Jeff Zelevansky, Associated Press Pitcher Todd Ritchie throws to a Mets batter at Shea Stadium in October 2001. Click photo for larger image. More Pirates Coverage: LaValliere leading candidate for Pirate broadcast crew

BRADENTON, Fla. -- It was nearly four years ago that Todd Ritchie threw the first pitch at PNC Park. More than 40,000 stood and roared. Countlless cameras clicked away to record the moment.

Now, Ritchie is back with the Pirates, who yesterday signed him to a minor-league contract and invited him to spring training. And, somehow, every pitch he makes in the next three months will seem more important to him, more pressure-packed, than that historic low and outside fastball to Cincinnati's Barry Larkin.

"The last couple of years haven't been great for me, and I know that. I've had arm trouble, and I have to prove myself to get back to the big leagues," he said. "But my goal is to show the Pirates I can still be the pitcher that they and the people in Pittsburgh remember. I'm excited to have the chance."

If Ritchie, 33, earns a spot on the major-league roster, he will make a $350,000 salary, not much above the minimum $316,000. But his motivation seems much more rooted in simply making it, given the hard ride he has endured since being traded to the Chicago White Sox on Dec. 13, 2001, in the lopsided five-player deal that brought Kip Wells and Josh Fogg to Pittsburgh.

"This isn't about money," he said. "This game is in my blood. I just want to play."

Ritchie was the Pirates' ace for much of his time in Pittsburgh, having gone 35-32 in 1999-2001. He came within two outs of a no-hitter at PNC Park on July 13, 2001, before Kansas City's Luis Alicea ended it with a dribbler through the right side.

But Ritchie's fortunes plummeted in his first and only season in Chicago. He went 5-15 with a 6.06 earned run average and was the target of the fans' derision, in no small part because the Pirates already were realizing dividends from the much younger Wells and Fogg.

The White Sox did not re-sign Ritchie, leaving him to try free agency that winter. The Milwaukee Brewers gave him a shot in 2003, but he lasted only five games and was shut down for rotator cuff surgery that June.

Then came the rehabilitation. More than a year of lifting and stretching, tossing and testing, good days and bad days.

"You do everything you can to build up your arm again," he said. "It can be frustrating."

Ritchie returned halfway through last season, but the frustration mounted.

Pitching for Tampa Bay's Class AAA affiliate in Durham, N.C., he went 4-6 with a 6.33 ERA. His fastball, which routinely hit 95 mph while with the Pirates, had dipped to 88 mph. He was hit hard by players he once would have fanned easily. The Devil Rays made him a late-season call-up, but he lost both of his starts and had a 9.00 ERA.

Now, Ritchie likely is seeing his final opportunity.

To start, he will report to the team's voluntary minicamp today at Pirate City. He will throw off a mound, as he has been playing catch without incident at his home in Dallas for a month, but he is not expecting to show significant velocity until spring training.

"I'm not going to be at 95 or 96 right off the bat," he said. "But I want to show them where I am, and I feel fine. The doctors told me at the time of the surgery that it would take 16 months for me to get back to where I was, so that would put me right on track for spring training."

From there, he will have to win a job in spring training. Most seasons, that represents a minor challenge with the Pirates. This season, though, the team is set with four of its starters -- and still would like to acquire another -- and appears no less solid in the bullpen.

General manager Dave Littlefield did not discount the possibility that Ritchie could figure into the rotation.

"Todd's done some good things in the majors, and we could see him coming in and being part of the battle for the fifth spot," Littlefield said. "He's coming off a tough season, but he's further removed from the surgery and, we hope, better able to bounce back. We'd like to see where he is at this stage."

Ritchie said that he had offers from other major-league teams but had instructed his agent to pursue a contract with the Pirates most aggressively, in part because of his familiarity with McClendon and pitching coach Spin Williams.

"Knowing the organization helps," he said. "But it meant something to me, too, that I had my best years there. I just felt comfortable, with the people, the way the fans treated me. I've talked with my family many times about how much I enjoyed my time there and what it would mean to come back. I hope it happens."

NOTES -- The Pirates officially list 29 pitchers as participants in minicamp -- including 18 of the 20 on the 40-man roster -- but that could top 30, minor-league director Brian Graham said. Usually, there are 18-22. Because of the large number,, the staff will stagger physicals and throwing sessions more than in the past. ... The team announced that PirateFest, the popular annual winter gathering for fans, will be Jan. 28-30 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

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