BASEBALL PLAYOFFS DAILY REPORT : NATIONAL LEAGUE : Consultant Is Not in His Playbook

Davey Johnson, who will lose his job as manager of the Cincinnati Reds once the season ends, said he has no plans to take the Reds’ offer of a consulting job.

“I don’t think I’d benefit anyone by sitting behind a desk,” Johnson said. “I think my expertise comes from being on the field.”

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Cincinnati third-base coach Ray Knight guaranteed that the Reds would win the National League pennant . . . sort of.

“We’re going to win, guaranteed,” Knight said.

Guaranteed?

“OK, semi-guaranteed.”

Semi-guaranteed?

“OK, guaranteed. They only remember when you’re right anyway.”

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Cincinnati second baseman Bret Boone when asked if his father, Kansas City Royal Manager Bob Boone, was coming to the series?

“No, he’ll only be out if we make it to the next round,” he said. “He’s a front-runner.”

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Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox says baseball should make some changes to sustain fan interest and prevent pitchers’ injuries.

“You’ve got to shorten the season and make the first round [of the playoffs] seven games too,” Cox said. “Look at the Dodgers--1-2-3 and they’re out. That’s not fair. You play the whole season so you can be out in a five-game series? That’s not right.”

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Atlanta outfielder Luis Polonia, relishing the fact that he’s in the playoffs, says he can’t figure out which of his former teams choked worse, the Yankees or Angels.

“Both of them were big-time chokes,” Polonia said. “The Yankees should have kept me. They could have used me against Seattle. What did they need [Darryl] Strawberry for, to watch the game from the bench?”

And the Angels? “Hey, if you’re them, you’ve got to pack up your bags and say, ‘See you,’ ” Polonia said. “How can you play that bad? I don’t think anybody will ever believe they can win after this.”