By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

"What's next?" one of the finalists for the Reds' general manager job asked Tuesday. "The swimsuit competition?"

Montreal general manager Omar Minaya, Minnesota assistant GM Wayne Krivsky and Texas assistant GM Dan O'Brien were told Monday that they are the finalists for Cincinnati's GM job.

They also have been told by chief operating officer John Allen not to comment publicly on the search. But the swimsuit quip is fitting.

What will be the determining factor from here? Minaya, Krivsky and O'Brien went through five-hour interviews with Allen and team counsel Karl Grafe on their first trip into Cincinnati.

"We literally covered everything from A to Z," one of the three said.

Boston assistant GM Mike Port, Detroit assistant GM Al Avila, Houston assistant GM Tim Purpura, Milwaukee scout David Wilder and San Francisco assistant GM Ned Colletti were eliminated after the first round of interviews.

There will be a second round of interviews next week. Reds chief executive officer Carl Lindner will be part of the process in the second round.

All three finalists have similar backgrounds. They have worked in more than one organization, have extensive experience in scouting and development and have worked for clubs with budget constraints. And, oddly, all have worked for the Texas Rangers.

Here's a look at the three:

• Minaya: He has been the favorite since the job opened when Jim Bowden was fired.

Minaya is the youngest of the three at 44 and the only one with general manager experience.

Minaya has put together back-to-back winning seasons in his two years as the Expos GM. But it's his background with the New York Mets and Rangers that makes Minaya a fit for the Reds.

He began with Texas as a scout in 1985 and worked his way up to director of international and professional scouting. He was responsible for signing Sammy Sosa, Fernando Tatis and Rich Aurilia, among others.

He was named an assistant GM of the Mets in September 1997 and served in that role until he became the Expos' GM in February 2002.

But it's not a given that Minaya will accept the job if it's offered. He has interviewed for the Mets' GM job and has been mentioned as a candidate for the Seattle GM job.

• Krivsky: At 49, he has been working in baseball for 27 years. He started with the Rangers as assistant scouting and farm director. He moved up to assistant general manager in 1980.

He has spent the last eight years with the Twins.

Krivsky does a great deal of scouting. He covers the National League for the Twins, so he's familiar with the Reds.

But he also is well-versed in the business side of the game. He helped negotiate multiyear deals with Torii Hunter, Eric Milton, Corey Koskie, Eddie Guardado and Jacque Jones. He also represents the Twins in arbitration hearings.

The Twins' model for success is one the Reds would like to emulate.

• O'Brien: He has been with Texas an assistant general manager since October 1996.

O'Brien, 48, spent the previous 15 years with the Houston Astros. He was in charge of scouting and player development in a period when the Astros developed Craig Biggio, Freddie Garcia, Richard Hidalgo, Wade Miller, Roy Oswalt and Billy Wagner.

O'Brien grew up in Columbus and is a fan of the Big Red Machine.