By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

ST. LOUIS - Two things this week made me realize how bad things have gotten for the Reds.

On Monday, a friend's father-in-law told me, unprompted, that he wasn't going to renew his season tickets until the Reds say what they are going to do in 2004; i.e., how much money they are going to spend on players.

Two nights later, the Reds played in Milwaukee in front of just 8,703 fans.

It's not hard to imagine that if a season-ticket holder like the one mentioned above - he's had tickets since the '70s - is thinking about not re-upping, the Reds could be drawing 8,703 in the near future.

The Reds are going through a crisis of confidence with their fans. Some of it is not their fault; they've got enough players on the disabled list to sway the vote in a small-town election.

But some of the blame is theirs. They haven't done a good job of selling the rebuilding they are in the midst of.

Reds chief executive officer Carl Lindner and chief operating officer John Allen didn't ask for it, but here's a five-point plan to win back the fans:

1. Come clean with the budget: Simply say this: "The Opening Day payroll will not be drastically lower in 2004 than it was in 2003."

The key word here is "drastically." A 10 percent cut is not drastic; that would put the payroll around $50 million. The plan was to start 2003 at around $55 million, but the Reds couldn't move Gabe White and Scott Sullivan to reduce the total. Both are gone now.

The fans will accept $50 million if it is demonstrated that it gives the Reds an excellent chance to compete in 2004. The Reds could bring the current roster back for $40 million or so - that factors in the players under long-term deals, and raises for one- to three-year players, and arbitration-eligible players.

If the budget's $50 million, it leaves $10 million for free agents. It's not too far-fetched to think the Reds could sign Mike Lowell to play third base and Eduardo Perez as an extra outfielder/first baseman, plus bring back relievers Sullivan and Kent Mercker.

Four players of that caliber would make the Reds interesting for 2004, if their young pitchers are anywhere close to as good as the team expects them to be.

2. Make Dave Miley the permanent manager: The players love him, and fans will love him once they get to know him. He's great with young players, takes advice and runs a nice game. And his winning percentage as a manager in the minor leagues is .570.

If Bug Selig objects to the Reds hiring Miley without interviewing minorities, he should be reminded it's a promotion from within. Miley was next in line for the job and has kept a Triple A-quality roster competitive most nights.

3. Hire a general manager - soon: The Reds have said they're going to wait until after the World Series to make a hire; that's too late. Allen already has interviewed people, so he must have a short list. Make the decision.

The new GM puts a new face on the franchise. Look what hiring Marvin Lewis did for the Bengals - he went 1-3 in the preseason but has raised at least $2 million in additional revenue.

Omar Minaya would do that for the Reds. So would Frank Wren.

The guy who is going to put together the 2004 club should get a look at the Tim Hummels, Aaron Harangs, John Bales and Wily Mo Penas of the world, so he can make decisions on them.

4. Give a little back: The Reds must appease fans after ending the first season in Great American Ball Park with a Triple-A caliber club on the field. Some ideas:

Make bleacher seats half-price the rest of the season. Drop the admission price for Redsfest. Do a promotion where if fans buy a voucher for a 2004 ticket, they can buy a 2003 ticket for half-price. Steal the Diamondbacks' idea of having 10 players sign autographs for 10 minutes before games.

5. Resolve the Barry Larkin situation: The team and Larkin should decide if he's coming back and, if so, in what capacity. If he's retiring, plan a Barry Larkin Day.

There you have it: Five easy pieces for winning back the fans.

What the Reds shouldn't do is what the Brewers did. After a similar front office purge, the Brewers slapped the slogan "It's Coming Together" on 2003. Their fans didn't buy it, and the guess here is Reds fans wouldn't, either.