Barry Larkin a true Hall of Famer

January, 9, 2012

1/09/12

3:03

PM ET

By Jim Bowden | ESPN.com

I spent 14 seasons in the front office of the Cincinnati Reds from 1990 to 2003, the final 11 as the team’s vice president and general manager, and was blessed to watch Barry Larkin roam the left side of the diamond as the Reds’ regular shortstop during my entire tenure. It was an honor not only because Larkin was a future Hall of Famer, but because he represented everything on and off the field that was right about baseball. A man of high character, Larkin was a leader, teacher, motivator, big brother and most of all, a winner. All of those qualities were rewarded today with the news that Larkin has been inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame.

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ABOUT THIS BLOG

Jim Bowden

Bowden, who served as the senior vice president and GM for the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals, is an analyst for ESPN.com. In 1992, Bowden became the youngest GM in MLB history when the Reds hired him at age 31. The Reds finished in first place twice during his 10 years as GM, and he was named MLB Executive of the Year by Baseball America in 1999. After working for ESPN in 2004, Bowden became the first GM of the Washington Nationals when the franchise relocated from Montreal to Washington, D.C., in 2005, working in that role until the 2009 season. Bowden co-hosts the "Inside Pitch" radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio. Follow on Twitter: @JimBowdenESPNxm.