Officially, there is no problem. Officially, John Allen says, speculation about Jim Bowden's job security is misguided.

        “I think he's very safe,” the Reds' chief operating officer said Friday. “I'm not applying any heat.”

        Privately, however, Allen is said to be seething about his general manager. The Reds' rapid descent in the National League Central can be explained, even excused, by the club's severe injury problems. Yet several sources inside the organization say recent off-the-field issues have heightened tensions between Allen and Bowden and provided continued embarrassment to a team trying to regain its dignity following the Ron Oester hiring debacle.

Allen

Bowden

        If Allen is not applying any heat, it may be because of the value he places on Bowden's resourcefulness. Or it might mean he has yet to determine Carl Lindner's disposition. Allen could not consider replacing Bowden without the owner's consent, and his natural caution could mean months of case-building.

        But unflattering evidence is starting to pile up around Cinergy Field, and losing always provides a certain amount of political cover for controversial moves. Because Bowden still has two years remaining on his contract after this season, Allen might be reluctant to push for a change. Still, if Allen does not soon deal decisively with his problems, he could be in for some blame of his own.

        Marge Schott's departure was supposed to make the Reds more businesslike, more efficient, more consistent. Instead, rarely a week goes by without fresh revelations of conduct unbecoming a big-league ballclub.

        Contract negotiations — an inherent source of friction — have been unusually and unnecessarily contentious. Sean Casey, so nice they should have named him twice, labeled leaks of his salary demands a “blatant lie.” Pokey Reese's published opinion of Bowden is reprised in large red letters in this week's Baseball Weekly:

        “As we say in the clubhouse, you know that man is lying when his lips are moving.”

        Internal communication remains erratic, as reflected by pitching coach Don Gullett's surprise at learning (weeks later) that veteran pitcher Ken Hill had been signed to a minor-league contract. During one recent homestand, hitting coach Ken Griffey Sr. felt sufficiently out of the loop that he asked a reporter if a particular pitcher was still on the roster.

        In the wake of the Ken Griffey Jr. hamstring flip-flop, the Justin Atchley eligibility error, the Atchley roster reversal and the almost unfathomable Oester fiasco, the Good Ship Reds appears increasingly rudderless and listing toward laughingstock.

        Some things simply can't be helped. Injuries tend to be random, and they have recently become epidemic. The Reds fell 8 1/2 games behind St. Louis Friday night without Aaron Boone, Junior Griffey, Pete Harnisch, Barry Larkin and Scott Williamson. Other things are ownership's responsibility — specifically the relative size of the payroll and that portion spent on an injury-prone shortstop now 37 years old.

        Yet some persistent problems never seem to get solved. The Reds continue to send mixed messages both internally and externally.

        Is the signing of Deion Sanders — and his continued place on the roster with a .159 batting average — consistent with a team trying to build for its new ballpark? If so, why did Allen learn about the deal on his car radio?

        Allen said Friday he has discussed the latest brushfires with Bowden and, “I'm satisfied with the result.” He declined to elaborate on their conversations. Yet a club official who once celebrated the balance achieved by blending the conservative Allen with the daring Bowden now describes the Reds' management style as “dysfunctional.”

        “I think we've had a lot of injuries,” Allen said, in defense of his GM. “It's been tough to put a consistent team out there.”

        It's been equally tough to put a consistent team together in the front office. That needs to change.

        E-mail tsullivan@enquirer.com. Past columns at Enquirer.com/columns/sullivan.

SULLIVAN: Turmoil boiling in Reds' front office Cardinals 5, Reds 4 Baylor's comment stings Reds Griffey bored with rehab Harnisch may return June 1 Reds box, runs

UC, NKU to play exhibition
Bengals extend date for ticket payment
Big names haven't revived Indy 500
Doerger excited about return to McNicholas
Lakota West, Hamilton in regional final today
Gedling hits Hamilton past Elder
Rhoads pitches Lakota West over Fairfield
Other Cincinnati baseball highlights
Cincinnati baseball schedule
Ohio tennis highlights
Ohio tennis results
St. X goes after state volleyball title
Cincinnati boys track highlights
Cincinnati girls track highlights
Cincinnati softball schedule
N.Ky. baseball highlights
N.Ky. baseball schedule
N.Ky. softball highlights
N.Ky. track results
NKU golfers finish 16th in NCAA

• Return to Reds front page...