By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SAN DIEGO - Dave Miley has enough to worry about without dealing with the Pete Rose question.

Miley is trying to keep a severely undermanned Reds team above water in his first gig as a big-league manager. So he shrugged off an ESPN report that talked about Rose returning to manage the Reds.

"I have no control over that," Miley said. "From what I've heard, Pete's name has been mentioned before."

Whether the "interim" tag is removed from Miley's title probably will be decided before Rose is even eligible to manage the Reds. Rose's application for reinstatement to baseball seems to be buried on commissioner Bud Selig's desk.

Reds chief operating officer John Allen said through a spokesman that there's nothing to the report that Rose was CEO Carl Lindner's first choice to be the Reds' next manager.

Miley, meanwhile, was trying to get the Reds out of a tailspin during which they lost four straight going into the series opener here against the Padres.

Miley clearly would like to return as manager for 2004.

"This is really the only place to be - if you're a player, coach or manager," he said.

The Reds entered Friday 4-5 under Miley. But he has been given a hard hand to play.

Three of the pitchers who were in the starting rotation when he took over are on the disabled list.

A good part of the heart of the lineup - Ken Griffey Jr., Austin Kearns, Aaron Boone and Jose Guillen - is injured or was traded away.

A .500 record with the current roster would be an impressive feat.

"We're seeing good things out of the players," Miley said. "I don't know how it's going to end up as far as wins and losses. I think we're getting things headed in the right direction." .

For Miley, who won more than 1,100 games and had a .570 winning percentage in the minors, to be truly judged, he'd have to be given the team for the start of the season.

"I'd love to go to spring training and break camp with the club," he said. "But that's out of my hands. Decisions have to be made above me."

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E-mail jfay@enquirer.com