goreds
03-17-2002, 03:03 PM
BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Cincinnati Reds' biggest spring controversy officially died Saturday when Pokey Reese denied criticizing former teammate Ken Griffey Jr., who said that he never believed those reports anyway.
They affirmed these sentiments by embracing in the outfield during pregame warmups as the Pittsburgh Pirates, Reese's new team, defeated the Reds, 3-2, in an exhibition game. Griffey played 3 1/2 innings and went 1-for-2 while Reese sat out with a strained right elbow.
The pair met for the first time since Reese, the two-time Gold Glove second baseman who signed with Pittsburgh during the offseason as a free agent, lambasted Griffey and the Reds for his lack of leadership skills and the preferential treatment he received.
"Junior's going to be Junior," Reese was quoted as saying in a Feb. 21 column in The Cincinnati Enquirer. "He's going to do his thing and they (club management) are not going to say anything. But it's 25 of us, not one ... I know he's Ken Griffey Jr., but someone should have said, 'We're all in this together.'"
But Reese, who had been in the Cincinnati organization since 1991, insisted Saturday, "I never once said that Junior was the problem ... He (the Enquirer columnist) kept asking me, 'So do you think Junior's the problem? I never once said yes ... I have nothing against Grif."
Griffey, who refused to lash back verbally at Reese last month, wasn't surprised at Reese's denial.
"I could have told you that," the center fielder said. "Why do you think I didn't get mad at him? Because you know how things get turned around."
Reese admitted praising Greg Vaughn, an outfielder and forceful leader with the 1999 Reds, and acknowledged that he welcomed being with a new team.
Reese also said that he still has a soft spot in his heart for many Reds players. "Those are my boys over there," he said, and proved it later by hugging infielders Gookie Dawkins, Juan Castro and Sean Casey as well as Griffey in their pregame encounter.
Interestingly, Detroit first baseman Dmitri Young, another ex-Red, refused to back down Friday night from his critical statements and reiterated his defense of Reese's remarks in The Enquirer.
Griffey dismissed the controversy stemming from the Reese column as part of the price he pays for being a star.
"There was a comparison between me and somebody else, and any time my name is mentioned in a comparison it's going to be a story, whether it's good or bad," Griffey said.
Griffey addressed the leadership issue by declaring that every player has his own leadership style.
"Mine is, I go out and play every day," he said. "Leaders come in different shapes, sizes and packages. I can't yell at somebody else; it's just not my job. I'm in a Catch-22. If I yell at somebody, they say, 'I don't have the talent level you have.' Or when you're hurt you can't tell somebody, 'We need more from you.' They'll say, 'You're not out there.' So may job is to encourage the guys ... It's not about being negative."
They affirmed these sentiments by embracing in the outfield during pregame warmups as the Pittsburgh Pirates, Reese's new team, defeated the Reds, 3-2, in an exhibition game. Griffey played 3 1/2 innings and went 1-for-2 while Reese sat out with a strained right elbow.
The pair met for the first time since Reese, the two-time Gold Glove second baseman who signed with Pittsburgh during the offseason as a free agent, lambasted Griffey and the Reds for his lack of leadership skills and the preferential treatment he received.
"Junior's going to be Junior," Reese was quoted as saying in a Feb. 21 column in The Cincinnati Enquirer. "He's going to do his thing and they (club management) are not going to say anything. But it's 25 of us, not one ... I know he's Ken Griffey Jr., but someone should have said, 'We're all in this together.'"
But Reese, who had been in the Cincinnati organization since 1991, insisted Saturday, "I never once said that Junior was the problem ... He (the Enquirer columnist) kept asking me, 'So do you think Junior's the problem? I never once said yes ... I have nothing against Grif."
Griffey, who refused to lash back verbally at Reese last month, wasn't surprised at Reese's denial.
"I could have told you that," the center fielder said. "Why do you think I didn't get mad at him? Because you know how things get turned around."
Reese admitted praising Greg Vaughn, an outfielder and forceful leader with the 1999 Reds, and acknowledged that he welcomed being with a new team.
Reese also said that he still has a soft spot in his heart for many Reds players. "Those are my boys over there," he said, and proved it later by hugging infielders Gookie Dawkins, Juan Castro and Sean Casey as well as Griffey in their pregame encounter.
Interestingly, Detroit first baseman Dmitri Young, another ex-Red, refused to back down Friday night from his critical statements and reiterated his defense of Reese's remarks in The Enquirer.
Griffey dismissed the controversy stemming from the Reese column as part of the price he pays for being a star.
"There was a comparison between me and somebody else, and any time my name is mentioned in a comparison it's going to be a story, whether it's good or bad," Griffey said.
Griffey addressed the leadership issue by declaring that every player has his own leadership style.
"Mine is, I go out and play every day," he said. "Leaders come in different shapes, sizes and packages. I can't yell at somebody else; it's just not my job. I'm in a Catch-22. If I yell at somebody, they say, 'I don't have the talent level you have.' Or when you're hurt you can't tell somebody, 'We need more from you.' They'll say, 'You're not out there.' So may job is to encourage the guys ... It's not about being negative."