Ken Griffey Jr. does have fans out there. Lots of them, judging from my e-mail.

        The May 5 story about Griffey ripping the local media and fans, in light of a Channel 12 poll in which 74 percent of the respondents said he should be benched, sparked more e-mail than any Reds story that has run in the Enquirer this season.

        The overwhelming majority of fans came out in favor of Griffey. Of the 101 who e-mailed, unsolicited, 86 supported Griffey, and 15 said he was out of line.

        Griffey was getting a sense of the support by Wednesday afternoon, two days after he made his comments.

        “I've gotten some letters,” he said. “I think a lot of people understand.”

        Here are excerpts of some of the e-mails:

        It just amazes me to hear these so-called Reds fans bash one of the best baseball players to ever put on a Cincinnati uniform. Why can't they just leave this man alone? He is by far the best talent any of these people will ever see. Here's a man who took a lot less money to come back and play for his hometown. Give the guy a chance, it's not like he's getting hurt just so he doesn't have to play. I guarantee you that if the pitching throws anywhere near to the way they're throwing now when Junior comes back, the Reds will walk away with their division.
       Jeff from Williamsburg,
       Ohio
       

        This is an open letter to fans of Cincinnati Reds baseball: I wish someone would conduct a poll to determine the worst fans in Major League Baseball cities. I would be interested to see where Cincinnati falls in that category. In my opinion, they would be at or near the top of the heap in terms of being the worst.

        Ken Griffey, Jr. was in a no-win situation when he came to town. He could have pulled in another $5 million to $10 million per year PER YEAR in many other cities. He could have set the tone for more contracts like the one A-Rod signed in Texas. The fans of Cincinnati would have been outraged and called for his hide. Instead, he felt that playing for his hometown team, the team he grew up around and considered family, was more important than another $50 million. He comes in and belts 40 home runs and 100 RBI. But since he doesn't bat .400 in the process, he gets crucified.

        The next year, he suffers a legitimate career-threatening injury, and the fans call for a trade. He tries to stay in the lineup and help the team, and the fans berate him and his family for his efforts. This year, he suffers another unfortunate injury, and the fans want him gone. I was at the game when he suffered the injury, and the fans booed and called him names. That is ridiculous. Now, they don't want him back in the lineup at all.

        Well, in case the fans haven't noticed, the Cincy offense has been less than stellar. The pitching has carried the ballclub. One would think that the club could surely use someone of Griffey's caliber in the lineup. Well, not one from Cincinnati.

        In a time when celebrities and national figures alike are avoiding your city like the plague, you want to send one of your brightest stars, a hometown hero, back across the country to Seattle. You would rather have a convicted criminal in the Hall of Fame than have an upstanding, quality person like Griffey represent your city. You can have the ambassador that your city sorely needs right now, yet all you can do is complain.

        My advice to Ken Griffey Jr. is to not just request a trade, I would demand it. I would rather play in Montreal than Cincinnati. Fans are saying it was a mistake for the Reds to sign Griffey. I say it's just the opposite. Ken Griffey, Jr. made the biggest mistake by signing with the Reds and representing the most ungrateful fans in Major League Baseball.
       Rocky from Dayton, Ohio

        In reading Ken's comments, it sounds as though he's as frustrated as we (the fans) are. . . .

        If the guy's healthy, nobody is saying anything, because he probably would have hit at least 120 homers by now.

        But please tell him, from a 50-year baseball fan, don't get into war of words with the fans through the media. There are many more of us than him, and some of us don't understand that injuries are part of the game.
       Randolph

        Wake up, Cincinnati. Stop being fair-weather fans, and quit laying the blame at Ken Griffey Jr. Anyone with common sense and a little baseball knowledge knows that a healthy Ken Griffey Jr. is easily one of the five best players in baseball today. I mean just look at his stats. A healthy Junior was the youngest player ever to hit 350, 400 and 450 home runs. He is an 11 time All-Star and Gold Glover, plus a member of the All-Century Team. It would be stupid to trade him, so give him a chance and quit finding something wrong with everything he does.

        Besides, as soon as things turn around, all you fair-weather fools will be jumping on Junior's bandwagon.
       Steve from Florence, KY

        John,I enjoy reading your Q&A! Please keep it up. In terms of Junior, the fans who participated in that Channel 12 nonsense are, in my opinion, not even close to being true Reds fans. Maybe these folks, along with Channel 12, think that this is some sort of game, but creating a negative atmosphere around one of the best players in the history of the game is clearly a demonstration of shortsightedness at its best. While I respect everyone's right to express their views, I hope that Channel 12 will display a better sense of responsibility to the public and that the true Reds fans will speak out and defend a man who took less money to come home and help bring a winner to Cincinnati.
       Mike from Bowie, Md.

        Ken Griffey is an arrogant man-child, his nose literally in the air, the (former) prince of baseball. I'd like to know the records of all the Reds games he has and has not played in. Not that that would tell the whole story — his negative effect on the team carries over to when he hasn't played. Still, the times he has taken third strikes when the pitch was not in his wheelhouse makes me think he has poisoned games he's been in more than those he has not.

        . . . He is the most gifted player the game has ever seen, but he has never grown up. The Reds are infinitely better off without him.

        Think of where the Reds would be with the pitchers his money could buy and with Cameron in center field.

        I like Pokey, but Dmitri was the only one with enough character to stand by his word on Junior. He backed up Pokey, then was left hanging when Pokey copped out. Everybody always knew Dmitri had character, so rare in this cast of “characters.” -- the only mensch in the bunch.

        The people who attack Junior and his wife in public are ignorant clods. A mature person would know that. Junior is still an adolescent and always will be. It's not cute anymore.

        Andy Furman attacked a phone guest from Seattle on the Cunningham show today for saying Griffey was thin-skinned. Furman said he has always found Junior "adorable." Ah, there's the rub. Maybe if we stopped calling him "Junior"...
Lee from Columbus

        Well I see that “Mr.” Ken Jr. is complaining again. I read your story and the story from here in Seattle. Guess what? They sound the same, but about three years apart. And to see what the Reds are doing without him shows what is happening, as well. For a player with as much talent as he has, or had, he can be mouthy.

        I watched his father with the Big Red Machine of the '70s and enjoyed it, even if I didn't like the Reds. His father also told him that no team would treat him as well as his first team; well, we all tried here. Seattle welcomed him with open arms and a new stadium, and he opened his mouth to (do) nothing but complain.

        I am truly sorry for his family to be going (through) what they are going through in Cincinnati.

        Here in Seattle, we are enjoying a team that seemed to have woken up after the Griffey — Rodriguez (another seeking riches and fame in a prospective championship team, right!) era. We might not be going to the World Series or make (it) to past the second round in the playoffs, but I will tell you we are having a great time at it and making a little history of our own. Well, at least you will get a new stadium before he leaves. Maybe the Phillies or Expos should trade for him — they need a new stadium, don't they?
       John from Seattle

        Give the guy a break. The hometown writers should take every opportunity to commend Griffey for forcing a trade that brought him home. So what if he makes way more than everybody else? He deserves it — as much as anyone playing baseball can deserve millions of dollars — and he did a good thing for Cincinnati, and that is what is really important. So I feel that not only should our local media take it easy on him, they should praise him when given the opportunity.

        The poll by Channel 12 , or who ever did it was bad form.
       Kevin

        Woah. I had no idea there were such bad feelings about Griffey in Cincinnati.

        Last time I checked, these were legitimate injuries. Am I correct in that assumption?

        Was the hamstring actually torn badly last year? Is the knee actually injured this year? Or is the entire Reds medical staff — and maybe a James Andrews-type guy thrown in, for good measure — involved in a massive coverup so Junior can rob Reds fans everywhere of their hard-earned entertainment dollars?

        Seriously, this is worse than the Eric Davis flaps in the late '80s. I'm disgusted in the way my fellow Reds fans are acting toward members of the Griffey family. You wouldn't think baseball was THAT important to them, considering nobody goes to the games, anyway. What a joke.

        . . . I'll take his 40 homers and 100 RBI — not to mention, flawless center-field defense. When's the last time he dropped an easy fly ball in a close ballgame? This goes beyond fickle. This is a witch-hunt.
       Jon from Columbus

        I was so incensed after reading the letter in your column Sunday about trading Griffey, I was quite pleased when Griffey spoke out. . . . finally about the idiotic Reds fans. I am sick of hearing George Grande tell us what knowledgeable fans the Reds have when the exact opposite is true.

        Reds fans, who must have been spoiled by the six-year run of the Big Red Machine, are, in my opinion, a bunch of whining front-runners always looking for someone to blame.

        It's not Griffey's fault the Reds had no pitching over the last couple of years. Do these so-called fans think that, with the type of pitching the Reds have received so far this year, that Griffey's bat wouldn't have made a difference in a couple of those low-scoring games they lost? To suggest that Griffey should sit when he is healthy is the height of ignorance. I have followed the Reds since 1945, and believe me, I have seen many players pass through Cincinnati. Griffey, when healthy, is one of the best, and I just hope he stays healthy to prove it.

        . . . Watch how fast all of these experts jump on the bandwagon when he starts producing again — and he will. If people are upset because of his salary, get over it, that's baseball today.
       Bob from Bellbrook, Ohio

        Ken Griffey Jr. is now having to pay the price for his expression of prima donna attitudes of the past. That's all this poll is and all of the other Griffey backlash is (are) about. , plain and simple. I have to say I think it's about time he finally learned a dose of humility., even though this may not really help him learn, only convince him, in egoistic thinking, that “the world is against him.”

        Really, though, once Dmitri Young and Pokey Reese spoke out, you knew Griffey was going to have an uphill climb to regain credibility in Cincy. I really don't think people are mad he hasn't turned out to be “the savior,” only that he seems to be such a poor sport.
       Gerard from Columbus

        For what it's 's it worth, coming from a faithful Reds fan who hasn't lived in Cincinnati for 20 years, the chief reason why all these people are down on Ken Griffey, vote him onto the bench, and curse at his wife, is pure and simple racism. If (Griffey) were white, if he were Adam Dunn or Sean Casey in the same position, there would not be the same resentment and anger. Get off his back, people, or you will chase him out of Cincinnati the same way your grandparents chased out Frank Robinson. And, oh, I am white.
Sam

        Would you please print this letter so Junior knows that not all Reds fans are fickle whiners. The Channel 12 poll is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen — obviously, the only people who even care enough to respond are the Griffey-haters. These people know nothing about baseball — I'm betting they've never played a sport in their lives. If they had, they'd know how difficult it is to play with any injury, let alone a torn hamstring. Sorry about that, Junior —. . . Those of us smart enough to know how valuable you are in the lineup have more important things to do with our time than to call up talk shows and whine — like day jobs, for example.
       Zack from Alexandria, Va,

        Unfortunately, Cincinnati is a far cry from the baseball town that it used to be. The fans of Cincinnati have turned into ignorant buffoons.

        Fortunately, however, there are still a few fans in this town that understand baseball and understand what a healthy Ken Griffey Jr. is capable of.

        I am not an “old-timer.” I am 31 years old, and I am shocked by how much things have changed with baseball fans here just in the last few years. It kind of breaks my heart to be in the minority in defending Ken Griffey Jr., who just may be one of the best players ever to play the game. The guy has had some awful luck in Cincinnati, and he should not be faulted for it.
       Since you cover the Reds, please inform Junior that not all fans are against him. There are several of us out here who support him and would still pay our good, hard-earned money just to watch him play center field. All the negativity may just drive Junior out of his hometown. and that may be the saddest thing I have heard in a while.

        I can't listen to WLW anymore because it makes me sick in my heart and in my stomach. A great player and lovely new ballpark that just may be wasted on unappreciative, ignorant fans. For shame.
       Larry from Cincinnati

        I have been a Reds fan all of my life (23 years). Recent events make me ashamed to admit that. Boo a guy when he tears his patella tendon and is writhing on the ground in pain? That is lower than low.

        Behavior like this proves that Cincinnati (fans) are the worst in the entire league.

        Fans of other teams dream of having a player the caliber of a Ken Griffey Jr. Yet Cincinnati fans take it for granted and then rip him for things that are beyond his control. Then, when he voices his displeasure about the way he is being treated by the media, he gets ripped again. All of this after he cooly handles the negativity surrounding the Pokey Reese/Dmitri Young controversy.

        I love having Griffey on our team, but maybe it would be better for him to leave (for) a city that will respect and appreciate him. Cincinnati fans do not deserve to have Ken Griffey Jr. Because of the treatment he and other hometown players receive when they make a mistake, I don't blame any of the players for bashing the fans.

        Cincinnatians: I know it is tough having to cheer for the Bungles, but don't take your frustrations out on the Reds. They are the only team in town that actually tries.
       Kurt

        I have had it with the fans of Cincinnati. If they don't want to watch Ken Griffey Jr. play baseball in Cincinnati, they ought to go find another ballpark. Ken Griffey Jr. is a phenomenal baseball player and will be a member of the Hall of Fame one day. So this is how we want him to remember Cincinnati?

        The fans of Cincinnati are an embarrassment to baseball. Stop your complaining and whining. This player is a great athlete, competitor — and, more importantly, a good person and father. We should welcome him with open arms and be happy he is part of the Big Red Machineand our community. But we choose to be selfish and demand nothing but excellence from him and then ridicule him when he doesn't perform. Worse,we demean his family. When was that acceptable in society?

        Cincinnati was a town I loved when I was younger, but it sounds like times are a changing — and not for the better. Ken Griffey Jr. is a great baseball player — period. I applaud everything he has done for Cincinnati and wish he could play today. Bench Ken Griffey Jr.? Are you kidding me? We wouldn't live that down for 100 years. That's almost as ridiculous as the Red Sox trading Babe Ruth to the Yankees.
       Robert

        I agree with Junior. People have been on him unfairly since he has arrived in Cincinnati. I just wish all these people would get off his back and give him a break. He is definitely one of the best to ever play the game, and he is taking a 50-percent reduction in pay to play here. I like how he does us a favor by coming here, and we insult him and his family.

        How big of a loser do you have to be to insult his wife and family? Shame on us. What kind of a society do we live in where everyone is so cynical about everything this guy does? Maybe Griff should go by the local garage or Wal-Mart and take pop shots at his critics in their work environments? I am sure Atlanta (or) Arizona would open their doors and checkbooks to Mr. Griffey.

        Thanks for listening to me vent
       Rob

       E-mail jfay@enquirer.com.

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