Larkin to Bowden: "What part of 'no' don't you understand?"

[missionhockey21]

Reds notebook
Larkin turned down offer to play, but did swing a bat

By John Fay
Enquirer staff writer

WASHINGTON - At one point, Barry Larkin asked Jim Bowden: "What part of 'no' don't you understand?"

Larkin was at RFK Stadium in his capacity as special assistant to Bowden, the Washington general manager.

If Bowden had his way, Larkin would have been in the lineup at shortstop for the Nationals in the season opener against the Reds.

Larkin considered coming out of retirement after Bowden asked him numerous times.

"I had been working out," he said. "But I hadn't done any baseball stuff. I started hitting for about 2½ weeks - just to see. It felt pretty good."

Larkin's wife, Lisa, asked Larkin one day if he was seriously considering playing again.

"I said, 'Is that a loaded question?'" Larkin said. "That was pretty much the end of it."

Larkin, of course, played his entire 19-year career with the Reds before retiring this offseason.

Bowden was interested in getting Larkin to play because the Nationals shortstop, Cristian Guzman, went into Tuesday night's game with the Reds batting .194.

The only time Larkin has been in uniform is to coach Nationals players.

His old Reds teammate, Lenny Harris, saw Larkin in Nats gear when Harris visited Washington with the Florida Marlins.

"He said, 'Man, that looks weird,' " Larkin said.

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