Valuist, I pulled this from the Cinci post. Hope this helps!!Hamilton up for memorable start
By Richard Skinner, Post staff reporter
Joey Hamilton knows he is going to be the answer to a trivia question one day. He just hopes he can be the positive answer to it.
Hamilton will be the last Reds pitcher ever to start an Opening Day game at Cinergy Field when the Reds play the Chicago Cubs today at 2:15 p.m.
It will be the 31st and final opener at the riverfront complex, because the Reds will play next season at Great American Ballpark, the skeleton of which provides the backdrop in left-center field.
''I didn't think about being the last starter here until someone mentioned it the other day,'' said Hamilton, who went 1-2 with a 6.23 ERA in four late-season starts for the Reds last season. ''I'm the only guy that will ever get to do it. It's pretty neat. I'm sure it will be a good trivia question someday. I just hope it will be a good answer - the last one to win an opener.''
Hamilton knows all about how special Opening Day in Cincinnati is, even though this will be his first as a member of the Reds. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Hamilton was a member of the San Diego Padres in 1998 when they were the Reds' Opening Day opponent at Cinergy Field.
''Of all the Opening Days I've been to, that was pretty exciting, so it is a big deal to be the Opening Day starter here, because it's the first game. . .'' said Hamilton. ''It's a special day, especially here in Cincinnati, because there's such a big deal made about it.''
Hamilton didn't start for the Padres that day in 1998, but he went on to help them reach the World Series by going 13-13 with a 4.27 ERA. It was his third straight double-figure win season before shoulder problems limited him to just 46 starts for the Toronto Blue Jays from 1999 to Aug. 3, 2001, when the Blue Jays released him. He was just 14-17 with a 5.83 ERA in Toronto.
''I contemplated shutting it down last year, but got talked out of it,'' said Hamilton, who is only 31. ''I was too young to call it quits, and I'm glad I didn't. Getting the Opening Day start makes it really worth it that I didn't.''
This will be Hamilton's second career Opening Day start.
His other came with the Padres in 1997, and he earned the win that day.
He will be opposed by Jon Lieber, who went 20-6 with a 3.80 ERA last season, including a 5-0 record and a 2.43 ERA in six starts against the Reds.
That should make Hamilton's performance even more important.
''It's probably a little added pressure, but it's nothing I can't handle,'' said Hamilton.
The Reds are 18-11-1 all-time on Opening Day at the stadium on the riverfront, and have had three World Series champions (1975, 1976, 1990) in its era, so the park has been good to them, but that doesn't mean too many players or coaches will miss it.
''Let's get out of here and get over to the new one,'' said Reds manager Bob Boone. ''It's a shame to put Old Betsy away, but we've got that new Cadillac.''
Today will be one last time to beging taking Old Betsy for a drive, and Joey Hamilton gets to be the first one behind the wheel.
Publication date: 04-01-02
