There is a saying attributed to an old baseball player from Baltimore. "I don't want to be a star," he complained. "Stars get blamed too much."

He need not have fretted, at least not in any lasting sense, as he wintered through the rest of his professional days warming himself on the heat of other big-city names. His words, though, that got passed on are applicable to any sport today.

On our domestic fields, every county has its star, its talisman, the one who provokes discussions that will rage after drink, the one whose number the kids want, the one that no one can quite figure out. Waterford's Paul Flynn is such a player.

In the last of these dramatic days of cut-throat hurling, we need stark imperatives and so tomorrow's match is being presented as a last stand for the Decies. Indeed, it is not an exaggeration to envisage an end to Gerald McCarthy's gracious reign if Waterford get scythed early yet again and with that a disintegration of the nucleus of the team he crafted.

But whatever way the match goes, the certainty is that Paul Flynn will come in for incessant scrutiny. They place their faith in him in Waterford, have adored his more sublime moments. And when that investment of hope is not met, they find it hard to contain their hurt, as if it were a betrayal.

They want Paul Flynn to shine and if he doesn't, they take it personally. He divides opinion, gets adored, gets blamed. Has done since he was a youngster.

"The focus that came upon him at what was an extremely young age was certainly unusual. He was just an outstanding athlete, it wasn't confined to the hurling. He was good at soccer too, although I'd never tell him that," laughs Stephen Frampton, his Ballygunner and Waterford team-mate.

"And I think that because people have seen the astonishing skill and feats he is capable of, they can't fully understand it when things go wrong for him or when he doesn't feature as strongly as they believe he should."

Gerald McCarthy has acknowledged his desire to help Flynn gain a level of consistency in his game. There were minor shock waves at the early stage of the league when Flynn was dropped for Waterford's game against Wexford.

"His form had certainly dipped and I suppose some of the reaction to that would have been, `oh, there's Flynn again, typical, he won't be ready this year, he won't put it in'," offers Frampton. "But I think he responded to that in the right way."

Flynn's scoring stats in the league are characteristically roller-coaster; 0-4 against Laois, 1-6 against Cork, 1-9 against Tipperary, 0-2 against Derry.

"Overall, Paul reacted very positively to not been chosen in the early stages and while the league didn't go well for us as a whole, he gave some notable performances," says McCarthy.

"But it is often forgotten that he suffers from the corner-forwards' dilemma, in that he is dependent on a regular supply of ball coming into him. We are fully satisfied that it is his best position and when he is on form, he can be unstoppable."

Don't they know it. Stories of Flynn's irrepressible gift are well worn by now. In the 1992 under-21 final, he nailed five of Waterford's 12 points, all from play as his team beat Offaly by three. He was still just a minor then and, flushed with the fearlessness of youth, he was on fire in that competition as well, scorching Tipperary for 3-6 in the Munster minor final.

In Waterford, it seemed apparent that this unassuming looking youngster was a ticket holder to the glory that had somehow forgotten that part of the country. But, of course, it is never so simple. Waterford's under-21 triumph never fully translated into a senior squad capable of taking Munster and Flynn had seasons that were neither good nor bad, just short. He heard the grumbles, felt the disillusionment and had several summits with (previous) management when he questioned his own future on the panel.

But when Waterford finally rumbled in 1998, Flynn had it going, sniping frees from all over Munster and a torment to every corner back that came his way. Stephen McDonagh, Limerick's esteemed defensive asset who will probably take responsibility for Flynn tomorrow, has felt the pain of his wizardry before. But that great run, that emotional return to Croke Park is already paling.

"On balance, it would probably be fair to say that Paul's best season was in 1998. That was partly because we got a run of games and teams and individuals improve with that. But in a way, his situation is a metaphor for the team. We haven't built on that season in the manner in which we would have liked, we have underperformed on occasion and we do feel we want to atone for that."

If they are to do that, if they are to cold-call on Eamonn Cregan's buzzing Limerick side, it is generally acknowledged that Flynn will have to be on show.

"Well, all our players will. I think it is important to say that in some respects, there is less pressure on Paul now that we have found some forwards capable of sharing the scoring burden with him," notes McCarthy.

"That wasn't the case before. But of course we are hopeful that Paul will be able to get maximum use from the ability he possesses."

Coaxing that from him has sometimes proven difficult. Flynn cares deeply about Waterford hurling and can be sensitive to the interpretation of his attitude.

"Encouragement is really the best way to get to him," says Frampton, who has watched his friend evolve from a youngster in Ballygunner N.S.

"He tends to be a fairly quiet fella on the pitch, he would never say much unless the ball wasn't coming into him, in which case he would let you know quick enough. He is one of those players that sort of float on confidence. He is at his best when he is carefree and will try literally anything, flicks and dummies and unorthodox things that many people wouldn't dream of. But it is just natural expression to him and I think that is what sets him apart. It is his confidence that feeds that."

It is perhaps hard for people to fathom how someone with Flynn's natural ability could not but be overflowing with confidence.

"He has a belief in himself, yes, but not in any noticeable way," says Charlie Lapthorne of the Ballygunner club.

"You see him with the youngsters around the club and he is great, you know. He's the one they want to be like."

And so it will be tomorrow. It isn't fair to ask which Paul Flynn is going to turn up. The same man lives the bad times with the good.

"We have spoken about this and all I can say is that he will be ready. He loves the big day and he realises the importance of this to Waterford hurling," says Frampton.

"And I think that deep down all players are conscious of what is said about them. I'm sure Paul would love to stuff it to the critics tomorrow, all players do. We have all seen what he is capable of on days like this before and I think he will relish the opportunity."

If he does, they will swamp him with emotion and shake their heads in wonder. And if he doesn't, they'll blame him. It comes with star territory.