Jr. on Bonds

Barry Bonds and the Giants open a three-game series against the Reds on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park. Bonds enters play today with 750 career home runs, five away from tying Hank Aaron's all-time home run record.

Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., who is nearing 600 career home runs, spent some time chatting with reporters in the clubhouse this morning about Bonds, whom he has known since childhood.

Here are some of the highlights:

- "We don’t battle each other. You guys, the media, do all the comparisons - who’s better or who’s this and who’s that. To us, we’re two sons playing a game that our dad’s played. His dad was different than my dad, different style ballplayer and I’m different than he is."

- "My first year in (Class) A ball I had to go to the instructional league. I got to Arizona and didn’t know anybody but one person: Barry. Barry called me and said, ‘Hey, I’m coming to get you.’ I said, ‘How long will you be?’ He said, ‘I’ll be there in two minutes.’ He came up there and took me out to eat, introduced me to a couple friends of his. He said, ‘Hey, if I’m not here these guys will help you out any way they can.'"

- Is Bonds getting a fair shake? "I say innocent until proven guilty. Everybody deserves the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. That's not just him, that's everybody in society as well."

- Did he think somebody would threaten to break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record? "The only thing I don't think is possible is Cy Young. But I think everything else can be broken. I just don't think somebody can beat (827) decisions."