Reds Camp: Ken Griffey Jr. is officially a senior

SARASOTA, Fla. — Hard to believe, but this is the 21st professional spring training for Ken Griffey Jr.

Yes, Junior is officially a senior, at least in terms of longevity. His career is now older than he was when he burst upon the scene, oozing charisma and transcendent talent, as a Mariners teenager in 1989.

Dusty Baker, his latest Reds manager — Skipper No. 6 since Griffey moved to Cincinnati in 2000 — says he wants to tap Griffey's reservoir of knowledge. In particular, Baker believes that Griffey is uniquely equipped to help the Reds judge whether their own young phenom, 20-year-old outfielder Jay Bruce, is ready to make the same leap to the majors that Griffey once did.

"I know Junior knows a lot," Baker said Wednesday. "You don't play that long, or grow up in this game, without knowing a whole lot more than he's probably been asked or even said.

"On the other hand, I understand, just because your dad is a plumber doesn't make you a plumber. In this situation, he knows what he's looking at, knows what he sees. He knows quite a bit more than he's let on. I'd like to tap into some of that."

To which Griffey, one of a handful of Cincy veterans who stayed behind Wednesday while the Reds opened their exhibition season in Clearwater against the Philadelphia Phillies, responds in time-honored Junior fashion.

"They're acting like they're preparing me for coaching," he said with mock indignation.

Far from it. The Reds believe they are a sleeper team in the NL Central, but they know they need a healthy and productive Griffey to contend. At age 38, he is coming back from another in a long line of injuries, a high left groin strain that cut short what had been a successful 2007 season. He missed the Reds' final 10 games.

Playing in 144 games, his most since 2000, Griffey hit 30 home runs (leaving him seven shy of 600 for his career) with 93 runs batted in.

The emotional highlight of the season for Griffey was obviously his weekend of unabashed adulation in Seattle in June. Safeco fans cheered his every move and even booed Mariners pitchers who had the audacity to get him out.

In one of his final statements before leaving town, Griffey told FSN's Angie Mentink, "I think I owe it to the people of Seattle, and myself, to retire as a Mariner."

It was a cryptic remark subject to multiple interpretations. Did Griffey mean he planned to play again for the Mariners? Or would he do what some athletes have done who left the team with which they are most closely associated: Sign a one-day contract and then retire.

Case in point: Emmitt Smith, who played 13 seasons with the Cowboys before moving to the Arizona Cardinals. In 2005, he signed a one-day contract with Dallas and hung it up as a Cowboy.

Not surprisingly, Griffey didn't have any answers to the mystery — mainly because he doesn't know himself.

The answer could be coming soon, however. Griffey is entering the final year of the eight-year, $116.5 million contract he signed when the Mariners traded him to Cincinnati after the 1999 season. He will earn $12.5 million this season, and then the Reds have the option to pay him $16.5 million in 2009, or buy him out for $4 million.

"I think everyone is taking that [his FSN comment] way too far," Griffey said. "It's a situation where I can't say, 'Hey, you know what? You're going to sign me, and I'm going to go out and play.'

"You don't know what's going to happen. They [the Mariners] could have five outfielders that are 22. What do they need me for? I think people are blowing it out of proportion. I mean, did Emmitt play for the Cowboys when he retired? No. He signed a piece of paper. He knew he wasn't going to play.

"He started in that organization, and he wanted to retire in that organization. That's all I'm saying. That doesn't mean I'm going to play for them. That doesn't mean I'm not going to play for them. Time will tell, and I'm not really worried about it."

Griffey did reach out to Seattle in recent weeks, calling Dave Niehaus to congratulate the longtime Mariners announcer on winning the Ford Frick Award. It is the profession's highest honor and will be bestowed during the Hall of Fame ceremony in July. Niehaus joked to Griffey that he was glad to beat him to Cooperstown.

"He's a guy that took what he did very seriously," Griffey said. "He didn't want to embarrass anybody. He knew he was a Mariner, always a Mariner. He's just one of those guys, when he says something, you know that distinguished voice, no matter where it is, voice-overs or whatever."

Griffey's personal archives contain numerous Niehaus calls of his classic Mariners moments. It includes his first home run, the back-to-back homers of Junior and Senior, Griffey scoring from first on Edgar Martinez's double against the Yankees and others.

"They're all pretty good," he said. "Dave tries to be creative and have some fun. I'd say my favorite was probably the first one: 'Welcome to Seattle ... ' "

Now it is Bruce, who idolized Griffey while growing up in Texas, who is trying to burst out. Baseball America has him ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the game, and he is regarded as a can't-miss superstar. The Reds' refusal to include Bruce in a trade with Baltimore was the deal-breaker that funneled Erik Bedard to Seattle.

"I'm trying to pick his brain, but at the same time, I don't want to bother him," Bruce said. "It's kind of a fine line. If I need to know something, I do [ask Griffey]; and if I don't, I'll just watch him. He's been nothing but great to me."

Baker noted that Griffey seems to have a youthful spring in his step so far in camp.

"He's even led the team in sprints," Baker said. "Our whole thing this year is to keep Junior healthy and happy, in that order. If we do that, you can't stop him from hitting.

"I was thinking about him last night. He's still a great player. He can't run across the United States and catch a home run like he used to in that commercial. Or he can't throw a guy out from New York City to Seattle. But he can still throw him out."

Griffey says he's more relaxed these days because he's learned not to obsess over what other people think — a harmful trait throughout his career.

"I'm better for it," he said. "It's made my life a lot easier. It's been a lot of fun. There's been some ups and downs. If life was easy, it wouldn't be fun. I still enjoy what I do. Until I don't, I'll still try to keep going."

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com