N.L. CENTRAL Larkin not happy with Reds' offer

The 18-year veteran turned down a 1-year deal to play next season.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Barry Larkin, the 39-year-old shortstop who took below-market contracts in his prime so he could stay with his hometown team, is going to be moving on.
As Larkin's 18-year career wound down, he wanted one more season in uniform before moving into the Cincinnati Reds' front office.
But, the Reds' captain turned down a one-year contract proposal Monday that he interpreted as a sign he was no longer wanted. The Reds made a take-it-or-leave-town offer that would have made him one of the lowest-paid players on the team.
"I'm really disheartened," Larkin said Monday night. "And I think one of the things that bothers me most is the fact that a guy who is not from Cincinnati appears to be in power to make this decision."
Chief operating officer John Allen got owner Carl Lindner's approval to handle Larkin's final contract offer. Lindner intervened in 2000, when the Reds tried to trade Larkin to the New York Mets, and instead granted him a three-year, $27 million extension.
Offer near player minimum
With the owner's blessing, Allen offered a $500,000 base salary next season -- the minimum any major leaguer can make is $300,000 -- with a chance to earn another $500,000 through playing incentives.
"I thought he would accept it," Allen said. "Based on the feedback I got from Barry and his agent, we weren't even close, not even on the same page."
Allen said the club's offer wouldn't change. Larkin saw that as an indication the club didn't want to keep him.
"I think John Allen's running things, and he's running me out of town," he said.
Larkin also was bothered by his discussions with Allen, who was prepared to let him leave as a free agent after the 2000 season until Lindner intervened. Larkin said that Allen inquired whether he would be willing to give up the title of captain if he returned next season.
Wanted to play one more year
"I don't truly believe he felt there was a power struggle between him and me, because I'm only a baseball player," Larkin said. "But I did have aspirations of playing one more year in Cincinnati and going into the front office."
The friction between Allen and the Reds' most loyal player underscored the seismic shift that has rocked the team. The Reds expected to return to playoff form when they moved into Great American Ball Park this season, but have imploded instead.
Allen fired general manager Jim Bowden and manager Bob Boone in July, then approved a trading splurge that slashed the payroll and cost the team some of its best players. Angry fans abandoned the team, which is fighting to stay out of last place in the NL Central.
"This contract showed me the door, basically," Larkin said.