The controversy and scrutiny over Adam LaRoche’s sudden retirement continues to boil in the Chicago White Sox clubhouse. On Wednesday, sources told Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal that the issue which pushed LaRoche into this surprising decision was team president Kenny Williams informing the designated hitter that his 14-year-old son, Drake, would no longer be allowed in the clubhouse so frequently.
That revelation caused an uproar and an intriguing debate among players, media and fans over whether or not kids should be allowed to hang out in a major league clubhouse. On one hand, it appears kind of harmless. Sports always seem different from the real world. This is baseball. Grown men playing a game. Yet a major league clubhouse is a workplace. How many of us would be allowed to bring our child to work every day and let him or her occupy the office and possibly prevent work from getting done?
Tony Clark said the MLBPA has not yet ruled out the possibility of filing a grievance on Adam LaRoche's behalf with the White Sox.
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) March 17, 2016
It’s not difficult to imagine that some players and team personnel would be uncomfortable with a young teenager being around all the time. People might have to watch what they say and how they act, since they’re not just surrounded by colleagues and contemporaries. Management might feel the unusual allowance would prevent labor from doing their jobs and performing to the best of their ability.
Sources tell me one of the players very upset w/Kenny Williams was Chris Sale. The meeting yesterday was very contentious and Sale spoke up.
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) March 17, 2016
However, Williams’ suddenly strict policy apparently upset White Sox players enough to consider taking drastic action to protest. According to ESPN’s Karl Ravech, the players discussed not playing in Wednesday’s spring training game with the Milwaukee Brewers in unanimous support of LaRoche. White Sox manager Robin Ventura stepped in and persuaded the players not to boycott the game.
F-bombs aplenty flew during the White Sox's meeting with Kenny Williams. Players so pissed they considered boycott, as @karlravechespn said.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 17, 2016
With the players so upset at Williams over this LaRoche situation, feeling that their teammate and his son (whom all the players apparently enjoyed having around) were treated wrongly, sources told ESPN that a meeting among team owner Jerry Reinsdorf, Williams and general manager Rick Hahn is forthcoming. Ground rules for clubhouse access are now clearly a contentious issue between the front office, the coaching staff and players regarding who should and shouldn’t be allowed in the locker room.
Ventura certainly can’t be happy that a situation he felt he had under control was undercut by Williams and enraged the players.
Clubhouse chemistry always seems to be such a delicate issue in all sports. It’s a fragile thing that no one wants to upset, for fear of any tension or tumult affecting a team’s ability to win. What if the decision to restrict LaRoche’s son from the clubhouse, whose presence was apparently part of the slugger’s agreement in signing a two-year contract last year, ends up being a divisive, destructive issue for the 2016 White Sox? Who would have predicted that in a baseball season preview?
[ESPN.com]
