Will the Reds shoot high?

Less than 24 hours after firing Jerry Narron -- the relief to a lot of Reds fans -- the fan angst has shifted to the Pete Mackanin, the guy the Reds named to replace him.

Mackanin isn't exactly a household name -- well, before last night you could have asked 100 people on Fountain Square who he was and chances are no one would have known of him.

He's well known in baseball circles. He has a nice resume. And Wayne Krivsky thinks he's the man for the job from within the organization. I would gone with Billy Hatcher.

But the larger point is the Reds have to make a concentrated effort to get the best candidates available in. I think Bob Castellini understands that. I think he also understands that the fans are willing to give him a mulligan for 2007 -- if the club hires an established winner as the permanent replacement for Narron.

Anything less than hiring a Joe Girardi, Tony LaRussa or Ozzie Guillen isn't going to sit well with the fans. That's not Pete Mackanin's fault. That's just the way it is.