        “He looks to be very close to, if not the same guy, we saw in San Diego in 1996 and '97,” Gullett said. “He's pitching with confidence. The outlook is bright.”

        Hamilton had an inkling a few weeks ago that the Opening Day start might be his. The Reds started him twice on three days' rest to line him up so his fifth day was April1.

        “It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure it out,” he said.

        Still, it was a nice moment when the word came. Reds manager Bob Boone called Wednesday night. Hamilton was in the middle of barbecuing some ribs and chicken.

        When Hamilton got off the phone, Angie had a clue of what the call was about.

        “She said, "Let me guess: You made the club and you're the Opening Day starter,'” Hamilton said. “I couldn't hide it. I got a little choked up.”

        This will be Hamilton's second Opening Day start. He started and won, 12-5, for the Padres against the New York Mets in 1997 — when he last was fully healthy.

        And this will be his second Opening Day in Cincinnati. He was with the Padres in 1998 when they opened in Cinergy. He didn't start, but he was able to soak in the hoopla.

        “It's a big deal everywhere,” he said “but of all the opening days I've been to, Cincinnati puts on the best show. I'm looking forward to giving the people their money's worth.”

        The Reds have certainly gotten their money's worth so far.

Road back leads Hamilton to Opening Day Orioles 6, Reds 5 Reds notebook Baseball notebook

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