Barry Larkin

[Redlegs]

I feel like the luxury of having Barry Larkin's knowledge at our fingertips is being wasted in the booth. Barry should be down on the field, in some capacity, interacting with this young group of talent.

[westofyou]

I feel like the luxury of having Barry Larkin's knowledge at our fingertips is being wasted in the booth. Barry should be down on the field, in some capacity, interacting with this young group of talent.

Let's get him a seat behind the dugout

[BRM13]

I feel like the luxury of having Barry Larkin's knowledge at our fingertips is being wasted in the booth. Barry should be down on the field, in some capacity, interacting with this young group of talent.

I think he currently has some kind of special advisor role with the player development group. I am nearly certain he used to have a formal role. When you listen to him during broadcasts, he frequently references interactions with players who are (or when they were)in the minors. Now, some on this board will question whether this is a good thing.

[westofyou]

I think he currently has some kind of special advisor role with the player development group. I am nearly certain he used to have a formal role. When you listen to him during broadcasts, he frequently references interactions with players who are (or when they were)in the minors. Now, some on this board will question whether this is a good thing.

I like him in that role. I don't want him managing the team, I think it's a no win situation for him. I also think he's pretty vanilla as an announcer, I find him teamed with Sadek to be a tad grating. That pair is the Palmer Chocolate of announcing.

[BCubb2003]

I roll my eyes at the “Let it travel, let it eat” stuff, but I think Larkin is channeling how most players talk about the game. (Sabermetrics has been described as the art of explaining statistical analysis to someone who thinks he’s giving 110 percent.) It’s nice to have that perspective. And we’re fortunate to have Welsh to bring the science.

[westofyou]

I roll my eyes at the “Let it travel, let it eat” stuff, but I think Larkin is channeling how most players talk about the game. (Sabermetrics has been described as the art of explaining statistical analysis to someone who thinks he’s giving 110 percent.) It’s nice to have that perspective. And we’re fortunate to have Welsh to bring the science.

I don't mind his message, I get it totally. I just think that being behind the mic is not his calling

[Kingspoint]

I don't mind his message, I get it totally. I just think that being behind the mic is not his calling

..nor where I think he would prefer to be. He just knows too much that he should be sharing with players who could use his input. He's not Ted Williams sharing information, where he can't comprehend where someone else is coming from.

[mth123]

I don't think Larkin has any desire to travel on road trips with the team unless that role would be lucrative with a lot of power. Maybe if you offered him something similar to what Dusty Baker made (along with having a lot of input on the roster) when he was here, he'd manage the Reds. I don't think he's worth it.

[RedsManRick]

I feel like the luxury of having Barry Larkin's knowledge at our fingertips is being wasted in the booth. Barry should be down on the field, in some capacity, interacting with this young group of talent.

He's like this generation's Joe Morgan. I know there's so much interesting stuff he could be telling me. Instead he's trying to do the job of the "analyst" in the booth and not it doing it particularly well because he stopped learning about the game after he stopped playing it.

[Kingspoint]

He's like this generation's Joe Morgan. I know there's so much interesting stuff he could be telling me. Instead he's trying to do the job of the "analyst" in the booth and not it doing it particularly well because he stopped learning about the game after he stopped playing it.

It's always been more fun and entertaining listening to guys who used to play the game tell "baseball" stories than speak about "how to play the game". I used to go the Portland's baseball stadium dozens of times just sitting and listening to Vince Peskovic (Pesky, brother and teammate of Johnny) tell "baseball" stories with a baseball game going on in the background. He was also my High School Vice Principal.

When I would get the issues of Baseball Digest in the mail 50 years ago, it was the stories that I couldn't wait to get into, not any baseball "analysis". Baseball "analysis" didn't become entertaining for me, truly entertaining for me, until Bill James' Encyclopedia's were published. It was like finding the "Dead Sea Scrolls". But, even Bill James doesn't translate to conversation that's entertaining and especially not broadcasting, radio or TV.

[REDREAD]

I like him in that role. I don't want him managing the team, I think it's a no win situation for him. I also think he's pretty vanilla as an announcer, I find him teamed with Sadek to be a tad grating. That pair is the Palmer Chocolate of announcing.

I like Barry in the booth. He doesn't talk very much (which is a good thing), but he makes interesting comments on how to play defense correctly, and he uses plays on the field as specific examples of the right and wrong way to do it.
Sadak? Not a fan.
They really need to put Lecure in the booth full time. His comments about pitching and the game are good. He's has more pep and personality, but he's not obnoxious.

Brantley is great on TV. I wish he had gotten Sadak's job.. I know that breaks the "formula" , but Sadak really doesn't offer anything other than filling up dead air.

[mth123]

I like Barry in the booth. He doesn't talk very much (which is a good thing), but he makes interesting comments on how to play defense correctly, and he uses plays on the field as specific examples of the right and wrong way to do it.
Sadak? Not a fan.
They really need to put Lecure in the booth full time. His comments about pitching and the game are good. He's has more pep and personality, but he's not obnoxious.

Brantley is great on TV. I wish he had gotten Sadak's job.. I know that breaks the "formula" , but Sadak really doesn't offer anything other than filling up dead air.

I like Brantley as an analyst but handing over the job of play-by-play to him would be a disaster. I think they need a professional broadcaster with a "voice" for play-by-play. I don't really have an opinion one way or the other on Sadak compared to other play-by-play guys, but Sadak is better than any of the ex-players doing that. With rare exceptions (like in Milwaukee) ex-players should stick to analyst roles and not play-by-play. Welsh might be OK on play-by-play, but his voice doesn't hold-up talking that much.

[Chip R]

I like Brantley as an analyst but handing over the job of play-by-play to him would be a disaster. I think they need a professional broadcaster with a "voice" for play-by-play. I don't really have an opinion one way or the other on Sadak compared to other play-by-play guys, but Sadak is better than any of the ex-players doing that. With rare exceptions (like in Milwaukee) ex-players should stick to analyst roles and not play-by-play. Welsh might be OK on play-by-play, but his voice doesn't hold-up talking that much.

Agree on Brantley. One of the best on analysis. Much better on PxP than when he started. I don't know how it works for other teams but the Reds have this setup all the way back to Marty and Joe where they would switch off doing PxP. I think other teams do it like this too. But I would rather Brantley stick to analysis full time.

[Big Klu]

I like Barry in the booth. He doesn't talk very much (which is a good thing), but he makes interesting comments on how to play defense correctly, and he uses plays on the field as specific examples of the right and wrong way to do it.
Sadak? Not a fan.
They really need to put Lecure in the booth full time. His comments about pitching and the game are good. He's has more pep and personality, but he's not obnoxious.

Brantley is great on TV. I wish he had gotten Sadak's job.. I know that breaks the "formula" , but Sadak really doesn't offer anything other than filling up dead air.

Sam LeCure? Not Obnoxious?

I think if you looked up the word "obnoxious" in the dictionary, Ol' Sammy's baseball card would be right next to it.

[REDREAD]

I like Brantley as an analyst but handing over the job of play-by-play to him would be a disaster. I think they need a professional broadcaster with a "voice" for play-by-play. I don't really have an opinion one way or the other on Sadak compared to other play-by-play guys, but Sadak is better than any of the ex-players doing that. With rare exceptions (like in Milwaukee) ex-players should stick to analyst roles and not play-by-play. Welsh might be OK on play-by-play, but his voice doesn't hold-up talking that much.

I agree that Sadak has a nice voice, and he has improved this year, but man, he still talks too much , even when he has nothing to say.
Plus, he's way too much of a cheerleader for the franchise. I mean, yea.. it's fine to get excited about Lodollo and the other kids, but he gets too excited over mundane things.
I'm ok with Brantley's play by play . The "right down broadway" gets old, but other than that, I Don't mind his southern accent and his speaking mannerisms.

Sam LeCure? Not Obnoxious?

I think if you looked up the word "obnoxious" in the dictionary, Ol' Sammy's baseball card would be right next to it.

Interesting, I like him. Maybe because I lived in the south for a long time, I like Brantley and Lecure.
Not calling anyone a "regionalist" or whatever the negative term is.. lol.. Just different preferences.