Teammate Rich Aurilia greets Ken Griffey Jr. at the plate after The Kid belted one of his 29 home runs on the season. AP

The White Sox, as any of their preternaturally nervous fans will attest, are in need of a little roadside assistance these days. Chicago's recent skid is no flukish slide. This is a pothole we saw a mile away, a surefire sign of things to come. As good as they've been for most of the season, the Sox -- ask those skittish fans, they'll tell you -- are in big trouble. Unless, that is, they find some help.

The Reds need a hand, too, but unlike the Sox, they're in such bad organizational straits right now that it's going to take much more than a strategic roster move here or there to get them out of the ditch. It's going to take an overhaul, a complete change of attitude. It should start with one bold move: Cincinnati needs to trade Ken Griffey Jr.

Isn't it about time?

"I don't know," Griffey said Tuesday night in response to any number of questions, when reporters cornered him in Washington about the latest trade rumors.

Griffey, the rejuvenated Reds slugger, reportedly was bound for the White Sox before the July 31 trade deadline until notoriously tight-fisted Reds owner Carl Lindner nixed the deal at the last moment. The clubs may still be working on a deal to try to beat the Aug. 31 deadline for setting postseason rosters.

They have to. Both of them. The Reds need to trade Griffey for the future good of their team. And the White Sox need Griffey for this all-important, grab-it-while-you-can run at the postseason.

The Sox still have the best record (75-47) in the American League. They still have a nice cushion (seven games) over the hard-charging Indians in the AL Central. Chicago is about as sure of a thing to make the postseason as you can get.

But its big hammer, designated hitter Frank Thomas, went down for the season with a fractured ankle on July 21, and its offensive heart, speedster Scott Podsednik, has a strained groin and hasn't played in almost two weeks. Even when Podsednik returns, he doesn't figure to be near the threat on the bases he was before the injury.

As a result, the Sox have sputtered badly, going 16-18 since the All-Star break, including a seven-game losing slide that finally was snapped Sunday. Their offense is awful. Since the break, they rank 11th in runs scored, 12th in batting average (.251) and 12th in on-base percentage (.309). On Tuesday, Johan Santana and the Twins handed them their eighth loss in nine games.

Yeah, Chicago needs help.

The Reds are playing a lot better than the Sox right now. Cincinnati has gone 23-14 since the break. No National League club has scored more runs in the past six weeks. The Reds have pounded out 67 homers since the break, 19 more than the second-place Cubs, and in two fewer games.