By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Cincinnati Reds' Dave Miley said being named the new manager is a "dream come true." (Jeff Swinger photo)

In the end, the people's choice, the players' choice, the obvious choice was the Reds' choice, as well.

The Reds named Dave Miley the club's 57th manager at a 9 p.m. press conference Thursday.

"I would have been here if it was midnight," Miley said.

His moment in the spotlight came 128 days after he took over for Bob Boone as the Reds' interim manager, two weeks after the Reds narrowed the field to four finalists and nearly 24 years after the club drafted Miley.

"I think everyone was surprised it took so long," Reds outfielder Austin Kearns said. "But everyone is pretty happy with the way it turned out."

Miley clearly was.

"It's a helluva dream come true," he said. "You don't know how nice it is until you stand up here. It's an awesome feeling."

Miley, a 41-year-old native of Tampa, Fla., was given a one-year contract with a club option for 2005. He did not argue for a longer contract.

"He said 'Thank you very much,' " Reds general manager Dan O'Brien said. "But we think Dave Miley is going to be manager of the Cincinnati Reds for a long time."

Miley just wanted a chance.

"I don't look at it as a one-year contract," he said. "I'm very confident."

The 2004 season will be the 25th in the Reds organization for Miley. He's spent the last 14 of those as a minor-league manager.

He built a 1,115-841 record in those 14 seasons, finishing in first or second place 12 times.

His winning percentage in the minors (.570) is higher than any Reds manager who managed at least one season - except Sparky Anderson (.596).

Miley was named the Reds interim manager July 28 and led the team to a 22-35 record.

When he came aboard, 19 of the 25 players on the team's active roster had spent some amount of time either playing under him in the minors or receiving instruction from him in spring training.

MILEY FILE

Age: 41 Formerly: Interim Reds manager. Record: 1,115-841 (.570) in minor leagues. Teams finished in first or second place 12 of 14 seasons in the minors. Won manager of year in his league four times. Went 22-35 as Reds manager this past season. Personal: Married to Andrea. Has two children (Cody and Courtney). As a player: Made it to Triple-A as a catcher. Hit .209 with 16 home runs and 162 RBI in seven seasons. Claim to fame: Was picked ahead of Eric Davis in the 1980 draft.

O'Brien saw everything he wanted in Miley.

"As far as game management, he's as capable as you'll find," O'Brien said. "He's technically very sound. His knowledge of the organization is as great as anybody's.

"And he's got two feet on the ground. The team is always going to be first. He's the perfect fit."

Still, O'Brien, who was named general manager on Oct. 25, needed time to make sure Miley was the man. The Reds picked Miley over former Chicago White Sox manager Jerry Manuel, Tampa Bay bench coach John McLaren and Pittsburgh player development director Brian Graham.

"I had no professional or personal relationship with any of the candidates," O'Brien said. "As a result, (Miley) and I needed time to get better acquainted."

The Reds named the finalists Nov. 19. They concluded the interviews Nov. 24.

Everyone, including O'Brien, expected the process to be concluded quickly after that.

But it was delayed when chief executive officer Carl Lindner went out of a town for a week.

Lindner returned Thursday. O'Brien gave him his recommendation, and the matter was wrapped up quickly.

Miley had lunch with chief operating officer John Allen, then met with Lindner.

Miley takes over the job just in time for RedsFest, the annual fan fair, which opens at 4 p.m. today at the Sabin Cincinnati Convention Center.

Fans will find Miley a down-to-earth regular guy. That didn't change when "interim" was removed from his title Thursday.

"I don't plan on doing anything differently," he said. "You're going to see the same guy."

Miley wants a team to match his blue-collar approach.

"My philosophy is to go out and play as hard as you can," he said. "You're going to see guys diving, guys getting dirty, having fun. Having fun is the biggest part of the game."

Reds manager Dave Miley on ...

Being offered the job

"Twenty-four years of being in this organization, I was very happy with it. Until that point in time, there was nothing definite that was going to happen."

The last two weeks of waiting for a decision

"I joked with somebody back in the offices, before yesterday, the last time I had an opportunity to talk with Dan (O'Brien) was the night before Thanksgiving. I ate a lot of turkey, and I think halfway through the day I pasted it all off. The names that were in contention for the manager's job, I know two of them pretty decently, and managed against a couple of them. Some quality names. I'm very happy to be standing here and be the guy that was chosen."

The pressure of working for an extension

"You're talking to a guy that managed two months on an interim basis. It's not even something that I've given any thought process to. I'm enjoying tonight, and when I wake up tomorrow, I'll know I'm the manager of the Cincinnati Reds."

E-mail jfay@enquirer.com