CINCINNATI (AP) -Ken Griffey Jr. is glad to let Barry Bonds have the All-Star attention.
The Cincinnati Reds right fielder was the National League’s leading vote getter in the fan balloting released Sunday. It marked the 13th time that he was voted onto the team.
“It’s always special by the fans and especially by the players,” Griffey said. “They’re the guys who are here every day, day in and day out, and for them to pick me is a great honor. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The best part: He won’t be the center of attention.
Bonds also got voted into the starting outfield for the game in San Francisco, which means that Griffey will be reduced to a subplot.
“One guy will be a lot bigger than everybody else,” Griffey said. “It’s his hometown. He gets to have all the fun stuff and the press conferences. I just get to play. The game is always fun. Some of the things on the field and off the field aren’t as much fun, but the game is always fun.”
The 37-year-old Griffey is having one of his best seasons since he came to his hometown team in 2000. He hit his 585th career homer Sunday, a three-run drive during an 11-7 loss to St. Louis.
Griffey is one behind Frank Robinson for sixth on the career list.
His numbers translated into all those fan votes. Griffey is hitting .292 with 22 homers – one behind Adam Dunn for the team lead – and 53 RBIs. He’s hit 11 homers since June 1, a surge that made fans take notice.
“Outstanding,” manager Jerry Narron said. “He’s had a great first half. The big thing for us is keeping him out there for 162 games.”
A series of injuries limited him to fewer than 112 games in five of his seven previous seasons in Cincinnati. He was picked for the 2000 and 2004 All-Star games but didn’t play because of injury.
This would mark the first time he appeared in an All-Star game representing the Reds.
Griffey got 2.98 million votes from the fans. Since his career started with Seattle in 1989, Griffey has received 44.4 million votes, the most of any player in his history of fan balloting
“It means I’m old,” Griffey said. “I started young. That’s a whole lot of people saying, ‘Thank you.”’
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