By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Reds general manager Dan O'Brien is on the record as saying Danny Graves will be the Reds' closer next year.

So where does that leave Chris Reitsma, who finished 2003 as the closer, and top draft pick Ryan Wagner, who clearly has closer stuff?

O'Brien will let the new manager make the call. (Assuming one is named before Opening Day. Just kidding there.) But O'Brien is leaning toward leaving them in the bullpen as setup men.

"The preliminary thought of the front office is to use them in tandem to set up for Graves," O'Brien said. "That's pretty appealing. But until the manager is aboard, we won't set anything in concrete."

There had been talk, under previous general manager Jim Bowden, of moving Wagner into the starting rotation. Reitsma had been a starter his entire career before the Reds moved him to the bullpen in 2002.

One or both could end up starting, again depending on what the manager wants to do.

Reitsma, a 25-year-old right-hander, was very effective as he settled into the reliever role last year. He was 6-2 with a 2.84 ERA after June 1. His fastball picked up velocity, moving into the 95-96 mph range. The fastball, combined with Reitsma's devastating change-up, made him extremely tough to hit at times.

Wagner, who doesn't turn 22 until July 15, was sensational after coming up after only nine minor-league appearances.

He was 2-0 with a 1.66 ERA. Opponents hit only .172 against him. He struck out 25 in only 21 2/3 innings.

The Reds also have John Riedling from the right side. Riedling struggled (2-3, 4.90), partly because of injury, partly because of an experiment with starting. But Riedling's ERA was 2.35, 2.41 and 2.70 in his first three years as a Red.

Left-hander Phil Norton, obtained in an August trade with the Chicago Cubs, finished the season strong. He allowed only one earned run over his last 16 appearances of the season and did not allow any of the 15 runners he inherited to score.

"We think if we can stay in the game for six innings, we've got a chance to win," O'Brien said.

The trick is staying in the game. That's why Reitsma, Wagner or Riedling could end up starting.

REDSFEST: A lot of readers have e-mailed asking for a Redsfest lineup. The lineup - who's appearing when - hasn't been set.

But 24 Reds players and coaches, including Barry Larkin, Sean Casey, Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns, are scheduled to appear.

The seventh annual Fest will be Friday (4-10 p.m.) and Saturday (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) at the Albert B. Sabin Cincinnati Convention Center.

BOOK IT: A new book, Opening Day at Great American Ball Park, is out.

The book, authored by Reds communication department employee Dann Stupp, chronicles the opening of the stadium, day-in-the-life style. It includes 150 color photos.