Friday, April 26, 2002
Reds Notebook:
Griffey has big test
By John Fay jfay@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Ken Griffey Jr. will test his injured right knee before Sunday's game by running for the first time since he injured it April8.
“That will be the biggest indicator,” Reds manager Bob Boone said. “It's a really big day for us.”
The plan for now is for Griffey not to accompany the team to Los Angeles for the three-game series that begins Monday. The L.A. series is followed by three games in San Francisco.
Physical therapist Lonnie Soloff will stay behind to work with Griffey. If all goes well, Griffey could be activated May6 when the Reds open a three-game series with Milwaukee at Cinergy.
BIG OUTING: Right-hander Scott Williamson had a double breakthrough in the Reds' 4-3 victory over the Rockies on Wednesday (well, it ended Thursday morning). He got his first win since Aug.12, 2000, and he successfully went two innings for the first time since missing most of last season because of an injury to his right elbow.
Williamson, a 26-year-old right-hander, is coming off ligament replacement surgery. He is in a tough spot, trying to earn more pitching time in a deep bullpen.
“It's really big,” he said. “It gives me a lot of confidence. He stuck with me with the bases loaded. When I got in trouble in other games, I started pressing. Hopefully this will get me over the hump.”
Boone would like to see Williamson and Luis Pineda emerge and take pressure off setup men Gabe White and Scott Sullivan.
ONE AT A TIME: The Reds did not record a multi-homer game in their first 20 games this year. Twenty-seven players entered Wednesday with a multi-homer game. Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez each have had two two-homer games.
VIDEO ROOM: The players put the crawl space next to Danny Graves' locker to good use. They set up a TV monitor, stereo and PlayStation. There's a folding chair in front of the TV. There's a shade that covers the 2-by-4-foot hole used to get in and out of the “room.”
WALK THIS WAY: Wednesday night's/Thursday morning's 4-3 victory was the fourth “walk-off” win of the year for the Reds. They had three in all of last season. Four different players — Juan Encarnacion, Jason LaRue, Sean Casey and Aaron Boone — have driven in the winning runs.
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Enquirer Wrestling All-Stars: Div. I
Enquirer Wrestling All-Stars: Div. II-III
High School Softball Notebook
Merchant misses coaching already
Cincinnati high school highlights
Cincinnati high school results
N.Ky. high school results
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Reds Notebook: Griffey has big test
