E-mailers are disappointed in the direction the Reds are going.

Read on:

From John in Houston: I am sitting in my office in Houston, looking at a framed pennant from the 1961 Cincinnati Reds NLCS team. I was 8 years old when my grandfather took me to my first game at Crosley Field and bought that pennant for me at a World Series game. I have not been to a Reds game in Cincinnati, but I go to all of the games here in Houston. Last week I stayed home. Not out of protest. The Reds are a business, and they are entitled to run it as they see fit. I am a fan and I am entitled to not buy a ticket to support a team that abandoned any sense of a strategy to fix the team. As late as June, they were only two games out of first place. When met with a challenge, they surrendered. My framed pennant is coming down. Tell Brad Kullman and Carl Lindner that is the message out here in the field. We, the faithful, see no hope.

Answer: The Reds could solve a lot of things by simply saying what the budget will be for 2004. But by not giving a clue on it, it makes you wonder if it's going to be very low - say $40 million. If that's the case, a lot of fans are going to feel just like you, John.

Q, from Chuck from Fairfield: A follow-up to Robert's question last Sunday regarding a minority GM: Do you think Frank Robinson, Joe Morgan or Tony Perez might be considered? Do you think Ken Griffey Sr. will be given serious consideration for manager? Any of these guys would get me excited about the team's future.

A: I don't know if any of the above would be interested. Robinson reluctantly took the Expos job. If Morgan ever manages, it will be with a team with a better chance to win than the 2004 Reds.

From what I've seen from Dave Miley, the Reds ought to end the search before it starts and hire Miley. To play as well as the Reds have with their roster is nothing short of miraculous.

Q, from Jim in Chillicothe: Why do the Reds keep passing over Wilton Guerrero when they bring up players? He is having a good year at Louisville and can play both the infield and outfield.

A: He's hitting .276 at Louisville and he's 28. I think the Reds wanted to give younger players a look.

Q, from Jim: Your Aug. 27 article was right on the mark. The Reds do not seem to have a plan on how to get and stay competitive. The payroll cuts were totally misdirected; get rid of Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin and the payroll problems go away. The Reds gave up good major-league players and got back good minor-league players, and that should not instill any confidence among Reds fans that the current front-office people have a clue. The attendance, had it stayed at levels previous to the dismantling of the team, would have been around 2.4 million. Through Sunday, the Reds were drawing almost 30,000 per home date and had almost 2 million in attendance with 18 home dates left. Does a shortfall of 200,000 fans necessitate the payroll slaughter we've witnessed? Do you have any idea what percentage and how much of the Reds' revenue is derived from attendance, concessions and local and national TV and radio? Can a true financial picture of the Reds be obtained?

A: I don't have an exact breakdown. I know the Reds get only $7 million or so from local TV and radio revenue. That's where the big difference is in the small markets. Again, if the Reds are in position where they can't break even with a $57 million payroll, open the books and shows us why.

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E-mail jfay@enquirer.com

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