Kent teaches by example and, sometimes, words.(San Francisco Giants player Jeff Kent)

Jeff Kent doesn't like to admit it. He has a funny way of showing it. But he understands his responsibilities as a major leaguer and the lessons that a reigning National League MVP can impart to young players.

At the start of spring training, Kent asked Giants equipment manager Michael Murphy to move his locker from an area of the clubhouse reserved for veterans to another filled with prospects. His goal, he told reporters, was to teach, to set an example for the kids.

Nice story, right? Well, a few days into camp, the minor leaguers on either side of Kent said they had barely spoken to him. Kent, meanwhile, said that he had moved his locker only to escape "a high-traffic area" and had talked about becoming a positive influence only to give the writers a story.

The truth probably lies somewhere in between--Kent is something of a lone wolf, and some with the Giants believe that he indeed desired his own space. Then again, his attempt to downplay his motives was vintage Kent, an effort to deflect attention from himself to avoid easy categorization.

Get him talking, manager Dusty Baker says.

Get him talking, and you can't shut him up.

Most young Giants, of course, were reluctant to initiate conversation with such an accomplished 10-year veteran.