Clement’s road back an offramp?

Maybe the Matt Clement story an will have a happy ending, like the one authored by quarterback Drew Brees, whose shoulder — like Clement’s — looked like a bomb went off inside the joint, but he recovered to guide the New Orleans Saints to the playoffs.

That day remains a distant vision for Clement. He’s at a stage of his rehab from surgery that he’s thrilled he may be allowed to play catch by the end of next week. That reinforces the optimistic picture presented by his surgeon, James Andrews, who also did Brees’ surgery, that he will pitch again, perhaps as soon as July, 10 months after Andrews discovered tears in both the rotator cuff and labrum of his pitching shoulder.

But with this being the last year of the three-year, $25.5 million contract he signed with the Red Sox in the winter of 2004, it’s unlikely the final chapter in the Clement saga will play out in Boston.

Clement’s focus, however, is more specific than where he pitches again, which frees him from worrying about such things.

“I’m very content,” he said yesterday, meeting with reporters for the first time since camp began. “I’m disappointed that I’m not playing, but I’m at peace with what happened. I have all the motivation in the world in my two boys at home. I want them to be able to remember me playing major league baseball. That’s more motivating than a contract or anything else.”

For most of his career, Clement was defined by his ability to pitch every fifth day, from April to October, year after year. For seven straight seasons, he made 30 starts or more, including 2005, his first season with the Red Sox.

But that year, Clement was smoked off the head by a line drive hit by Carl Crawford of the Devil Rays, and finished the season by being overwhelmed by the White Sox in Game 1 of a Division Series that Chicago swept in three games.

With that postseason failure already scarring his reputation, Clement got off to a slow start last season. He struck out seven in seven innings at Baltimore, the Red Sox scoring 14 runs behind him, but then was booed in his first start in Boston, when the Blue Jays torched him for eight hits and seven runs in four innings. He pitched well in a no-decision at home against the Devil Rays, allowing just three runs on eight hits, but that was the last time he pitched seven innings in a start.

He was shut down June 14, with a record of 5-5 and an unsightly ERA of 6.61, the Sox thinking perhaps he had arm fatigue. He was subsequently diagnosed with biceps tendinitis, but every time the team sent him out on a rehab assignment, thinking he’d be back soon, he was forced to shut it down. His condition mystified doctors.

Soon, there were whispers in the clubhouse, some of which made their way to the media, that Clement didn’t want to pitch because of aftershocks connected to his beaning or because the easy-natured hurler was cracking under the burden of his failures. It was a vindication of sorts, though not the one you’d wish on any pitcher, when Clement underwent arthroscopic surgery Sept. 26 and Andrews was stunned to discover extensive damage. Before Andrews was through repairing him, Clement said, he had six holes in his shoulder.

“I can’t blame the organization,” he said. “I went to Dr. Andrews one time before, and my symptoms weren’t showing up. I was doing strength tests the day before the surgery and passing them.

“I guess the doubt to me was disappointing because the one thing I always did (making every start), they were doubting the first time I’ve ever been hurt. That was the first time I’ve ever been on the disabled list — ever — the first time I ever thought of going on the disabled list. It wasn’t even considered, other than when I got hit in the head. And the first time I’m on there, to doubt whether I wanted to pitch, a guy who makes every start of his career?

“Whoever was doubting, I don’t know. I wouldn’t say I was mad — disappointed. I guess in a stressful season, where things aren’t going the way they (were expected to go) and I was one of the guys being counted on, and things start happening...

“You know, I don’t hold a grudge or anything, that’s for sure.”

Clement was asked if anyone in the organization had apologized, either the manager or general manager. “I think, at some point, the subject has been relayed,” he said. “I’ll leave it at that. They weren’t the ones who necessarily were the ones coming up to me and saying, ‘What are you doing? You’re faking it.’ “

Clement said he has a good relationship with GM Theo Epstein, whom he has known since both were with the Padres, and said he knew manager Terry Francona cared about him.

Because it has always been a point of pride for him to make his starts, Clement said, he might have “brainwashed” himself into ignoring some of the warning signs of the damage. He understands, he said, why the fans may have turned on him last season.

“There are a lot of times I would have booed myself off the field,” he said. “I didn’t do the job. I wasn’t good last year. Was it because I was hurt? I’m sure that had something to do with it. I’m not going to sit here and use it as the only reason. I was hurt and I pitched bad.

“I know Theo brought me in here to do a job and trusted me. I’m not saying the first year was that bad, but that’s what I hate the most about this — not being able to do the job I was brought here to do.”

But now he’s confident he’s on the road back. The day after surgery, he was doing some exercises. Most days, he’s rehabbing for two to three hours, coming in to be stretched before the healthy pitchers get there. Right now, he’s doing some work with a medicine ball, the final step before he can pick up a baseball. “I’ve been starting to bug them about throwing,” he said. “I haven’t been told when I’m throwing, but I’m ready to go to the next step.”

In his mind, that should come the first week of March.