NATIONAL LEAGUE NOTES : Griffey Has More Than Rooting Interest in Reds

It would be easy, Ken Griffey Sr. says, for him to be bitter. It would be easy for him to use the National League championship series as a podium to express anger at being released by the Cincinnati Reds in August.

Instead, Griffey is smiling in front of the cameras, visiting his former teammates in the clubhouse and at the batting cage.

The Reds still consider him one of their own. Most of the players have even inscribed the No. 30 on the back of their caps, in recognition of Griffey.

Griffey was released by the Reds on Aug. 17 after 10 years in the organization when a roster spot was needed for a pitcher.

Manager Lou Piniella came up with the idea of placing Griffey on the disabled list for 15 days, and by the time he was eligible to play, the rosters would be expanded.

Griffey refused and was released, although the Reds chose to call it a retirement.

He became the Seattle Mariners’ left fielder, playing alongside his son, Ken Griffey Jr.

Still, Griffey has a vested interest in the Reds. He was voted a full playoff share by his ex-teammates.

Reds’ owner Marge Schott had an embarrassing moment Tuesday night when she walked through the gate at Three Rivers Stadium, was stopped and a bottle of beer was confiscated from her purse. The locally-brewed beer apparently had been given to her, along with other souvenirs, by a Pittsburgh television personality.

Rob Dibble’s topic of the day was hockey.

The Reds’ reliever, who left the clubhouse after Game 3 Monday wearing a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey, played hockey while growing up in Bridgeport, Conn.

He said he was a “goon,” but that did not stop the Chicago Black Hawks from offering him a tryout last summer during the All-Star break. “It was tempting to become sort of like a Bo Jackson,” said Dibble, who is 6 feet 4 and 235 pounds. “But I don’t want to spend a couple of years playing minor league hockey and getting my head beat in.”

The Dodgers got good news and bad news on the free-agent front Tuesday.

Darryl Strawberry, appearing on CBS’ pregame show, repeated earlier statements that the Dodgers are his first choice among potential employers. He added that if the offers from the Dodgers and Mets were similar, he likely would play in Los Angeles.

The Met outfielder will declare free agency after the World Series.

Tom Browning, today’s starting pitcher for the Reds, said that even though he could be a free agent this winter, he wants to stay with Cincinnati. A left-hander, he had been coveted by the Dodgers, against whom he pitched a perfect game in 1988.

Times staff writer Bill Plaschke contributed to this story.