BRADENTON, Fla. — Ken Griffey Jr. says things are fine between him and Pokey Reese.

        Griffey Jr. and Pokey Reese met in center field, hugged and then talked for a few minutes before Saturday's game between the Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates.

        “He said he didn't say those things,” Griffey said. “That's all I need to hear.”

        Reese, who was traded from the Reds to the Pirates in the offseason, started the whole spring training controversy by accusing Griffey of getting special treatment and not being a team leader. Dmitri Young, another traded Red, and Ron Oester, who was fired as a coach, echoed what Reese said. It turned the Ed Smith Stadium complex into Camp Turmoil for the early days of spring training.

        Griffey took the high road throughout the whole episode — never ripping any of the three who ripped him.

        “It was never a big deal to me,” he said. “(The media) made it out to be a big deal. It was over for me as soon as they said it. Now, it's really over.”

        Said Reese: “If he's cool with it, I'm cool with it.”

        Reese was not in the lineup Saturday. He is out with elbow tendinitis. He expects to be back in four or five days. The injury is unrelated to the problem that kept him out of the final 20 games last year. That was a shoulder injury.

        But Reese went out on the field Saturday to say hello to his former teammates. He spoke with Sean Casey first. Then Gookie Dawkins came out. Griffey was tossing along the third-base line while Reese was chatting in center.

        Griffey made a point to go out and see Reese.

        “I was just going out to see an ex-teammate,” Griffey said. “I never had a problem with Pokey.”

        Griffey said Reese told him the comments came out differently than he intended. That's hard to believe since Young and Oester said essentially the same thing. But the explanation was good enough for Griffey.

        “It didn't sound like Pokey when I read it,” Griffey said.

Junior, Pokey hug, make up Reds Q&A with John Fay Q&A with Reds catcher Jesse Levis Rijo pitching, looking like starter Pirates 3, Reds 2 Reds notebook Baseball notebook

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