Larkin’s Not Ready to Give Up on Reds

In a transitory era, Tony Gwynn and Barry Larkin rank 1-2 among active National League players in tenure with their current clubs. Gwynn isn’t going anywhere. Larkin can’t be sure. His Cincinnati Reds have dumped almost $15 million in salary since August. He is their highest-salaried player--$5.3 million this year and next--and says, “It would seem to make sense that if you’re reducing the payroll, you would get rid of the highest-paid player.”

Larkin stood at his locker in Qualcomm Stadium on Tuesday night and said he wasn’t asking for a trade and didn’t want one unless the Reds start trading off a core group of more-experienced position players, forfeiting any chance to win, but he sounded wistful when he said, “I heard a lot of talk last winter that I might be traded to the Dodgers. They needed a shortstop at the time, which is why I feel there was some validity to the rumblings. I think a lot of people were probably concerned I wouldn’t come back from the Achilles’ injury.”

Larkin won the NL’s most-valuable-player award as he led the ’95 Reds to a Central Division title. He was even better in ’96 as the first shortstop to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases. But he missed 63 games last year because of a heel problem that ultimately required surgery on Sept. 3.

He was back playing this spring when a disk problem led to loss of mobility with his left arm, prompting a delicate surgery--only after which Larkin learned of the paralysis risk. In another swift recovery, he was activated Wednesday and reflected on a series of injuries that have put him on the disabled list in seven of his nine seasons.

“You realize it’s part of the game and deal with it, but it’s frustrating nevertheless,” he said. “I have a greater appreciation for Cal Ripken.”

As for the Reds, Larkin said, “It’s always a circus but never boring. . . . I see us getting younger, but I see us getting younger around a certain number of key players. I don’t see us shutting down without a chance to win. I know we’re not conceding this year or next. We have a lot of good young players. We have a chance to be competitive.”

It’s unlikely Larkin will join the long list of more expensive players who have been traded or released. He is the Reds’ heart and soul.

A wave of young shortstops--Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra, Edgar Renteria and Rey Ordonez, among them--has flooded the game, dominated the headlines, but Larkin, 34 on April 28, said, “I’m still doing my thing and still feel good about myself. People don’t have to talk about me, that’s not my motivation. Regardless of where I go or play, I know I’ll be in the mix. I don’t feel I’ve been lost in anyone’s shadow.”

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The St. Louis Cardinals scored 32 runs in their three-game midweek sweep of the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The remarkable aspect was that Mark McGwire didn’t hit a home run. Otherwise, events were normal for the mile-high ballpark. In 108 of the 239 games at Coors through Saturday, one of the teams had scored 10 or more runs. In 15 of the 108, both teams had.

The latest poundings continued to erase the Rockies’ spring optimism regarding their pitching, a glow perpetuated by their season-opening sweep of Arizona.

“Just shows you can’t believe what you read,” Colorado Manager Don Baylor said after a fifth consecutive loss Thursday. “Healthy arms are great, but only if they get some outs.”