By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Dan O'Brien's alarm clock was set for 5:30 Monday morning.

PHOTO GALLERIES

• At the ballpark • Opening Day Parade

But the Reds rookie general manager was up at 4:30 a.m. and to his downtown office at Great American Ball Park by 7 - a full seven hours before the first pitch of the Reds' opener. The Chicago Cubs spoiled the day with a 7-4 victory.

"In many ways, it's part of a dream come true," O'Brien said during the third inning of his first game as Reds GM.

"And to be here in Cincinnati, with the tradition that goes with Opening Day, it makes it even more special."

His first order of business Monday was to take a walk around the ballpark plaza before fans started streaming in for the opener.

"Brisk," he said, "but nice."

O'Brien, 50, a Columbus native and career baseball executive with 26 years of experience, had attended openers as a Reds fan.

"From that perspective, as a child, you get a whole different feel for it," he said. "Being here, at this time, with this involvement with the club, the excitement is still there. And the excitement from the fans is great, it's contagious."

After spending the previous seven years as the Texas Rangers' assistant general manager, O'Brien was hired Oct. 27 as the 16th general manager in Reds history.

His task is to rebuild a team that lost 93 games in 2003. The organization had traded some of its most talented and highest-paid players. The Reds' payroll this year is in the bottom third of Major League Baseball at $47 million.

O'Brien has a three-year contract through the 2006 season.

He spent 45 minutes around noon meeting first with manager Dave Miley and then the coaching staff. The conversations were casual and friendly, not entirely business, dealing more with what to expect from Opening Day festivities.

Shortly after 2 p.m., O'Brien's first Reds team took the field.

"I think, in terms of our ball club, we're going to be a work in progress throughout the year," he said.

"But I think we've worked very hard in spring training to try to be a very fundamentally sound club. I think the fans are going to like what they see. I know Dave is going to demand a certain style of play and level of execution from the players. And I know that's going to happen."

It did happen in the third.

After the Cubs scored three times to stretch their lead to 4-0, the Reds scored their first two runs. Pitcher Cory Lidle laid down a sacrifice punt to move runners to second and third with one out. Then D'Angelo Jimenez singled in Ryan Freel before Barry Larkin grounded to second to score Juan Castro.

But one big Reds error in the top of the eighth - left fielder Adam Dunn dropped a fly ball - led to a pair of unearned Cubs runs, their final two of the day.

The Reds converted an unusual double play in the top of the ninth inning when center fielder Freel threw out the Cubs' Mark Grudzielanek at the plate. Then catcher Jason LaRue threw to third to retire Corey Patterson.

"One hundred sixty-one more to go; it's a marathon, and we understand that," O'Brien said after the game. "We did some good things today but not quite enough. We played nine innings and battled them. A key hit here or there might have made a difference in the long run."

After saying goodbye to visitors to the Reds' private box, O'Brien was headed back to his office to finish some work.

"I will probably go out and do my usual," he said, "which is get in a good run and reflect on the ball game."

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com