Tommy John surgery might sound like a badge of honor because of the number of big league pitchers who get the procedure. But as those who live through it will attest, it is anything but.

Although he is pitching with moderate success this season, Hawai'i junior left-hander Mark Rodrigues continues rehabilitation for surgery he had May 28, 2004.

"It gets kind of boring, but I want to put in the time," Rodrigues said. "As long as it keeps me playing, I'll keep going."

He has gone at least five innings in five of his seven starts. Only one start — at Loyola Marymount — he could not go past the fourth because of tightness. Otherwise, he is 3-1 with a 3.31 earned run average as either the No. 3 or 4 starter.

But that's what the fans see. What they don't is the 2 1/2-to-3-hour workouts up to three times a week at the Sports Medicine Hawaii clinic. That is in addition to going to classes and team practices. He has been rehabbing there since about three months after the surgery.

"They're real nice," Rodrigues said of the therapists. "They're easy to talk to. The best part is at the end when I get a massage."

Rodrigues said the exercises are not limited to his elbow, but to other areas pertinent to his pitching. He said when the Rainbows go on their first extended road trip in a couple of weeks, he will have to devise a way to do his workouts.

Rodrigues, who transferred to UH after two seasons at Los Medanos JC, felt his elbow pop just before the 2004 season opened.

"I was mad I couldn't play, but I couldn't do anything about it," he said. "But I knew eventually I was going to come back. It was just a matter of time."

He might have been out of action, but not out of school. He will graduate in May with a degree in sociology. Though he is eligible for the draft — he was drafted once out of Kaua'i High in 2001 and out of Los Medanos in 2002 — he still has a year of eligibility to play. He will use that year to work on a master's in education. It's just another stepping stone for the kid who admittedly struggled with grades in high school. When he gets his degree in May, he will be the second in his family to earn a bachelor's. His brother Michael, 25, is a civil engineer in Las Vegas, where he got his degree from UNLV.

"It will make my mom happy," he said. "She's been on my case since high school about grades."

NOTES

Dr. Lewis Yocum performed Rodrigues' surgery in Los Angeles. The procedure took 2 to 3 hours, Rodrigues recalled. A big concern was his plane ride to Hawai'i.

"I had this cast and I was sitting in the aisle (seat)," he said. "I was praying nobody would whack (my arm)."

Rodrigues, who is from Koloa, said his parents' home is less than a half-mile from the Waita dam. He said his parents have not had to evacuate from their home during the storms.

UH BASEBALL

WHO: UC SANTA BARBARA (9-10) VS. HAWAI'I (20-8)

WHERE: LES MURAKAMI STADIUM

WHEN: 1:05 P.M. TODAY, 6:35 P.M. MONDAY AND TUESDAY

TICKETS: $7 for blue and orange sections; $6 adults in red section; $5 seniors in red section; $3 students ages 4-18 and UH students.

PARKING: $3

RADIO: KKEA 1420 AM

TV: KFVE CHANNEL 5 (ONLY TUESDAY'S GAME)

PROMOTION: Those 65 years or older may purchase two tickets for price of one.

UH BASEBALL

PROBABLE STARTERS

Today: UCSB RH Andy Graham (1-2, 3.89) vs. UH RH Steven Wright (4-2, 3.14)

Tomorrow: UCSB RH Brian Tracy (1-3, 3.86) vs. UH LH Ian Harrington (3-1, 3.25)

Tuesday: UCSB LH Anthony Martin (1-0, 5.40) vs. UH LH Mark Rodrigues (3-1, 3.31) or UH RH Justin Costi (3-0, 5.24)

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.