Larkin: Keep it clean

Barry Larkin wants to keep baseball’s most exclusive club clean. Inducted into the Hall of Fame last summer after a 19-year career with the Cincinnati Reds, Larkin told the Associated Press in a phone interview Wednesday that players who cheat shouldn’t receive baseball’s highest individual honor. “I think if you cheated, no, you don’t deserve it because I know how difficult it was for me to get there and how difficult it was for me just to compete on an everyday basis,” Larkin said. “I think if you cheated I think you made a decision and I don’t think you belong.” The 1995 N.L. MVP was speaking about a month ahead of the voting results for next year’s Hall class. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa are all up for selection for the first time. – Associated Press