By Joe Kay
The Associated Press

CINCINNATI - While players took batting practice before one of Cincinnati's final home games, lifelong Reds fan Lou Ann Walden glanced around the stadium and remembered.

So much has happened in the riverfront stadium's 32 years: Pete Rose bowling over Ray Fosse; Hank Aaron catching up with the Babe; Rose passing Ty Cobb; the Big Red Machine rolling to two championships.

"There's a lot of good memories here," Walden said.

The final season at Cinergy Field wasn't one of them.

It started with a hint that one last dollop of history could be in the making, then ended with a huge letdown. The Cincinnati Reds spent their last weekend at Cinergy getting swept by Philadelphia and wondering if next year will be any better in a new place.

"We had a great first few months, but then we went south," said closer-turned-starter Danny Graves. "We had our chance, but we had a hard time closing."

They were the small-market darlings in the first half of the season, leading the NL Central for 51 consecutive days despite their payroll limitations. They also were developing a troubling pattern.

Ken Griffey Jr. once again couldn't stay healthy. The rotation couldn't get very far. The stadium was never very full - except when bobbleheads were given away.

Not even three midseason trades for pitching could solve the major problem. Ryan Dempster, Brian Moehler and Shawn Estes arrived and made matters worse.

No one was surprised when the bottom fell out in August and the Reds slipped from two games out of first to 10. An overworked bullpen broke down, Griffey was hurt again, and the Reds were overmatched whenever they played a front-line team.

Overall, the Reds went 54-36 against teams with losing records, 24-48 against the rest.

"I don't want to let a season like this happen again," third baseman Aaron Boone said. "I expect to be better next year."

Expectations are higher because the Reds will have more money to spend on starting pitching when they move into Great American Ball Park. For the second year in a row, their rotation pitched the fewest innings in the National League, straining the bullpen.

When the season started, Graves made more money ($3.5 million) than the entire patchwork rotation ($3.3 million). By the end of the season, Graves was in the rotation - a sign of Cincinnati's desperation.

"We need maybe one more starter, we need health, and we need to play the game a little better," Boone said.

For the second year in a row, their best player couldn't stay on the field.

Griffey tore a tendon in his knee during the first week, setting up another season limited by leg injuries. He also pulled a hamstring and strained hip muscles, limiting him to 70 games, a .264 average, eight homers and 23 RBIs.

"I can't imagine what we could do if we could have Junior around for 162 games," Graves said. "To have him in the lineup for a full season would be unbelievable."

Shortstop Barry Larkin, who turns 39 next April, had more nagging injuries and a second subpar year at the plate - .245, seven homers, 47 RBIs. First baseman Sean Casey was limited most of the season by a shoulder injury.

Without Griffey and Larkin producing, the rest of the lineup was inconsistent. Hitting coach Jim Lefebvre is the only member of the coaching staff that won't be back next season.

"You can spend a lot of time talking about offense - it kind of captures the headlines - but look at Atlanta," manager Bob Boone said. "Their offense is in the middle of the pack, but when you see those playoff games, the difference is not in the offense, it's in the pitching."

While the pitching staff and Junior struggled, the youngsters in the lineup offered a glimpse of the future. Rookies Austin Kearns and Brandon Larson joined Adam Dunn and left the Reds feeling good about their future in the new ballpark.

"I think we have gotten better," Bob Boone said. "I think we're in better shape now than we were a year ago."

If they can get some pitching, the first year at Great American could be a lot more memorable than the last one at Cinergy.