Reds general manager Jim Bowden handed Bob Boone the ball cap and a sleeveless home jersey bearing the Number 9. “Try it on,” Mr. Bowden said. “See if it fits.”

        Please, Lord, let it fit. No more fiascos for now.

        Hiring a manager should not be a casting call. It should not be a run through the sale aisles at Big Lots, looking for discount Tupperware. When you're paying your players $40 million a year, give or take, shouldn't you save a little for the person charged with managing them?

        Please, let the jersey fit.

        Maybe by August, if the Reds are in first place and the sun is shining, what has occurred this week will be forgotten. Now, it's front and center, as bizarre and sad as Ron Oester emptying his clubhouse locker Friday morning.

        The Reds went from (supposedly) wooing Lou Piniella to being turned down by a couple of base coaches. They went from seeking the best available manager to asking their fourth choice, and praying he wouldn't say no.

        If Mr. Boone had turned the Reds down, chief operating officer John Allen would be recruiting the fans who run the bases after Sunday afternoon games. “The pay's not much, but the benefits are good. We have grass now.”

        Mr. Boone said yes. The negotiation was as simple as “where do I sign?” Mr. Boone managed three years in Kansas City, missed it and wanted another taste. He accepted the deal offered to Mr. Oester and shown to Yankees coach Willie Randolph: $300,000 the first year, $350,000 the second year, with a club option for $425,000 the third year.

        No one was explaining how the Reds could go from courting Mr. Piniella - who's getting nearly $7 million for three years from Seattle - to low-balling everyone else. No one was discussing how the front office fouled things up. “I don't think it does any good to talk about the process,” Mr. Bowden offered. “I don't think this is something that gets graded. We're probably thankful it's not.”

        At least Mr. Bowden took the heat. Mr. Allen, who did the negotiating, stood against a far wall in the Crosley Room

        during the announcement. He didn't return a phone call later. Carl Lindner, who signs the checks, did not attend.

        It was too bad for Mr. Boone, who deserved better than the somber press gathering he got. Truth is, he may be as good a choice as any, save Mr. Piniella. As Mr. Bowden's special assistant, Mr. Boone knows the Reds players without being too close to them. Mr. Boone even called Barry Larkin Friday morning, always a good move for any Reds manager seeking an extended stay here.

        But the process does not speak well for the communication and cooperation among Mr. Bowden, Mr. Allen and Mr. Lindner. Lou Piniella accepted the Mariners' offer before the Reds could make their pitch. Why didn't the Reds have their checkbook ready and their proposal in hand the minute they could talk with Mr. Piniella?

        They knew what sort of dollars Mr. Piniella wanted. They knew he had interest in coming back here. What happened? “Nobody knows,” one team insider said Friday.

        How could that be?

        If the Reds were serious about paying Mr. Piniella - and at this point, you have to wonder - why couldn't they come up with either the dollars or the years to satisfy Mr. Oester or Mr. Randolph?

        “We hired the best guy we could with the dollars we had,” said Mr. Bowden.

        Mr. Boone says he's grateful for the opportunity.

        The rest of us are grateful he said yes.