O'Brien to Larkin: "Your starting services are no longer needed"

[Puffy]

Hopefully this Castro in the lineup nonsense will go away once WMP is healthy.

Yup, if Barry sits because Lopez takes away his AB's then I say bravo, lets see what Lopez can do, cause I have always said the kid can play and will be a force soon.

If Barry sits so Castro can play everyday then I really have to question everything. Juan Castro needs to be on the bench starting once a week (or if I had my druthers once a month), not taking at bats away from better players.

[Puffy]

Send that man a BEER!

[GAC]

I love ya GAC, but I disagree. They should field the best team they have, especially against teams that are still in the race. And the rest of this team deserves their best chance to win, especially because of their miserable season. They've got to be humiliated suffering loss after loss after loss... to borrow a phrase, they deserve a chance "save face" during what's left of this waning, miserable season.

Yes, the minor leaguers should get a chance to play, but not every day. If I have to watch Machado again, I will scream. Why on earth should he be allowed to cut his teeth against Roger Clemons??

I still say ST is the place to audition your players.... they'll face their fare share of major league pitching in Florida.

I love you too TB : but we've been running our best team out there for the vast majority of the season, and where has it gotten us? We're only talking about the last 20+ games in a season where we are 29.5 games out.

And I think the reason they are spot playing Machado is to see if he is going to be a viable replacement for Castro (insert jokes here), who is a FA at season's end.

Barry Larkin, who does do well when he is in there... but can't seem to stay healthy...needs to bow out gracefully IMO. Him being in there is not gonna make that big of a difference IMO. But playing kids like Lopez AT SS is important for us right now. That is the job he may be heir-apparent for (not 3B as some seem to want).

[tsj017]

I have trouble believing this line of thinking:

"Barry's my favorite player, and he's been with the Reds a long time, so therefore he's earned the right to play shortstop as long as he wants."

In that case, he may well be our shortstop for years--until he's literally physically unable to take the field.

He's 40 YEARS OLD. Not many major leaguers are 40, and most of them are designated hitters. They're certainly not shortstops, a postion that calls for youth more than any other.

We gave him what he wanted 4 years ago, with that bloated 3-year contract--which would, according to everyone, "allow him to finish his career as a Red". We gave him what he wanted last year, when he wanted one more season and to "finish his career as a Red". We even scheduled Barry Larkin Night, when his number would most likely have been retired.

And it still wasn't enough. Time to pull the plug on this guy.

Good luck with that "rooting for a contender" thing, because any team that signs an injury-prone 40-year-old shortstop for the money he'll probably expect is most likely NOT going to be a contender. And that includes the Reds.

[REDREAD]

And it still wasn't enough. Time to pull the plug on this guy.

Good luck with that "rooting for a contender" thing, because any team that signs an injury-prone 40-year-old shortstop for the money he'll probably expect is most likely NOT going to be a contender. And that includes the Reds.

Well, he was good enough to make the allstar team, hit 298, and have a 355 obp. I could see your point if he was only hitting .200.

Actually, Barry is only making something like 700k this year. If he's willing to sign for a similiar amount next year, someone will take him. I mean, that's about what we signed Vanderwall for this year, and we only expected him to pinch hit and occasionally spot start in the OF. Barry can certainly do that (pinch hit and spot start).

I do agree that a team isn't likely to sign him with the expectation that he'll start 160 games at SS.

[GAC]

I want Barry Larkin gone...banished into a rich retirement community in Florida. And I don't want him in our FO either. Not after the antics he has pulled these last few years, and always running to the media when he has a beef with this FO.

He has had an illustrious career, but he has been his own worst enemy IMO.

He can then co-write a column with Hal McCoy on how he was abused and taken advantage of all these years as a Red. But the pay was excellent.

On the field...he was one of the most unselfish players I have ever had the privilege to see.

Off the field (and these last several years).... I question his motives.