Joe Posnanski on Larkin

[Unassisted]

Originally Posted by westofyou

Barry Larkin can't win for losing... I'd take him back in a second.

He lost me long before this. I was just taking advantage of the convenient ammunition.

I have no problem with anything he did on the field. I just don't see him as a role model.

[OnBaseMachine]

Man I miss watching Barry Larkin play. What I miss the most is him taking a fastball on the outside part of the plate and lining it into the right field corner for a double. He was famous for that. But his signature play I remember him most for is him ranging far to his left robbing a single from going into center field and then spinning and firing a strike to the first baseman to steal a hit. I miss those days.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by Unassisted

I have no problem with anything he did on the field. I just don't see him as a role model.

“Whether you want to or not, you do serve as a role model. People will always put more faith in baseball players than anyone else.”

Brooks Robinson


"I want all the kids to do what I do, to look up to me. I want all the kids to copulate me."

Andre Dawson (outfielder for the Chicago Cubs), when asked about being a role model to the youth of America Andre Dawson was an at the time.


I don't believe professional athletes should be role models. I believe parents should be role models.

Charles Barkley

[CrackerJack]

Originally Posted by OnBaseMachine

Agreed 100%. Bring him back as a front office type, a coach, an announcer...I don't care, just bring him back where he belongs.

Absolutely. The sight of him in a Nats jersey makes me sick.

Would love to see him on the bench or in the FO.

I also think a lot of the stuff he did in his last couple of years was over-blown. He never went public with any of it from what I re-call.

Not sure if he'll be called out on the field for the HOF ceremony - but the fans should give him a roaring standing O.

[OnBaseMachine]

Originally Posted by Unassisted

I have no problem with anything he did on the field. I just don't see him as a role model.

I view him as a great role model. He won both the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award and the Roberto Clemente Award for his character and charity work. He never did drugs or had any problems off the field. He was a great teammate by all accounts...he even learned Spanish in order to communicate with younger players. On the field he was a great leader and team captain and one of the best players in the game. I honestly can't think of a better role model than Barry Larkin.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by Ltlabner

That certinally seems like a reasonable reason to not care for a ball player.

I don't really understand that quote. The only "yawning" I can think of was Barry's signal of opening his mouth to indicate to pitcher and the catcher that he would be taking the throw to second on a steal or pickoff attempt. If that's what this guy is thinking of, then it's just another example of an uninformed Reds fan failing to understand one of the Reds' best players.

[Unassisted]

“It doesn’t matter where I play, I just want to play ball,” whenever people asked him how he felt about playing ball in his hometown.

That could just as easily be "I don't care which FO I work in, I just want to work in a FO." I doubt he's in a hurry to get back to Cincinnati.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by M2

Which is why, if I were Larkin, I'd never come back. Too many Reds fans want to lionize one of the absolute worst humans ever to play the game (Pete Rose) and throw mud at one of the best (Larkin). I'd just as soon enjoy my life and stay away from that kind of dysfunction.

The old saying, "abscence makes the heart grow fonder" would probably apply here. There are a minority of fans that don't like Larkin but you could say that about any ballplayer. There were probably Yankee fans who didn't like Babe Ruth. Guaranteed he'll get a hero's welcome tomorrow night and if he chooses to come back to the Reds in whatever capacity, he will be treated how Bench, Perez, Browning, et. al. are treated. More than likely he won't be a manager or coach so he will not be held responsible for the play of the team if they play badly and may even get credit if they play well. Even someone like Adam Dunn - a few years after he leaves - will be treated very well when he comes back for whatever reason.

[Joseph]

Originally Posted by Unassisted

I have no problem with anything he did on the field. I just don't see him as a role model.

I have no issues if you don't see athletes as role models....however if you do see some athletes as role models, then what did Larkin do to be removed from the list?

Nice person [as much as any of us know personally about athletes anyway]. Good citizen. Generous. Hard worker.

If I had a kid who chose to strive to be like Barry Larkin [the Larkin image we know anyway] I'd be a happy parent.

[OnBaseMachine]

I just googled Barry Larkin looking for some videos and somehow come across his MySpace page...which is full of Reds photos and logos. Just a little FWIW.

[Unassisted]

Originally Posted by Joseph

I have no issues if you don't see athletes as role models....however if you do see some athletes as role models, then what did Larkin do to be removed from the list?

Serving as ringleader of the clubhouse coup that led to Jack McKeon's departure would be on the list. The microphone stunt at his last game would also be there.

I have no doubt he's a smart guy. I have no doubt he can be a nice guy. I just think that if you don't respect authority that you have no business being put in authority.

[gonelong]

Originally Posted by Chip R

The old saying, "abscence makes the heart grow fonder" would probably apply here.

Eric Davis is a fine example of that. He was routinely railed on the first time he was in Cincy ... the second go around he could do no wrong.

I think enough time has passed that Larkin would be universally welcomed and embraced.

GL

[durl]

I was one of those people that thought signing Larkin for a huge sum at the end of his career wasn't in the best interest of the Reds. Nor did I believe that Larkin handled it properly. It was like he was trying to garner pity from the fan base in order to pull in another $20+ million even though he was no longer able to play his position well.

I was a Larkin fan, to be sure, but I just thought that the Reds would have been better off to not re-sign him and spend the money elsewhere.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by Unassisted

I have no doubt he's a smart guy. I have no doubt he can be a nice guy. I just think that if you don't respect authority that you have no business being put in authority.

John McGraw says hi.

[Matt700wlw]

Originally Posted by gonelong

Eric Davis is a fine example of that. He was routinely railed on the first time he was in Cincy ... the second go around he could do no wrong.

I think enough time has passed that Larkin would be universally welcomed and embraced.

GL

Maybe Dunn should go, and then come back in a few years