Tomko has the stuff to return to Mariners soon

A year ago, Brett Tomko ascended the mound as the opening-day starter for the Cincinnati Reds.

In front of a packed stadium, with festive bunting draping the facades, he stood as the team's best hope for the new season.

On Wednesday, he pitched a ''simulated'' game in front of a few members of the grounds crew and a couple newspaper scribblers while the P.A. system blasted classic rock across an empty Cheney Stadium.

''... every night when the sun goes down, he's just another lonely boy in town ...'' was the blaring accompaniment as he began his workout.

That Tomko is reduced to make-believe games for the Tacoma Rainiers, the Seattle Mariners' Class AAA affiliate, is reflective of the rough patch he's hit.

That he has set his jaw, swallowed his disappointment, and artfully painted a smile on his face, meanwhile, is reflective of the determination and maturity that could quickly bounce him back to the bigs.

Tomko, who was picked up from the Reds in the Ken Griffey Jr. deal, was downgraded from a possible Mariners starter just last weekend.

He responded as would any earnest young man with a deep focus on a goal ... he did not suffer the detour lightly.

''I was very frustrated; I don't feel I should be down here,'' he said. ''But that's the way it is and there's nothing I can do about it but pitch well.''

Tomko rocketed into the majors after just two seasons in the minors, winning five consecutive decisions for the Reds in July of 1997 and finishing that season 11-7.

The following year, he slipped to 13-12 as the Reds' bats abandoned him, scoring fewer than three runs in 11 of his starts.

And last year, it was his curveball that betrayed him, leaving him 5-7 and having to serve a stretch back down in the minors. This spring, tendinitis in his Achilles caused him to miss time and disrupted his plans for claiming a spot in the M's rotation.

Over the weekend, he read in the newspaper that he was to be dropped from the rotation and was being sent to the bullpen.

''I thought that's why they called me in,'' Tomko said of his subsequent meeting with Mariners brass. ''When they told me they were sending me down, it was a shock. I was almost like, 'No, seriously, what's going on here?' ''

Devastated, he packed for Tacoma.

''... if you don't love me now, you will never love me again ...'' played as he told of the meeting.

The simulated game Wednesday appeared productive, with Tomko apparently getting credit for a simulated victory.

''The major league club didn't feel he was quite at the point he could go out there and give them five innings, so we're trying to get the number of pitches and the arm strength up,'' said Rainiers manager Dave Myers. ''I thought he threw well; he kept the ball down and threw the breaking ball for a strike. He's obviously got a very good fastball, so if he throws this way during the season, I'm sure he'll be in good shape.''

Tomko's pitches seemed to move well, both in terms of velocity and break.

But he hit one batter, and several others, early on, got pretty good wood on the ball.

''... so keep on rockin' me baby...''

But 90 pitches into the workout, Tomko was ready to declare his breaking ball ''the best I've had in two years.''

Pitching coach Jim Slaton agreed that ''he's really found a nice slot with his curve ball and he's throwing it for strikes.''

But, perhaps as importantly, Slaton added that ''he's come down here with a great attitude; he wants to work hard, pitch well and get back up to Seattle.''

Tomko turns 27 on Friday. And it's likely that he's a man of more dimensions than many baseball players. He was an art major in college, back when his fastball barely broke 80 and pro sports did not appear an employment option.

''I still do it in my spare time because it's very relaxing and it's one of those time-consuming things where you forget about everything else except what you're working on,'' he said. ''This is a very stressful business and you need something that will help you get away from it sometimes.''

Tomko considers himself fully returned to health and fitness and is prepared to rejoin the Mariners whenever the call should come.

He's scheduled to start for the Rainiers on the 10th and 15th of this month. In the meantime, if a simulated game is all he gets, well, he'll make the most of it.

Although he could be excused if he had decided to harmonize along with ''... we gotta get out of this place ...''

''The main thing is to get out of here,'' he said. ''Yes, I think I should be up there, but this is where I am now, and the best thing I can do is pitch well and win games.''

Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.