Junior Asks M’S Fans To Give Brother A Break

Ken Griffey Jr. thinks it was unfair for fans and the media to compare him with his younger brother, Craig.

“My brother is not a home-run hitter,” the Seattle Mariners’ All-Star center fielder said before Tuesday night’s game with Oakland.

“You can’t compare me and him,” he added. “That’s ridiculous. But he had everybody in the United States saying he couldn’t swing a bat like his brother.”

On Monday, the Mariners announced that Craig Griffey, 26, who played seven seasons in their organization as a minor-league outfielder, had asked for - and received - his unconditional release.

“It’s not fair to compare Jose Canseco with his brother,” Griffey said. “I don’t think it’s fair to say he (Craig) played seven years and hit only 11 home runs. Everybody has different styles of play.”

Griffey said he found out about three weeks ago that Craig intended to ask for his release. He took the news hard.

“I’ve only got one brother,” Griffey said.

Griffey, whose 29 home runs led the major leagues going into Tuesday night’s game, said he didn’t think Craig, who played two seasons as a defensive back at Ohio State before signing with the Mariners, was bothered by the pressure.

“He handled it the same way I handle the pressure of being Junior,” Griffey said. “Which is harder? I’m me and my brother is my brother. Our dad is our dad. There is no pressure.”

Ken Griffey Sr. is a coach with the Cincinnati Reds. He played with Ken Griffey Jr. in Seattle in 1990-91.

Junior has more to say

“A few other things tick me off too,” Griffey said.

Primarily fans who boo this early in the season as Mariners spectators had at poor pitching over the past couple months.

“Since 1995, these people have been spoiled,” he said. “You don’t boo a team because they go through a bad streak. Take that same spell in August or September when it really counts, then I can see booing. I’d rather have two million happy fans than three million fickle fans.”