They didn't know Jonny Gomes.

When you have a heart attack on Christmas Eve when you are 23, when you are in a car wreck that kills your best friend, well, it is easy to put Baseball into a proper perspective.

Gomes has "AW" tattooed on his right biceps in honor of Adam Westcott, his friend killed in the accident.

And if the 28-year-old outfielder makes the Cincinnati Reds this spring, he might have "KM" tattooed onto his left biceps.

Kevin Mitchell, a former Reds outfielder, called manager Dusty Baker to suggest the Reds sign Gomes.

"He's good people," Gomes said, referring to Mitchell. "There are a lot of people with good numbers in this game who can't teach it. Mitchell had great numbers on the field, and he can teach it. I call him 'Hit Doctor.' "

Gomes, expected to be a star at Tampa Bay, hit 58 home runs his first three full years with the Rays, all in a platoon scenario, but played only 77 games last year and hit .182 with eight homers and 21 RBIs.

Instead of pouting and throwing duffel bags, Gomes was the quintessential teammate - first out of the dugout to congratulate good deeds. And he was suspended twice last season for his involvement in on-the-field scuffles, protecting his teammates.

"Over the long haul we're in, we have to keep it a tight family," he said. "So many peaks and valleys in a season, so you have to keep guys loose, laughs and cries, so we have to be a brotherhood, like the family back home. If somebody messes around, you have to step in and not get bullied around."

Not only did Gomes get platooned, when the Rays made the playoffs, he was lopped off the roster.

Mad? Put out? Get me out of here? Not Gomes.

"If you ask me if I liked to be platooned, I'd say no," he said. "If you asked if I'd platoon and go to the World Series, I'd say, 'Hell, yes,' every time."

He was platooned. The Rays made it to the World Series. He didn't. But he'll get the ring.

He smiled when asked about his heart attack and said, "Boy, that's a whole 'nother bag of worms.

"To lay on that hospital bed and look up to see a light with a doctor telling you, 'We don't know. We don't know.' And you're only 23. Then you battle through it, and they tell you to keep your heart rate down, which means you can't be active, which pretty much takes away your life. That was an adversity check."

He was hospitalized five days, underwent an angioplasty and returned to the game.

Now he seeks a job with the Reds, left field, bench, whatever. After a deadly auto crash and a heart attack, what's a little competition for a Baseball roster spot?

Contact this reporter at hmccoy@DaytonDailyNews.com