Todd Benzinger was born in Dayton, Ky., just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, a few miles east of Newport.

He grew up in New Richmond, Ohio, just a few miles farther south and east on the river. He considers himself a diehard Reds fan.

"I've been a Reds fan all my life," Benzinger said over lunch last week near his home in West Chester Twp. "I want to make sure all the (players) know this is a winning culture, a winning organization."

Whoa. Benzinger's got a mountain to climb there.

Next month he goes to spring training as the new manager of the Dayton Dragons, a franchise the Reds operate as a place to develop players, and not necessarily in a winning environment.

In four of their nine seasons, the Dragons didn't make the Class A Midwest League playoffs, a tough accomplishment since four of the six teams in their division make the playoffs every year. In five seasons — including last summer — the Dragons finished with a losing record.

In the years the team did make the playoffs, the Reds so crippled it with call-ups that the team has never advanced past the second round.

Benzinger, virtually out of organized baseball since his retirement in 1995 after nine seasons as a first baseman/outfielder in the majors, wants to change all that.

"Players are all selfish," Benzinger, 45, said. "I was kind of selfish myself when I was in the minors. But if you really want to win and want your team to win, you'll be a better player. I played six full years in the minor leagues, and I was on not one single winning team, and I was a .250 hitter.

"My breakout year was in 1987. We were 15 games over .500 at Pawtucket (Class AAA). I hit .323 and was called up.

"When I pulled for everybody else, I played better. Winning is a skill, just like hitting a curveball is a skill."

Coaching and managing is a skill, as well, and Benzinger has been honing that in an unusual way. He has coached high school girls basketball for 10 years, currently at Lakota East. Last summer, he managed the Cincinnati Steam, a summer college baseball team, and it was one of the best in the nation.

"I get fired up being an influence on kids," Benzinger said. "I want to make sure they get the most out of their ability."