Barry Larkin won a World Series and an MVP award with the Reds before entering the Baseball Hall of Fame, but as he celebrated his 54th birthday in Boston on Saturday, he considered an athletic achievement that eluded him.
Playing in a Game 7.
The 1990 Reds beat the Pirates in six games before sweeping the A's in the World Series. Larkin's 1995 Reds swept the Dodgers before being swept by the Braves in the NLCS.
His son, Shane, however, was about to play in the family's first winner-take-all playoff game and Barry Larkin, 12-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glover, felt butterflies.
"I told him I didn't want to put any pressure on him, but a win for pops on his birthday would be good," Barry Larkin told WEEI.com after the Celtics thrashed the Bucks to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. "They came through and it was great."
Shane Larkin played a valuable supporting role in the 112-96 victory with eight points, two assists, and a steal in 15 minutes. He was a plus-11 and drilled the 3-pointer with 51 seconds left that prompted broadcaster Mike Gorman to declare: "Ballgame."
So what's it like for a Hall of Famer in one sport watch his son attempt to excel in another?
One of the premier point guards in the nation at the University of Miami, where his coach was Jim Larranaga (father of Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga), Larkin followed a circuitous path to Boston. Drafted 18th overall by the Hawks in 2013 after his sophomore season, he was immediately traded to the Mavericks and then nearly as quickly broke his ankle. He played for the Knicks and Nets before spending last season in Spain.
He came to Celtics camp at the bottom of the depth chart but made the team anyway, appearing in 54 games and averaging 4.3 points while serving as a defensive pest and high-energy sparkplug.
"I watch him find his niche, be that bulldog on the defensive end," the elder Larkin said. "That wasn't part of his game when he was growing up. He was always the guy with the ball in his hands and scoring. To see him go through the transition and evolution of the player that he has become, it's amazing and it's humbling. It's an incredible, incredible feeling."
With Kyrie Irving done for the season and Marcus Smart injured for six weeks prior to Game 5, Larkin saw an increase in minutes. He delivered 12 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists in the regular-season finale, and after a rough Game 1 against the Bucks that included four turnovers, rebounded with 11 points in Game 2 and 14 effective minutes (2 steals) in Game 5.
"I'm not a nervous person," Barry Larkin said. "I certainly have all kinds of anxiety (watching Shane). I certainly want him to do so well. But I'm not nervous. Because I feel like he prepares. I feel like he's got a good relationship with Brad (Stevens). He understands what the team needs of him and what's expected of him. It's different when you're a role player and you have a defined role to go out there. You don't have to be 'on' to pressure the ball. You don't have to be stroking the ball to affect the game."
So what about baseball? Shane was a fixture at Reds camp in the 1990s, learning hitting from Tony Perez and Pete Rose. His dad believes he could've been a go-get-'em outfielder in the Mike Cameron mold, but Shane had different plans, quitting baseball as a kid and never looking back.
"He told me, 'I don't want anyone ever to say I made it because of my dad,'" Barry said. "I still believe it's not too late -- well, it might be getting kind of late -- for him to come play baseball. I still believe he has an opportunity to go out there and mix it up. Because I just think he's a natural baseball player, but he's a natural basketball player, too, and it's just wonderful to see."
Shane hasn't played baseball in nearly 20 years, but he laughed when apprised of his dad's dream.
"When I'm 35 and I retire from playing basketball, I know you can play baseball until you're 42, maybe I'll sneak in there and give it a try," Shane joked. "When I'm 35, my quickness won't be the same. I'll probably try to slide over to left field."
There's no rush. He's got a Game 7 under his belt and a role on a winning team. That's more than enough for his dad, who looked as comfortable in a Celtics hat and shirt as he did winning Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers while becoming one of the greatest shortstops in history.
Now it's his son's turn in the spotlight.
"It's just amazing to see him go from being the offensive force that he was at Miami, and then getting drafted and breaking his ankle, and then having to go to Spain this past year," Barry Larkin said. "So it's kind of been up and down, up and down. For me, this is fantastic. I'm really proud of him."
