ST. LOUIS — Ken Griffey Jr. vehemently denied calling ESPN to complain about slanted coverage in the network's highlights.

        Speaking before Thursday night's game, the Reds center fielder responded to a passage from a Wednesday St. Louis Post-Dispatch column written by Bernie Miklasz. Miklasz cited a source who said Griffey telephoned ESPN to protest the appearance of too many highlights featuring Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds.

        “I have no idea what's ESPN's number, let alone call ESPN,” Griffey said. “The person who wrote it ... how come he didn't reveal his source? Why would I call ESPN to tell them to do something I have no control over, over who they show or what they show?”

        ESPN spokeswoman Diane Lamb also said Griffey had not called the network.

        SportsCenter host Dan Patrick said Griffey had not called him.

        “(Griffey) has called to talk to Harold Reynolds in the past,” Patrick said. “I don't know what the exact conversation was — whether it was serious or in fun. But Harold has been a sounding board for him.”

        Griffey occasionally submits to interviews with ESPN that are conducted by Reynolds, his former Seattle Mariners teammate.

        “If Harold Reynolds calls me, it's more of a friendship thing,” Griffey said. “It has nothing to do with what ESPN wants. He may say something and I'll say, "No, I'm not doing it.'”

        Asked if he had ever voiced anything like the purported Edmonds complaint to Reynolds, Griffey said: “The only conversation I've had with Harold is, they show me messing up and they show somebody make a great catch right after me. That's been going on for years.”

        Griffey Jr. confirmed reports that he remained in street clothes until the seventh inning of Wednesday night's game, when he flied out as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning.

        He said he was resting, trying to recover from the headache and stomachache that forced him to be scratched from the starting lineup, when Sean Casey's two-run homer tied the score in the seventh inning. At that point, Griffey said he went to the dugout to ask his father, bench coach Ken Griffey Sr., if he needed to change into his uniform. “He said, "Yeah, we might need you,'” Griffey Jr. said.

        Elected to start in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Atlanta, Griffey said he still hadn't decided whether to participate in Monday's nationally televised home run contest. “I haven't really thought about it,” he said.

        John Fay contributed to this report.

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