Larkin: Drug cheats do not belong in Hall of Fame

 
No Author Published: December 6, 2012    Comment on this article Leave a comment

photo - FILE - In this July 22, 2012, file photo, former Cincinnati Reds star Barry Larkin holds his plaque after his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum during a ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y. Larkin wants to keep baseball's most exclusive club clean. Inducted into the Hall of Fame last summer, he told The Associated Press in a phone interview Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, that players who cheat shouldn't receive baseball's highest individual honor. (AP Photo/Tim Roske, FIle)
FILE - In this July 22, 2012, file photo, former Cincinnati Reds star Barry Larkin holds his plaque after his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum during a ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y. Larkin wants to keep baseball's most exclusive club clean. Inducted into the Hall of Fame last summer, he told The Associated Press in a phone interview Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, that players who cheat shouldn't receive baseball's highest individual honor. (AP Photo/Tim Roske, FIle)

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Larkin spent nearly his entire career playing in the Steroids Era. And he doesn't want to jump to conclusions about the stars he played against. The three-time Gold Glove shortstop would like to see baseball offer definitive guidance on who has done performance enhancers and who has not before admonishing them.

"There can't be this hearsay. If you can prove it, then that's what it is," said Larkin, who will manage Brazil in March's World Baseball Classic. "If you can't prove it you're innocent until proven guilty."

These days, the 12-time All-Star discusses the dangers of steroid use with many of the young players he helps support through his Barry Larkin Charitable Foundation.

With a team in New Jersey, the Jersey City Reds, and two more on the way, one in Orlando — where he currently lives — and another in his hometown of Cincinnati, Larkin has ample opportunity to dissuade young athletes from using illegal substances.

"We talk about not cheating, we talk about shortcuts," Larkin said. "These kids are impressionable. They're very aware."

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