Adam Laroche retires, debacle ensues

[Shockmaster]

No, apparently you learn more in the clubhouse than in school lol

Yep. Grade A parenting right there.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

So the GM's good with it, the manager's good with it, and the players appear very much to be good with it, so what's the issue? I don't even buy the whole precedent thing, it's such an unusual case that it will probably never come up again.

 

[BostonBob]

So the GM's good with it, the manager's good with it, and the players appear very much to be good with it, so what's the issue?

Because now that there's been some public backlash the players are no longer " good with it ".


from cbssports.com:

On Wednesday, we learned White Sox DH Adam LaRoche opted to walk away from baseball because a new team policy prevented him from bringing his 14-year-old son Drake into the clubhouse on an everyday basis. The White Sox want to prevent distractions, basically.

In an appearance on ESPN's Mike & Mike radio show, ESPN's Karl Ravech said White Sox players nearly boycotted Wednesday's spring training game because they were so upset LaRoche was leaving. You can listen to the interview here. Here's a transcipt:

"This is a team that was not going to go out and practice, and furthermore, this was a team that ultimately said to the manager 'We're not going to go out and play in that game at 1:00.' You had a team that was willing to stand by the player and not participate in practice, and more so, not participate in an exhibition game."
...
The decision by (team president Kenny Williams) to limit the amount of time that a child can be in that clubhouse didn't sit well with the players. I think now we have set up in Chicago a situation where managers and players are universally, universally in the same corner and president and GM perhaps could be very much in a different corner and the separation needs to be in place."


Ravech said manager Robin Ventura intervened and told his players to play Wednesday's game because it was their job, and because LaRoche would want them to do so.


Full story here: http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on...ly-boycotted-game-over-adam-laroche-situation

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Because now that there's been some public backlash the players are no longer " good with it ".


from cbssports.com:

On Wednesday, we learned White Sox DH Adam LaRoche opted to walk away from baseball because a new team policy prevented him from bringing his 14-year-old son Drake into the clubhouse on an everyday basis. The White Sox want to prevent distractions, basically.

In an appearance on ESPN's Mike & Mike radio show, ESPN's Karl Ravech said White Sox players nearly boycotted Wednesday's spring training game because they were so upset LaRoche was leaving. You can listen to the interview here. Here's a transcipt:

"This is a team that was not going to go out and practice, and furthermore, this was a team that ultimately said to the manager 'We're not going to go out and play in that game at 1:00.' You had a team that was willing to stand by the player and not participate in practice, and more so, not participate in an exhibition game."
...
The decision by (team president Kenny Williams) to limit the amount of time that a child can be in that clubhouse didn't sit well with the players. I think now we have set up in Chicago a situation where managers and players are universally, universally in the same corner and president and GM perhaps could be very much in a different corner and the separation needs to be in place."


Ravech said manager Robin Ventura intervened and told his players to play Wednesday's game because it was their job, and because LaRoche would want them to do so.


Full story here: http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on...ly-boycotted-game-over-adam-laroche-situation

I meant with the kid being there. Everyone was fine and Williams was fixing a "problem" that didn't appear to exist.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Or more likely some players privately advised KW of there issue with it but feared the Sale/Laroche faction of clubhouse and coming public

No doubt in my mind Kenny is taking bullet for some players who don't want to speak up and frankly Sale/Laroche come off as bad guys in all this

Sale has no business talking to team president the way he did

 

[MurrayBannerman]

Or more likely some players privately advised KW of there issue with it but feared the Sale/Laroche faction of clubhouse and coming public

No doubt in my mind Kenny is taking bullet for some players who don't want to speak up and frankly Sale/Laroche come off as bad guys in all this

Sale has no business talking to team president the way he did

Why? This isn't a conventional office setting.

 

[aleshemsky83]

Or more likely some players privately advised KW of there issue with it but feared the Sale/Laroche faction of clubhouse and coming public

No doubt in my mind Kenny is taking bullet for some players who don't want to speak up and frankly Sale/Laroche come off as bad guys in all this

Sale has no business talking to team president the way he did

This is likely the case.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Or more likely some players privately advised KW of there issue with it but feared the Sale/Laroche faction of clubhouse and coming public

No doubt in my mind Kenny is taking bullet for some players who don't want to speak up and frankly Sale/Laroche come off as bad guys in all this

Sale has no business talking to team president the way he did

You can get away with what your talent allows. That's true of any job requiring a skill that isn't easily replaceable.

 

[SladeWilson23]

It's like 90 days a year when off days spent traveling are taken into account. That's more than made up for with the 3+ months that baseball players can spend at home with their families when the season is over.

What other profession other than teacher gives their employees 3 months off?

I get 4 months off. I work at a golf course.

 

[Voight]

This kid has been spending much of his life out of school and pretending to be an MLB player. He's gonna be so messed up by the time he's an adult.

Yep. Grade A parenting right there.

Not unless he makes the MLB. LaRoche apparently did the same thing for his childhood when his dad was a major league pitcher. Obviouslly the chances are low but its how he was raised so I can see why hes doing it. Who really acres as long as he's still getting an education.

Sale has no business talking to team president the way he did

Yea he does. Its called standing up to management, and he was every right to do so as the teams franchise/best player.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Good lord this is an extremely bizarre and embarrassing situation for everyone involved. Now you've got the franchise player in a standoff with the team president. Can't imagine how this is a better atmosphere with less distractions heading into 2016 than some guy's kid being in the locker room, as strange as that was in the first place.

 

[robert terwilliger]

the ironic thing is that apparently williams was looking to makeover the team's locker room "vibe" according to olney.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Shows how absurd Sale and Laroche have acted

Sox wanted him not in there every god damn day ,,, It wasn't unreasonable request

 

[IU Hawks fan]

None of this would've happened if the guy didn't completely suck balls last year, just throwing that out there.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Or more likely some players privately advised KW of there issue with it but feared the Sale/Laroche faction of clubhouse and coming public

No doubt in my mind Kenny is taking bullet for some players who don't want to speak up and frankly Sale/Laroche come off as bad guys in all this

Sale has no business talking to team president the way he did

That's possible, but seems a lot more unlikely given there was almost a full-scale revolt. I'm also guessing any player would've went to Ventura first and to Williams never.

And how is Laroche a bad guy? He didn't even appear to argue, he just flat out retired. It was also apparently a condition of some sort when he signed there, so he'd have every right to be pissed this was being brought up now.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

That's possible, but seems a lot more unlikely given there was almost a full-scale revolt. I'm also guessing any player would've went to Ventura first and to Williams never.

And how is Laroche a bad guy? He didn't even appear to argue, he just flat out retired. It was also apparently a condition of some sort when he signed there, so he'd have every right to be pissed this was being brought up now.

You don't think there are some players who are unwilling to speak up watching Sale and others with there nonsense crusade?

If they speak up they are stuck in a lockerroom which will have them as outcasts

Its essentially bullying by Sale and others ,, Sickening really

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Yea he does. Its called standing up to management, and he was every right to do so as the teams franchise/best player.

And Kenny has the right to tell Sale to grow up and if he doesn't like how things are going he can retire and come back to MLB in 4 years when he hits UFA (Sox hold club options to use in 2018 and 2019 that keep him away from UFA)

 

[IU Hawks fan]

That's possible, but seems a lot more unlikely given there was almost a full-scale revolt. I'm also guessing any player would've went to Ventura first and to Williams never.

Seems to be conflicting reports, as the national media are saying everyone is mad but the local media are saying there are players who did speak out about not wanting him around.

 

[MurrayBannerman]

And Kenny has the right to tell Sale to grow up and if he doesn't like how things are going he can retire and come back to MLB in 4 years when he hits UFA (Sox hold club options to use in 2018 and 2019 that keep him away from UFA)

The MLBPA would rip the Sox to shreads and Kenny's career would be over.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

The MLBPA would rip the Sox to shreads and Kenny's career would be over.

If Sale doesn't want to fulfill his contract and take the field the White Sox would be well within rights to suspend him indefinitely

If Sale doesn't want to play for White Sox or respect management he has the right to retire and come back in 4 years after his rights have expired

MLBPA has no leg to stand on if Sale refuses to take field ,, Nor do they have leg to stand on if he decides to retire because he doesn't like Sox management

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

You're inventing a total fabrication here BWC.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Definitely...needs to quit while he's behind.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

You're inventing a total fabrication here BWC.

Sale threatened to not take field and thus violate his contract

Nothing fabricated here ,, If he follows thru on his threat or in future says anything to Kenny Williams in manner he spoke then an Indefinite Suspension should be path the White Sox take

You cant tolerate this sort of behavior no matter how "Great" a player may be. This is the big leagues and if Sale doesn't want to play a game in big leagues that is his choice

 

[BigMac1212]

More proof this had gone too far - the kid had his own freaking locker in the Chicago Clubhouse:

He had the same number? Somebody has an ego!

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Seems to be conflicting reports, as the national media are saying everyone is mad but the local media are saying there are players who did speak out about not wanting him around.

I could easily see guys not wanting the kid around. I just find it odd if not implausible they'd go straight to Williams about it as a major concern. And if they did want him gone so badly they kept going up the chain with it, not voicing that now also seems odd.

I'm guessing it was a minor issue that Williams took too far. Or maybe he didn't even do that, but he did lose control over it. And if they agreed to let the kid come in when they signed Laroche, which appears to be the case, it was dumb of Williams to even bring it up IMO.