By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SARASOTA, Fla. - The contrast of how different it would have been was not lost on Barry Larkin.

Larkin walked into the clubhouse this week at Ed Smith Stadium and got into a long discussion about youth basketball with clubhouse man Mark Stowe. It was a comfortable conversation with an old friend - Stowe has worked in the clubhouse Larkin's entire career.

If things hadn't worked out with the Reds last fall - and they almost didn't - Larkin might have been starting over for the first time in his 19-year big-league career.

"I thought about that a lot for a while," he said. "But this is where I wanted to be all along."

Larkin ultimately agreed to a one-year contract worth $700,000, plus possible incentives, with the Reds on Sept. 28. He said the fact that this is his last spring training as a player didn't make the ride to Sarasota from his Orlando, Fla., home feel any different.

"No, I'm just excited to get going," he said.

Larkin, who will turn 40 on April 28, was not due to report until Monday. But he showed up in time for the first workout with pitchers and catchers.

"It was good to see our captain come in - no question," manager Dave Miley said.

Because Larkin was sidelined by a sprained finger on his left hand at the end of last season, he was given permission to start working early.

"I wanted to come over and be with the team," he said.

Except that this is his last season, of course.

Larkin gets reminders of his pending retirement from time to time. He will be honored in an Oct. 2 ceremony, and is working with marketing director Cal Levy on details.

"It's like writing your eulogy," Larkin said.

The finger injury ended Larkin's season on Aug. 23. He probably could have played late in the season, had the Reds been in a playoff race.

"I had an easy offseason," he said. "I didn't have to rehab anything. That was great."

It gave him a chance to take up something that will help him get through retirement: coaching. He's working with son LaShane's 11-and-under basketball team.

Larkin takes the job seriously. Younger brother Byron, Xavier's all-time leading scorer, knows how seriously.

"I'm constantly calling Byron, asking him about the problems we have, looking for advice, trying to figure ways to combat things teams are doing to us," Larkin said.

He probably won't be coaching LaShane in baseball.

"He doesn't like baseball at all," Barry said. "He's an excellent basketball player, an exceptional football player and an inexperienced baseball player. It will probably stay that way."

Larkin will return to Orlando to coach Friday, then go back to Sarasota Sunday. The Reds' first full-squad workout isn't until Tuesday.

Larkin, of course, would like to go out with a strong season after injuries kept him out of 92 games last year. He played well when he was healthy, hitting .282 with 16 doubles, two home runs and 18 RBI in 70 games.

He's focusing on having a productive season, not on this being his last one.

"Not a lot of thought goes into (retirement)," he said. "This is just normal for me. I want to go out and play well, play hard, give it my all. That's the same with everyone."