Knight Is Out as Manager of Reds

Ray Knight was fired Friday as the Cincinnati Reds’ manager because he failed to win enough games and lost the respect of his players.

With the Reds 9 1/2 games out of first place in the Central Division with a 43-56 record and players bristling over Knight’s confrontational style, the Reds decided to replace him with Jack McKeon, who will bring a more player-friendly approach to the job the rest of this season.

“I hate to go out like this, but that’s just not the way life is,” Knight said as he packed his car to leave Cinergy Field in Cincinnati Friday night. “You can’t choose your spots. It boils down to being able to get your players to play. If mine were resentful for whatever reason, I treated them like men. Nobody in that clubhouse wanted to win more than I did, and maybe my intensity rubbed some people the wrong way.”

McKeon, 66, managed in the major leagues for eight years with three teams, most recently with San Diego in 1990, and has been an advisor for the Reds the last five seasons. The Reds think McKeon’s managerial style is a better fit for their players.

“I’m a very patient guy,” McKeon said. “I’m a low-key guy. I’m not going to throw any water coolers or kick any dugouts. I don’t think I will--occasionally I’ve done it.”

Knight, in the second and final year of his contact, was suspended for flinging third base during an argument with an umpire this season, had a public feud with pitcher Mike Morgan and made himself a third-base coach temporarily as the team struggled.

*

Right-hander Pat Rapp, acquired by San Francisco from Florida a week ago, was put on the 15-day disabled list because of a rib cage injury.