Ken Griffey Jr. says the hamstring injury that has kept him out of the lineup this season is the hardest thing he's had to deal with. His injury, death threats and relationship with the media were the main topics of his taped interview on ESPN SportsCenter Sunday night.

        Here are some comments from Griffey, speaking to ESPN baseball analyst and former teammate Harold Reynolds last week:

        • On why it's taking so long for him to be ready to play: "Because it's not a broken bone, where it heals and you can go. This is a muscle, a partially torn muscle, and I'm trying to get it back to where I can go out and play and help this team. And right now, I can't help this team. People may call that stubborn or moody, but I want to win."

        • On perceptions and the media: "The reason why people misunderstand me is sometimes I don't let them understand me. I think that keeps me from going insane. The media's probably been the toughest for me. I can laugh and joke with my teammates, but I get real serious when it comes to interviews and media requests. I don't know what to think. I get real nervous. I am scared to death of the media, whether it's good media or bad media .. a guy makes one statement that's wrong and he's automactically labeled for the rest of his life."

        Griffey said he went through "a very difficult time" dealing with death threats against him and his family and the 1999 death of his friend, golfer Payne Stewart. He said he received more than 300 death threats from the time he refused a trade to the Mets in December, 1999, until the 2000 All-Star break.

        Asked how he keeps playing in view of the death threats, Griffey said: "Because I love baseball."

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