By Kevin Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Despite his best efforts, Ken Griffey Jr. could not talk his way into the Reds' starting lineup Monday.

"I tried to push," he said. "That didn't work."

The Reds decided against starting the 34-year-old center fielder in the season opener against the Cubs at Great American Ball Park.

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Griffey, 34, strained his right calf during a spring training game March 29, and hasn't played since. He is expected to start against the Cubs on Wednesday.

"We just want to make sure he's 100 percent," Reds manager Dave Miley said. "It's just not worth the risk."

Griffey's absence from the starting lineup prompted rumors about a possible trade to the Mariners.

Seattle vice president and general manager Bill Bavasi told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer there was "absolutely nothing to" the rumors.

"The last time I talked to (Reds general manager) Dan O'Brien was about a week ago," Bavasi told the Post-Intelligencer. "And it was about something else."

O'Brien on Monday reiterated that the decision not to start Griffey was health related.

"It's pretty basic," O'Brien said. "We felt like it didn't make sense for Ken to go out, play today, and potentially re-aggravate (the injury) and potentially cost him two weeks when if we wait two days, hopefully he's 100 percent and we move on."

Griffey, who enters the 2004 season 19 home runs shy of 500 career and is signed through 2008 at $12.5-million per season, took pre-game batting practice and was available to pinch hit.

He sat in the Reds' dugout during the game and dressed in the clubhouse afterward.

"I'll bet you if it was the last day of the season and this would make or break it, I'd be out there," he said before the game. "This is the first one. It's important for me to be out there for 150-plus (games)."

Griffey is coming off an injury-filled 2003 season in which he played in only 53 games and batted .247 with 13 homers and 26 RBI.

He missed 32 games after dislocating his right shoulder diving for a fly ball April 5, 2003. He later had surgery on his right ankle (July) and right shoulder (August) that caused him to miss the final 68 games of the season.

Though injuries have defined Griffey's tenure with the Reds - he's been on the disabled list five times since being traded to Cincinnati in 2000 - he has been in the Reds' Opening Day starting lineup three of the past five years.

"I'm still here for Opening Day," he said. "Whether you're in the starting lineup or not, it's still Opening Day and it's still special."

Starting in Griffey's place Monday was utilityman Ryan Freel. Juan Castro started at third base.

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E-mail kkelly@enquirer.com