SARASOTA, Fla. — Though Bob Boone intends to establish a line of communication with his superstar center fielder, Ken Griffey Jr., the Reds' new manager isn't changing his pattern to do it.

        “It's just part of the job,” Boone said Saturday. “You spend a lot of time talking to all your big boys. They're the ones we're going to ride to the pennant.”

        Boone quickly added he'll feel compelled to speak even more frequently with the Reds' reserves. “The hardest thing in the world is to sit on the bench and not play, and then be asked to go in a major-league game,” Boone said.

        Establishing relationships with players is central to Boone's managerial philosophy. Of course, Griffey isn't just any player. “There's some intimidation for a lot of people about star players,” Boone said.

        Though Boone indicated he might ask Griffey's father, hitting coach Ken Griffey Sr., to relay certain messages, he plans to deal directly with the slugger on serious matters. As the father of ballplayers himself, Boone realizes the pitfalls of delegating too many responsibilities to a relative.

        “I don't think it's necessarily a mistake, but I think it's somewhat miscalculated,” Boone said. “I know, just as a dad, that if you ask me to tell Bret something about his professional life, that's normally the worst thing you possibly could do.”

        Boone has encountered Griffey sporadically in the last 10 years. They played against each other toward the end of Boone's 19-year career as a catcher and crossed paths intermittently last season when Boone was a special assistant to Reds general manager Jim Bowden.

        “I know he's a good person and I know he's a gamer,” Boone said of Griffey. “Here's a guy who really wants to play. He has all the attributes I want to teach.”

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