The Reds will announce sometime before spring training that they will retire another player's number this season and probably fete that player at a Reds game at Cinergy Field, Reds managing executive John Allen said Saturday at RedsFest '98.
''We're in the process of finalizing it now,'' Allen said. ''The decision is made. It's just a matter of working out the fine points.''
And it might be more than one number, Allen said. He gave no other hints, but the name ''Joe Morgan: No. 8'' has been the most frequent suggestion from fans. Among other suggestions are ''Frank Robinson: No. 20,'' ''Ted Kluszewski: No. 18,'' ''Joe Nuxhall: No. 39'' and ''Tony Perez: No. 24.''
''It (the decision of which number or numbers to be retired) is already (completed) subject to the final approval process of the party or parties involved,'' Allen said.
He said ''Pete Rose: No. 14'' rarely is suggested to him by fans. ''I think people are so engrained that it can't happen that they don't even ask about it,'' Allen said.
Baseball placed Rose on its permanently ineligible list because of his gambling associations. His number can't be retired by the club until and if he is reinstated to baseball.
The Reds have retired only two of their own numbers: ''Johnny Bench: No. 5'' and ''Fred Hutchinson: No. 1.'' Both numbers were unveiled on the left-field wall at Cinergy Field in 1996 in a ceremony that feted Bench, who gave a speech and made a ceremonial throw to second base. The Reds, like all teams in baseball, have also retired ''Jackie Robinson: No. 42.'' The uniform number of the retired Brooklyn Dodgers' great who broke baseball's color line is displayed with Bench's and Hutchinson's at Cinergy Field.
The Reds retired no numbers last year.
That was a disappointment to Allen and to the many fans who have told Allen that their top two priorities for a better ballpark experience are more player interaction with fans and an emphasis on the Reds' history and tradition.
Morgan has stated publicly that he would not return to Cincinnati to have his number retired as long as Marge Schott is the Reds chief executive officer. Although no significant inroads were made last year to convince Morgan otherwise, additional lobbying and Schott's continued suspension from baseball might change that this year.
Robinson, who like Morgan is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, has said he would be thrilled to return to Cincinnati to have his number retired.
The same memorials to Bench and Hutchinson that hang on the wall at Cinergy hung from the wall at RedsFest '98, which experienced another solid two-day weekend at the Albert B. Sabin Convention Center.
It drew 11,000 fans over the two days, about 1,000 fewer than last year.
The dropoff was probably attributed to Bench not being able to appear at RedsFest this year. Barry Larkin signed autographs and posed for photos Friday in the show for season ticketholders, but couldn't make it Saturday, which was the show for the general public.
Allen said fans have expressed to him their pleasure with the decision to publicly display retired numbers at Cinergy.
Some fans, however, would have preferred that the back of the uniforms were featured, instead of the front. That way, the players' names would also be visible to spectators.
''My response is that I prefer it this way because by showing the front of the jersey, you will see the different Reds' logos as you go through the generations (of different styles of uniforms),'' Allen said.
''The other thing is this: if people don't know who No. 1 and No. 5 are, they ask. If you're sitting there with your five-year-old son or daughter, you get to tell them. That's what it's all about.''
And it's what RedsFest celebrated over the weekend.
Baseball for the generations.
OFFSEASON STORIES
REDS PAGE