CHICAGO | By now the routine is old hat for Jeff Samardzija.

Get to Wrigley Field early because, well, he'd rather not pace around his nearby condo too long. Dress, do the usual pregame interviews. Finally, do the receiving line of guests like Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison -- who recruited him for Notre Dame -- leading a delegation in the dugout after batting practice Thursday.

One part of the program Valparaiso native Samardzija, returning to Wrigley Field on Thursday for the four-game series against the Brewers, would like to change is the welcome-back handshakes for another recall from Triple-A Iowa.

"I certainly hope so," Samardzija said of finally sticking with the Cubs after he was called up last July for a generally successful run that was followed by two demotions to Iowa this season.

"I feel confident with all my pitches," he added. "It was nice to get out there that first day (Wednesday night) in Pittsburgh and get the first inning out of the way."

As Samardzija neared the end of his most recent stint in the minors, Cubs brass has touted an improved curveball as the missing link in his repertoire.

Irritated at Samardzija's lack of an effective breaking pitch in his last Cubs stint in May, manager Lou Piniella is encouraged by the latest scouting report.

"(The curve) will help him immensely," he said.

Said Samardzija: "I just think it's a little bit different of a pitch. It adds a little different approach for me on the mound. I've been throwing it for strikes. I have confidence in it. It depends on the situation. But obviously I have the splitter I like to work."

Samardzija seemed like a permanent Cubs fixture last season, fulfilling all the hype accumulated ever since he was paid nearly a king's ransom to give up football. But backtracking like he's experienced this year is common in baseball. The road to stardom is almost never on a smooth "up" cycle.

"You'd like to avoid it as much as possible, but it's kind of the nature of the business, and be willing to adjust to situations," the admittedly impatient Samardzija said.

Although he started at Iowa, he's back in his old job as a middle-inning reliever. He's part of the Cubs' mid-season roster tweaking. A day after his recall, the team traded a minor-league pitcher for Rockies infielder Jeff Baker, who could take over the old Mark DeRosa utility role.

Being a Cubs big-leaguer also requires Samardzija to work the crowd, as he gladly did when he met Mattison. And express no regrets about choosing baseball over football, even though a gifted wide receiver like Samardzija could have been an easy target for newly arrived Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.

"I think most of the guys who play pro football or pro baseball were also baseball and football players (at lower levels)," Mattison said. "They have to make a decision. He made the right choice. He did everything he could do as a wide receiver.

"He's smart, he's coachable, and he's a good person. He's a very physical, tough kid. That's why he's doing it here."