Did anyone catch this during this evening's Hot Stove League? Someone had asked Marty and Steve what they thought about Larkin not coming back. Marty asked the guy if he wanted the PC response (which he said Steve would provide) or the straight-from-the-heart response, which Marty gave. He said that what Larkin did on the last day (leaving the game, going up to the press box, sitting with his family during the game, etc.) was the most "classless" thing he's seen in baseball. He then mentioned that Larkin was already here in Cincinnati longer than he should have been, and that he thought it was interesting that Larkin's agent is now telling team's that he's willing to take a back-up role when he was totally against the idea with the Reds.
Marty then said that a back-up role only makes sense because "folks, I'm sorry to tell you, but there's no way Larkin can start 100 games."
I was a little shocked to hear Marty speak so candidly about Larkin with no seeming inclination of holding back. In fairness, he did say that Larkin was one of the greatest players in team history, but that most fans (to him) didn't seem to mind Larkin not coming back.
(Yes, I agree with him. But I'm not the Reds broadcaster, and the only backlash I get is laced with emoticons. Seems pretty ballsy of Marty to take such a stance.)
(Chip -- I hope I don't steal your thunder from your weekly reports, which I always enjoy. )