EX-HART STAR NOT ABOUT TO FORGET ROOTS SHIELDS WILL RESUME BASEBALL BID WITH LATE FRIEND IN MIND.

Byline: Arash Markazi Special to the Daily News

Every time Jamie Shields steps onto the pitching mound, he lowers his head and drags a cleat along the dirt, scratching in the number 25.

It reminds the former Hart High pitcher that he's not only playing for himself but for his best friend and teammate Nolan LeMar, who was killed in a car accident last year.

``We both had a dream of playing in the major leagues,'' said Shields, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2000. ``I'm doing my best to make it for him and I will always remember him when I'm pitching by scratching his number on the mound.''

After undergoing surgery to remove a small growth in his arm in April, Shields, who plays for the Charleston Riverdogs (the Single-A affiliate of the Devil Rays), hasn't had a chance to spend much time on the mound but hopes to continue his journey to the major leagues next month.

``I've been training for about five hours a day, every day,'' Shields said. ``This is what I love to do and not many people have this opportunity to play professional baseball, so whatever it takes for me to get back on the field, I'm going to do it. If I need to go to the ballpark and stay there for 12 hours, I'll stay at the park for 12 hours.''

Shields had been feeling discomfort in his throwing arm during spring training and felt that it would be better to have surgery during the season rather than wait until the season was over and continue playing with pain.

``It was to the point where I felt uncomfortable out there,'' Shields said. ``It wasn't a major surgery, it was just something that was hurting me. So I got the procedure done and it was something I got taken care of. I'm about 100 percent right now and hopefully I'll be back on the field in July.''

Shields is no stranger to coming back from injuries. During his senior season with Hart, he suffered through lower-back strains which caused him to miss all but the last two weeks of the regular season.

``My senior year was a real important year for me and I was out that whole year basically and that was pretty tough,'' said Shields, who dropped to the 16th round of the draft. ``But what it did was make me work harder. I didn't quit, I kept fighting and fighting and I knew I was going to be back in the game one day.''

Despite being taken so low in the draft, Shields turned down a scholarship to play baseball at Louisiana State to pursue his dream of being a professional baseball player.

``It was a real tough decision for him,'' said Shields' father, Jack. ``He would have loved to have gone to LSU and play in the College World Series. But he also was given the opportunity to playing professional baseball and that was difficult for him to turn down.''

After pondering the pros and cons of going to a top collegiate baseball program or turning professional, Shields finally signed with the Devil Rays two months after draft day.

``I've always told myself to go after what my goals are and one of my main goals in life is to be a professional baseball player and now I have that opportunity,'' said Shields, who signed a $262,000 contract with the Devil Rays. ``I'm not going to pass it up. There will always be college if this doesn't work out, but I'm going to work hard every day to try and fulfill my dream and hopefully this works out.''

Growing up in Santa Clarita, Shields nurtured his dream. He would play on Little League teams and go to countless camps trying to learn from older players and coaches.

Now Shields is passing along what he has learned to children in his community.

After giving private lessons to youth baseball players in the offseason, Shields thought last year it would be a good idea to start his own baseball camp to help children. Although he was only 19 at the time, Shields knew he had a lot to offer.

``I've learned a lot about baseball and I want to give back to the community and help little kids out just like I got helped out when I was younger,'' said Shields. ``The reason why I do it is ... when I was growing up in Little League, I used to go to baseball camps and I was taught what I know by those players and coaches.''

When Shields started the camp last December, he dedicated it to LeMar, who played with Shields in Little League. This year, Shields will be going a step further, donating a portion of the proceeds he gets from his camp to a scholarship in his friend's name.

``He was always one of my buddies when I was young and we played all the way through high school together,'' Shields said. ``This is something I want to do for him and his family.''

As Shields prepares to get back on the playing field, he understands how fortunate he is to be playing the game he loves for a living and being able to teach others what he has learned. ``I'm so fortunate to be able to do what I'm doing,'' said Shields, who also helps coach a travel baseball team in the offseason. ``I remember when I was little, I looked up to whoever was coaching me and listened to everything they said. It feels great to give back to the little kids and help them just like I was helped.''

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Jamie Shields trains at least five hours a day to rehabilitate from arm surgery and hopes to resume pitching career next month.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer