PITTSBURGH — Ken Griffey Jr. was at his locker in the visitors' clubhouse at PNC Park after batting practice Thursday. But his thoughts were in Cincinnati as he watched a CNN report on the rioting back home.

        Griffey, the Reds' star center fielder, has been following the turmoil through news reports and telephone conversations with friends in Cincinnati. Griffey empathized with the relatives of Timothy Thomas, the 19-year-old whose shooting sparked the protests.

        “It's upsetting,” Griffey said. “Not only for (Thom as') family, but for the 3-month-old baby who won't know his father, for the girl who was about to marry her husband, and his mom.”

        Shortstop Barry Larkin has declined comment on the situation, but Griffey joined some of his teammates in saying he wonders what they'll come home to when their three-city, nine-game trip ends Sunday in New York.

        “Hopefully, by the time we get back into town, everything will be back to normal,” Griffey said, but he added that he won't be surprised if the unrest persists. “I understand the frustrations of the people because (Thomas) wasn't armed.”

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