In baseball, as in sausage-making, it is better to judge the product than the process. Bob Boone, therefore, should be evaluated on his own merits rather than the clumsy manner in which he was hired.

        The Cincinnati Reds made a mess of their search for a new manager, pursuing Lou Piniella without the means to sign him, then stunning Ron Oester with an offer delivered in disappearing ink. The Reds' third base coach thought he was engaged in ongoing negotiations Friday morning when he was blindsided by Boone's press conference.

        Somehow, someone mishandled a message. Oester evidently didn't realize the terms he was tendered were final and expired at noon Thursday. Had Oester understood it was “take-it-or-leave-it” he probably would have taken it. That he could be confused by his bosses at the cost of his career goal underscores the continuing lack of cohesion at Cinergy Field.

        “When I heard this thing on Oester, I was dumbfounded,” former Reds coach Dave Collins said. “But this was par for what goes on. If we said everything that went on down there, people in Cincinnati would be mortified.”

        What we have here is a failure to communicate that is almost criminal. Either Oester was misinformed or misled, or he misconstrued the perishable quality of the Reds' proposition. He says general manager Jim Bowden told him to “stick to your guns” as he sought more money, because, “we don't have anybody else.”

        Though Bowden's lack of enthusiasm for Oester is well known to Reds insiders — the two men had a heated clubhouse confrontation near the end of the 1999 season — it is hard to believe this was an act of deliberate sabotage. It is harder to believe Oester failed to comprehend the consequences of rejecting the Reds' offer.

        For future reference, remember: If you don't have first-rate leverage, you shouldn't count on a second chance.

        Bob Boone grabbed the job that slipped from Oester's grasp because he knew enough not to haggle. He would have accepted a one-day contract, he said, or a handshake — any arrangement that would have allowed him to fill out another big-league lineup card.

        When asked in his interview how much money it would take to get a deal done, Boone replied: “Whatever it is, I'll sign it.”

        Boone was no better than the Reds' fourth choice — behind Piniella, Oester and Yankees third base coach Willie Randolph — and his hiring surely will be disparaged because of the strange circumstances and discount price that made it possible. Yet to judge Boone on this basis is both unfair and unwise.

        Unlike Oester and Randolph, Boone has managed in the major leagues. He made his rookie mistakes in Kansas City, and he is smart enough he should not repeat them with the Reds.

        “The day I got fired,” Boone said, “I believe I was a better manager than the day I got hired.”

        Experience should not always be the determining factor in choosing managers, but most guys don't hit their stride until their second or third job.

        When Joe Torre was hired by the Yankees following the 1995 season, one of the New York tabloids dismissed him in headline type as “Clueless Joe.” Torre had been canned three times. Now, he's closer to canonization.

        What Boone will become is too soon to say. Reds fans owe him an open mind. Reds management owes him clear instructions.

        E-mail: tsullivan@enquirer.com.