REDS NOTES

Griffey marks 521st homer with modesty

By Hal McCoy

Dayton Daily News

CINCINNATI | — Ken Griffey Jr. took the humble and low-road approach to another marvelous achievement Sunday. His 521st home run tied Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 14th on the all-time list.

He talked reverently about both players — one dead (Williams) and one who uses a wheelchair/golf cart (McCovey).

"I have like three hitting streaks of 10 or more games," Griffey said. "Williams had them of more than 300 and he hit .340 for his career. And he went to war for his country twice during his baseball career. Never put my name in his category. I just happen to have the same number of home runs."

Griffey said he met Williams at an All-Star game, "And he argued with me for 10 minutes. He was talking to me about hitting. I was just 22 and there are certain guys you just look at, listen to and say nothing."

Griffey said he talked to McCovey just before the All-Star break when the Reds were in San Francisco.

"McCovey is always at the park and that's great," Griffey said. "A lot of teams have older players hanging around the clubhouses to talk baseball and tradition. We don't have that here. How many players from the past do you see in our clubhouse?

"A guy like Lee May lives in Cincinnati and I only see him at functions that don't involve the Reds," Griffey added. "When Sparky Anderson was put into the Hall of Fame here every player who played for him should have been invited."

Re-inventing Ben

When — or if — pitcher Ben Weber returns to the mound the only way fans will recognize him is by his goggle-glasses and the unusual '77' on his back.

As he says, "I've re-invented myself before, so I can re-invent myself again," he said.

Weber has been on the disabled list since May 9, missing 62 games, with a bulging disc in his neck. He pitched a 30-pitch simulated game Saturday and will pitch another today. He isn't the same.

"I've eliminated the herky-jerky motion," said Weber, who used to deliver a pitch like a jigsaw puzzle — piece by piece by piece. "I've smoothed it out so I don't hurt myself again. I know people like to see that strange and weird motion of mine, but it's gone."

Asked if doctors believe his motion contributed to his neck problems, Weber said, "Ten doctors, 10 different opinions, 10 different remedies."

Said Weber, "I'd just like to get back to the team so they can salvage some value from me."

Oh, what a relief it is (in a bad way)

It isn't a record they'll trumpet in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and the only person who asked for the ball when the record was set was Reds manager Jerry Narron.

And he was asking for the ball from starting pitcher Ramon Ortiz so it could be given to relief pitcher Brian Shackelford.

When Ortiz walked off the mound, he was the 92nd straight Reds starting pitcher to leave early, breaking the 2001 team's record of 91 games to start a season without a complete game.

Pitcher Josh Hancock, considered a cinch rotation member this season, hasn't thrown a pitch in major-league anger this season due to a groin injury.

He hopes that might change in the next two weeks.

Hancock has passed two recent bullpen sessions, is scheduled for another today and hopes to throw live batting practice Wednesday.