Griffey Sr. Resigns as Coach

Ken Griffey Sr. abruptly resigned Friday from the Cincinnati Reds coaching staff but will remain with the team as a consultant.

Manager Bob Boone said he didn’t see the resignation coming.

“It caught me completely by surprise,” Boone said. “I wasn’t aware of anything.”

The Reds gave no reason for Griffey’s decision. He will become a special consultant to Reds’ General Manager Jim Bowden, switching jobs with Jose Cardenal, who replaces Griffey as first-base coach.

Griffey, 51, was not immediately available for comment. Outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. was surprised to learn that his father had quit.

“I only talked to him for a minute and said that I’d call him back,” Griffey Jr. said.

Griffey Sr. played for 19 seasons and was the right fielder on Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine” championship teams in 1975 and 1976. He was entering his sixth season as a Reds’ coach.

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In a player move, the Reds agreed with first baseman Sean Casey on a $20.2 million, three-year contract extension.

“Hopefully, I’m just one piece of the puzzle, and we can go out and get some other pieces to make this a championship-caliber ballclub,” he said.

The agreement binds Casey to the club through the 2005 season, with the Reds retaining an $8.5 million option for 2006. The deal calls for him to be paid $5.6 million in 2003, $6.8 million in 2004 and $7.8 million in 2005.

Casey, 27, said at a news conference that he wanted to stay in Cincinnati, where he has twice made the All-Star team and has led the Reds in numerous offensive categories.

Last season, Casey batted a team-leading .310 with 13 homers and 89 runs batted in. He also led the Reds in runs (69) and hits (165).

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San Diego Padre shortstop Deivi Cruz is the latest major league player discovered to be older than his listed age.

The commissioner’s office informed team officials that Cruz is 29, three years older than his biography lists.

The discrepancy was discovered when Cruz applied for a visa to travel from the Dominican Republic to spring training. With tighter security guidelines, officials are requiring an original birth certificate, rather than just a copy.

Oakland Athletic relief pitcher Luis Vizcaino also was found to be 26 instead of 24.

In recent weeks, the true ages of several players have been revealed, including Kansas City’s Neifi Perez, Cleveland’s Bartolo Colon, Atlanta’s Rafael Furcal and the Angels’ Ramon Ortiz.

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San Francisco first baseman J.T. Snow sprained his left ankle while doing fielding drills at the Giants’ training facility in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“He’s walking pretty normally right now,” said Giant trainer Stan Conte, who called the sprain a mild one.

X-rays taken at a hospital appeared to be negative and were to be reviewed by a team doctor later Friday.

“At this time,” said Conte, “the sprain doesn’t appear to be bad, and he should be able to return to workouts in several days.”

Snow is coming off a disappointing season that included three stints on the disabled list.

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The Montreal Expos agreed to minor league contracts with outfielder Lance Johnson and right-hander Osvaldo Fernandez.

Johnson, 38, who spent last season in the minors, has a .291 average in 14 seasons, primarily with the Chicago White Sox.

Fernandez, 33, went 5-6 with a 6.92 earned-run average for Cincinnati last year. He is 19-26 in 67 career starts.

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Tonya Puckett, the wife of former Minnesota Twin and Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, has filed for a divorce two months after she told police her husband threatened to kill her during an argument.

Tonya Puckett, 36, seeks sole custody of their 9-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter. She cited “an irretrievable breakdown” in their marriage.

She filed a report with police Dec. 21 alleging that Kirby Puckett, during a Dec. 15 phone conversation with her, threatened that he “was going to kill her.”

Kirby Puckett told police he had not made such a threat.