Oester: Griffey Hurt the Reds

Ken Griffey Jr.’s habit of arriving late and skipping pregame practice caused divisiveness in the Cincinnati Reds’ clubhouse, former coach Ron Oester told The Cincinnati Enquirer in a story published Wednesday.

Oester, a minor league infield instructor with the Philadelphia Phillies, joined former Reds Pokey Reese and Dmitri Young in citing Griffey’s special treatment as a factor in Cincinnati’s decline the last two years.

“Junior’s not a bad guy,” Oester told the paper. “He just needs a little discipline. He wants discipline. His weakness is being a teammate.

“When you’ve got a team and you do everything together and you have one or two guys who don’t ... you have problems.”

Griffey missed the Reds’ workout Wednesday at Sarasota, Fla., because of a stomach viral infection.

Oester was one of two coaches fired by Red Manager Bob Boone after last season.

Reese, now with Pittsburgh, and Young, now with Detroit, said after they reported to their new teams that the Reds lost their chemistry after Griffey arrived in 2000.

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Former Florida Marlin owner John Henry and his partners completed their record $660-million purchase of the Boston Red Sox, ending seven decades of ownership by the Yawkey family and its trust.

Two players, two coaches and a clubhouse attendant for the Seattle Mariners tested positive for tuberculosis, but chest X-rays showed that none have the disease.

The five people were not identified by the Mariners, who tested more than 60 players, coaches and other personnel.

“No one is in any danger, no one will miss any time,” team doctor Mitch Storey told The News Tribune of Tacoma, Wash.

Last year, Mariner shortstop Carlos Guillen sat out the final nine games of the regular season after contracting tuberculosis.