CINCINNATI - Jim Bowden brought stability to the Cincinnati Reds in the 1990s, when they were lurching through crises brought on by owner Marge Schott's gaffes.

At the turn of the century, he brought Ken Griffey Jr. home, sealing his reputation as one of the major leagues' most creative general managers.

He got his own local radio program, sat in as a sports talk show host, and got credit for keeping a small-market franchise competitive with his passion for making deals.

In the end, he couldn't make it win, and that cost him his job.

Bowden, manager Bob Boone and two coaches were fired Monday, ending one of the most remarkable runs by a Reds executive.

''Jim Bowden's been around for a long time,'' said first baseman Sean Casey, acquired when Bowden traded pitcher Dave Burba to Cleveland on the eve of the 1998 season opener. ''I still think he's one of the best GMs in baseball as far as baseball minds go and putting teams together.''

He was 31 years old - the youngest general manager in major league history - when he took over before the 1993 season. He lasted 11 seasons, the longest run by any Reds GM since Bob Howsam built and ran the Big Red Machine from 1967-78.

The Reds made the playoffs only once during Bowden's tenure. They had the second-largest payroll in the NL in 1995, when they reached the league championship series and got swept by Atlanta.

They slashed their budget, started to rebuild and narrowly missed out on the postseason in 1999, when they lost to the New York Mets in a playoff for the wild card berth.

Bowden brought Griffey home in a February 2000 trade with Seattle, but he got hurt at the end of an 85-win season that left the Reds in second place. He was hurt again the next two years, when the Reds put up back-to-back losing records under Boone.

Bowden and Boone were in the final years of their contracts when Great American Ball Park opened this season, putting them under increasing pressure to win.

For the second season in a row, they tried to pull it off with a $57 million payroll tilted heavily toward position players.

Their patchwork starting rotation crumbled, setting up a July fade that led to the sweeping front-office changes.

More injuries to Griffey and shortstop Barry Larkin - who combined make one-third of the payroll - depleted the lineup. The pitching staff has the NL's worst earned run average, and the Reds' 100 errors are the most in the majors.

While teams such as Oakland, Minnesota and Kansas City have showed how to win with small-market payrolls, the Reds looked lost in their new ballpark. Chief operating officer John Allen decided changes were necessary.

''Whenever you're struggling, there's always a search for answers,'' right-hander Ryan Dempster said. ''Is it the pitching? Is it the hitting? Is it the defense? Is it the managing? Is it the coaching? Is it the way the team is put together? There's all kinds of questions. I think it was a combination of everything.''

Bowden left the ballpark without talking to reporters. He declined to answer questions when contacted by phone.

''It's been an honor and a privilege to be a member of the Cincinnati Reds organization, and to have served as general manager since 1992,'' Bowden said. ''I want to thank the fans of Cincinnati for all of their support during my tenure. I wish the Reds organization nothing but a successful future.''

His downfall was his inability to develop starting pitchers through the farm system, forcing the Reds to rely on other teams' castoffs. Allen said that will be the top priority for Bowden's successor.

''It's going to be everything,'' Allen said. ''Certainly we feel it's very important that we develop starting pitching.''

Allen doesn't plan to hire a general manager until after the World Series, waiting to see who will be available from other organizations. The next general manager will pick a manager.

Triple-A manager Dave Miley will join the team on Tuesday as interim manager for the rest of the season. Bench coach Ray Knight ran the team on Monday during a 6-5, 10-inning victory over Philadelphia.

Knight will fill the roles of third base coach Tim Foli and batting coach Tom Robson, who also were fired.

Knight expected something to happen when the Reds played themselves out of contention in July with a 6-16 slump. The extent of the changes took the clubhouse by surprise.

''We felt it was going to happen,'' Knight said. ''We didn't know it was going to be this extensive or this deep. We knew if we didn't make a run after the All-Star break, something might happen.''