Sunday, April 02, 2000

They'll be skipping school to see Junior

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BY JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer

Ken Griffey Jr. takes batting practice under the grandstands Sunday afternoon, with a net between him and a crowd of reporters. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        CINCINNATI — Ken Griffey Jr. knows firsthand about Cincinnati's opening day traditions — the pregame parade, the fickle weather, the full stadium and the empty desks.

        “We'd skip school,” Junior said Sunday, when asked for his favorite opening day memory. “My son's skipping school on opening day. It's a tradition. Cincinnati expects that a lot of kids are not going to be there.”

        Six-year-old Trey's first such field trip should be just as good as what his dad experienced while growing up. The Reds' opener Monday afternoon against the Milwaukee Brewers is the biggest thing to hit town since Junior was a preschooler.

        The weather will be appropriately iffy — rain wiped out on-field batting practice for both teams Sunday and threatened to dampen the opener as well.

        No amount of rain can diminish it. Hundreds of raindrop-speckled cameras will be pointed at the field to capture the first time Junior takes the field, realizing a dream he shared with his hometown.

Barry Larkin and Griffey await turns in the cage. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        “I can't wait to see Junior get announced,” first baseman Hal Morris said Sunday. “I was thinking about that coming over here, what it's going to be like in this place.

        “In '91, there was tremendous excitement because we'd just won the World Series. I think this matches if not surpasses that. The feeling I've gotten from everybody I've talked to is with Junior's arrival, it's like everybody's on the edge of their seat ready to go.”

        Morris' history with the Reds goes back only a decade. Those who have been around longer say this year's buildup reminds them of the franchise's glory years.

        “I think this is probably the most enthusiasm I've seen in Cincinnati since '75 and '76,” Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench said during a clubhouse visit Sunday. “A generation has passed since the Big Red Machine and now it (the excitement) is there. Everybody is going. They're getting out of school and coming down.”

        Aside from the pregame introduction, there's another reason to think this opener will be special: Junior's history of doing special things in openers.

        His seven homers in 11 openers matches Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Eddie Mathews, Carl Yastrzemski, Gary Carter and Richie Hebner for second place on the career list.

        A homer Monday would move Junior into a tie with Frank Robinson for the record.

        “Really? I'm glad you told me that,” Milwaukee starter Steve Woodard said with a chuckle.

        Woodard, who will oppose Pete Harnisch in the opener, has a short but one-sided history against Griffey. Woodard started against the Seattle Mariners twice as a rookie in 1997 and gave up a homer to Junior in each game.

        The three-run homer on Aug. 2, 1997 was particularly memorable — it was the 271st of Griffey's 398 career homers, but the first Woodard gave up as a big-league pitcher.

        “I remember he pulled it right down the line and hit the foul pole in Milwaukee,” Woodard said Sunday while lacing up his shoes in the visitors' clubhouse. “He hit another one in Seattle. It's one of those things you keep in the back of your mind.

        “He's a great hitter. There's no one way to throw to him. Like with McGwire and Sosa, you've got to be careful and not let him beat you.”

        Even if rain holds up the game, it won't stop the annual pregame parade through downtown sponsored by a business association. Organizers invited Marge Schott to participate, even though it's the first time in 16 years that she's not in charge on opening day.

        Carl Lindner and two partners bought Schott's controlling shares last October. Lindner's popularity soared when he brought Junior home on a nine-year, $116.5 million contract.

        There's only one thing more that Lindner would like Monday.

        “I talked to my boss late last week and he said, 'John, you're in charge of keeping the rain away,”' chief operating officer John Allen said. “As of right now, it looks pretty good. There might be some moisture, but not at game time.”

       

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