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The club's victory over Chris Reitsma in his arbitration hearing put Reitsma's salary at $950,000, meaning the team has $42.25 million committed to 13 players. The guess here is Adam Dunn will make around $700,000, and Austin Kearns will make around $500,000.

That puts the payroll at $43.45 million. The other 10 players will be at or near the big-league minimum of $300,000. So let's say they'll make a total of $3.5 million. That makes the payroll roughly $47 million. Throw in another million for about three guys on the disabled list, and you get $48 million.

The Opening Day payroll for the final year at Cinergy Field was $48.5 million, if you count all of Ken Griffey Jr.'s $12.5 million salary (as the Reds do), even though nearly half of it is deferred.

Last year, the Opening Day payroll was bumped to $59.3 million.

The players the Reds shed around the trading deadline - Aaron Boone ($3.7 million), Gabe White ($3.3 million), Scott Sullivan ($2.8 million), Scott Williamson ($1.6 million, Kelly Stinnett ($1.3 million) and Felix Heredia ($600,000) - made $13.3 million.

So the salary dump, er, restructuring, got the Reds to the figure they'll open with this year.

All that said, if Aaron Harang, Brandon Claussen and a couple of the other pitchers the Reds got in trades work out, the Summer Purge will look pretty good.

But potential doesn't sell tickets and if the Reds struggle this year, we're likely to see a smaller payroll again in 2005.

NEW NUXIE: Tracy Jones, the People's Choice in our poll to pick the announcer to replace Joe Nuxhall, thinks if he gets an interview with chief operating officer John Allen, he can get the job.

"If I get to sit down with John Allen, I'll be surprised if I don't get the job," Jones said.

But the fact Jones hasn't gotten an interview probably means he's not going to get the job.

"The whole thing is I've had the support of the radio station," Jones said. "They came to me because they thought it would be a good fit because of my rapport with Marty (Brennaman)."

WLW's Joe Fredrick, the station's sports marketing manager, wouldn't endorse any candidate.

"If Marty's happy, we're happy," Fredrick said.

And Marty's position?

"In the most general sort of way, I'll say I could probably work with all of the people who have been mentioned," he said. "In 39 years in the business, I've worked with all kinds of people. I've gotten along with all of them."

Brennaman is more concerned with the personal relationship.

"It's mandatory that you get along," he said. "I've been spoiled because of the guy I've worked with all these years. Joe and I genuinely like one another."

Jones knows he would have to change his style from the one he uses on Extra Innings.

"People say I'm too critical," Jones said. "I wouldn't be. No one knows more about struggling as a player than me."

QUIET WINTER: Other than an occasional appearance at courtside for an NBA game, Ken Griffey Jr. has been out of the spotlight this winter.

That's cool with him.

"Anyone who knows Junior, knows the quieter it is around him, the better he likes it," his agent, Brian Goldberg, said.

Goldberg said Griffey's health is fine after ankle and shoulder surgery.

"He doesn't have to hold back from anything," Goldberg said. "I think he'll take it slow as far as baseball activity early on. He won't go all out the first day."

Barring another season-ending injury, Griffey should hit his 500th home run this year. He needs only 19.

If Griffey had been healthy the last three years, he'd be approaching 600. If he had averaged 40 home runs the last three years (he hit 40 his first year with the Reds), he'd have 558.

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E-mail jfay@enquirer.com

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