Barry Larkin Gets the Call
It's been a long journey for Barry Larkin in his baseball career. From his days at Moeller High School, to giving up football at the University of Michigan to concentrate on baseball, to finally playing for his hometown team, the Cincinnati Reds, for 19 seasons. But after all those years, Barry Larkin's baseball career will reach its peak on Sunday, when he is enshrined into baseball immortality as a member of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
| Not only did Barry Larkin excel on the baseball diamond, but his skills on the gridiron earned him a football scholarship to the University of Michigan. (Cincinnati Enquirer file photo) |
Larkin was an outstanding athlete, not only an excellent baseball player, but a standout defensive back for Gerry Faust's national champion Moeller football teams in the early 1980's. His athletic ability earned him a scholarship to play for Bo Schembechler at Michigan, but Larkin ultimately decided to give up football for baseball, despite the heckling from Schembechler. In the end, I think Barry made the right choice.
Larkin was never the flashiest player on or off the field, but he had just enough flare to appeal to all generations of fans. If he was playing today, he wouldn't lead the league in Twitter followers, but you never would have had to worry about Barry sending out a controversial tweet.
The one thing you did notice about Larkin was, no matter what game he was playing in, he usually was the best player out there. No question about that.
Barry was just Barry as ESPN's Jerry Crasnick points out. "He was thoughtful and accountable and had a knack for relating to every corner of the clubhouse. He spoke fluent Spanish and deftly bridged the gap from blacks to whites to Latinos and from young players to veterans." He was a leader on and off the field, and was loved by the city of Cincinnati.
Larkin played his entire 19-year career for his hometown team, appearing in 12 All-Star games, while winning three Gold Gloves and nine Silver Sluggers. He was the 1995 NL MVP and helped bring a championship back to Cincinnati for the first time in 15 years by batting .353 in the 1990 World Series.
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| Larkin's #11 has not been worn by any Reds player since he retired in 2004 and it's only a matter of time before the Reds retire #11 for good. (AP Photo) |
Barry amassed a career .295 batting average with 2,340 hits and he stole 379 bases. 36 of those bases came in 1996 when Larkin became the first shortstop in Major League history to join the 30-30 club. A stellar career that earned him 86.4% of the vote on this year's Hall of Fame ballot, forever enshrining Larkin with the best to ever play the game of baseball.
"Tradition never graduates," goes the saying at Moeller, which is attributed to legendary head baseball coach Mike Cameron, who coached Larkin 30 years ago. "It means the lessons they learned at 'The Big Moe' carry forth throughout their lives as Men of Moeller, and Larkin's success is an inspirational example."
Barry Larkin not only exemplifies the spirit of being a Man of Moeller, but he played the game the right way and with the passion that made him one of the most loved athletes to ever to walk the streets of Cincinnati. No one wore that Red C on their jersey better than Larkin and you can bet that #11 will never again be worn by a Reds player.
Barry, 48, currently works as a baseball analyst for ESPN, but his baseball career may not be over just yet. There are rumors that in a few years the former Reds captain may return to his native Cincinnati as manager of his hometown team. Whether it's true or just another rumor, no one really knows, but I sure wouldn't mind seeing Larkin back in the Reds dugout. I guarantee you; neither would the fans in Cincinnati, because the game of baseball is better when Barry Larkin is a part of it.
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