He thought "trade." He thought of the dreaded "we're going in a different direction" speech.

Instead, Larson got a qualified vote of confidence.

"I told him - we're hypothetically speaking here - if we had a chance to get Scott Rolen, we would," O'Brien said. "But we're not going to bring in a third baseman for the sake of bringing one in. The job is Brandon's to win."

Larson was relieved.

"It was a nice lunch," Larson said. "We had a pretty good talk."

With spring training less than six weeks away, it appears the Reds will not bring in another third baseman.

And that probably means the 27-year-old Larson, a first-round draft pick in June 1997, will get one more chance to make the jump from Triple-A, where he has dominated, to the majors, where he has floundered.

His numbers last year illustrate that point. He hit .101 with one home run and nine RBI in 32 games with the Reds, and .323 with 20 home runs and 74 RBI in 72 games with Louisville.

Larson ended last season on the disabled list and had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He will come to Cincinnati Monday to have it examined and expects to be cleared to resume full baseball activities.

"The shoulder feels great," he said. "I'm ready to go."

Larson appreciated that O'Brien went out of his way to meet with him. O'Brien made the two-hour drive from Arlington, Texas, to Larson's hometown of San Antonio when O'Brien was home over the Christmas holiday.

"That's something he didn't have to do," Larson said. "He's so different from (former GM Jim Bowden). If you ask him a question, you get a straight answer."

53 IS ENOUGH: Very early in spring training last year, Austin Kearns was standing behind the batting cage, loosening up before a round of live hitting practice.

"Who's throwing?" Kearns asked.

"Manzanillo," someone said.

"Uh oh, it's the seventh game of the World Series," Kearns said.

He was referring to Josias Manzanillo, who was fresh off Winter Ball - well ahead of hitters at that point - and trying to earn a job.

Manzanillo would earn a job as a top set-up man, but his early struggles had a lot to do with the Reds' awful start. The same could be said of Jimmy Anderson.

Moral of the story: Picking your pitching staff based on spring training instead of track records can be a bad idea.

Remember, Chris Reitsma, arguably the Reds' best pitcher last year, didn't make the club out of spring training.

In the old Reds regime, every year a slew of non-roster invitees tried to pitch their way onto the roster. Last year, the Reds brought in 14 non-roster pitchers, and in 2002 they had 19.

This year, it's six. That kept the overall number of players invited for camp down to 50, barring any late signings.

"I think that's a good number," Reds manager Dave Miley said. "That gives (pitching coach) Don Gullett and everyone else a good chance to see everybody. We have three new coaches who have to get familiar with guys. We want to give everyone a legitimate chance."

O'Brien said there is a chance the Reds will add a player or two before spring training begins. The 40-man roster, after all, sits at 37.

CATCHING ON: Javier Valentin has to be considered a threat to make the club as a backup to Jason LaRue at catcher.

Valentin, 28, is the same age as Corky Miller, the current backup. Valentin has played 190 games in the big leagues; Miller has played 70.

"I had (Valentin) in Winter Ball in Puerto Rico," Miley said. "He's a good catch-and-throw guy and he's got some power."

Valentin, the brother of Chicago White Sox shortstop Jose, was once a top prospect in the Minnesota Twins organization. He has hit only .228 in the majors, but hit .286 with 21 homers and 80 RBI at Triple-A in 2002.

Valentin also is helped by the fact he's a switch-hitter.

Miller had elbow surgery after last season. But his health isn't likely to be a factor.

NEW NUXIE? The guess here is either Dan Hoard or Jeff McCarragher will replace Joe Nuxhall in the radio booth, and the announcement will come this week or next.

McCarragher got into the picture on the recommendation of Dave Rosenfield, GM of the Norfolk Tides and the same guy who recommended Marty Brennaman 30 years ago.

But Hoard has done well filling in for Brennaman and Nuxhall. Anyone who has heard him do UC basketball or football knows he is a hard-working guy who packs his broadcasts with information. He also has the endorsement of Marty and Joe - that carries serious weight in this town.

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E-mail jfay@enquirer.com

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