Improved style of play has the Reds beaming

Cincinnati's players are taking pride in excelling in the routine.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Dan O'Brien wants fans to come and see the difference for themselves.
Until a disastrous trip to Milwaukee last week, the Cincinnati Reds were in first place in the NL Central with a low-budget cast doing more of the little things right -- one of the mantras of their new general manager.
They throw strikes. They take walks. They make routine plays -- well, more often than in the past, anyway.
"I can't talk about wins and losses, but what I have encouraged [fans] to do is come out to the ballpark, you'll like what you see," O'Brien said. "You'll notice a difference in the style of play."
Reversal
These Reds are different from a year ago, when they lost 93 games, purged the front office and made trades to save money and stock the farm system. The question is: How much better?
In an interview in his office at Great American Ball Park, the first-year general manager acknowledged that more than one off-season is needed for baseball's oldest professional franchise to right itself.
"It will take time for these changes to eventually work their way down through the system," O'Brien said. "It's one thing to put a plan in place; it's another thing to carry it out and get the results you're looking for."
The fact that there's a plan is a major break with the past.
Former GM Jim Bowden never stuck with a plan as he steered toward Great American Ball Park's opening in 2003.
One young prospect was discarded and replaced by another, leaving the roster -- and that grand plan -- subject to change. Money that could have gone toward much-needed pitching instead went to bringing Ken Griffey Jr. home.
Change at the top
As everything imploded, the high-profile general manager was fired last July, along with manager Bob Boone. At ownership's direction, the roster was gutted in money-saving trades for pitching prospects.
Now, the Reds are run by the antithesis of Bowden, who liked glitzy moves -- he never tired of bringing Deion Sanders back -- and quickly gave up on young pitchers.
O'Brien isn't flashy or impatient.
"I think some of the most significant mistakes in talent evaluation revolve around a lack of patience and a desire to make a quick judgment and assessment and move on," O'Brien said.
In his meticulous manner, O'Brien is rebuilding from the bottom.
He overhauled the scouting department and has put a renewed emphasis on teaching fundamentals to minor leaguers. O'Brien also has instituted pitch counts to try to stop the rash of injuries to prospective starters.
Things are much different at the major league level as well.
Bowden essentially ran the show, setting the roster and consulting on lineups. He often hung out around the batting cage and visited the clubhouse. He had a fondness for meddling managers like Ray Knight and Boone.
New style
All of that has changed under new management. O'Brien rarely goes to the clubhouse and never onto the field, choosing to let his manager and coaches do their jobs without interference.
He likes what he has seen so far from Dave Miley, who finished last season as interim manager and got a one-year extension. O'Brien and Miley are featured shoulder-to-shoulder on the cover of the media guide.
Unlike his predecessor, Miley delegates to his coaches and gets out of the way. Players have a clearer idea of what's expected.
"In essence, he lets them play the game," O'Brien said. "We've executed better because of that. I don't think that's a coincidence.
"I think Dave's game management has been very solid. There's nothing haphazard about Dave's approach. It's structured, it's well-thought-out and carried out. To this point in the season, I think you can only give Dave the highest of marks."
Injuries
The everyday lineup was formidable before outfielder Austin Kearns and catcher Jason LaRue broke bones last week, forcing them onto the disabled list. The rotation has been better than expected, but the trade-depleted bullpen has been a disaster.
O'Brien is working under the limitation of one of the majors' tightest budgets -- $43 million, the fifth-smallest overall. If the Reds fade, they'll consider more trades -- closer Danny Graves and Griffey are likely candidates -- to stock up on more prospects.
Fans were livid when the club moved into its taxpayer-financed ballpark, finally acknowledged it needed to change its approach, and decided to start over before the new place was even finished.
There's a lingering distrust, which O'Brien is trying to dispel by showing that the team is now headed down the path taken by other, successful small-market clubs.
"I think the fans here are discriminating," he said. "They've seen good baseball over many generations. They know it when they see it. When they see tangible evidence that some of the important steps are being taken to try to get to that level, I think they acknowledge it."