Griffey Jr. tries to stay focused Family concerns tug at Reds star as team contends for pennant

He stands leaning against the railing of the dugout in Cincinnati, his head down and his voice lowered. He is the Kid to baseball fans in this city. He is the name relied on by the team for leadership, big hits, and keeping the attitude loose in the clubhouse.

Ken Griffey Jr. has had a wonderful baseball career as one of the game’s all-time power hitters. The Reds are making a surprising run at the postseason, chasing the Cardinals in the Central Division of the National League and the wild-card spot.

We talk. “My Dad has called me twice,” he says, “and told me he has to tell me something. I knew this was not going to be good.”

The first time regarded the loss of his beloved grandmother. The call this week was about the health of his mom. He does not want the details out yet, but he is worried.

“I haven’t slept but for an hour on the training table for the last two days. I can’t eat; my stomach just can’t take it.”

His teammates go by him on the way to the field, joking and kidding with him. He responds and keeps the chatter up. That is his job. Most of them do not know.

“I wanted to go home to Florida and be with her this week,” says Griffey. “She said, ‘No. You stay and play. You’re playing the Cardinals.'”

That is a baseball mom and wife who measures the importance of the series in response to her son.

On the field, Griffey looks tired. The swings do not have the usual glide and power; the legs do not have the expected jump: Life interfering with life.

The fans call out his name for autographs and pictures. Everyone wants a piece and he smiles and tries to oblige.

The Reds need him on the field to make the playoffs. There is an excitement in the city that has not been there for a couple of decades.

Griffey wants desperately to have a shot at a ring. He understands that his locker, which is the last one by the door on the way to the field, is the one looked to by everyone in the organization for the pulse of the team.

He goes on. How long he can continue to focus on baseball will depend on the medical reports.

Griffey is not alone in this world to have the tensions and true pains of medical problems that beset loved ones. He is in a better financial situation to handle them than most, but what does that do for the heart?

With the racket of sports talk shows and the never ending hype surrounding all sports, it is easy to lose sight of the lives that are lived within the confines of the games.

Griffey will wait and hope, just as we would. He will try to do his job, just as we would.

We will cut him some slack, and hope for the best, just as he would.

Old Town native Gary Thorne is an ESPN and ABC sportscaster.