The first I heard about this, Chicago White Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche announced his retirement from baseball. It was a sudden announcement with no real explanation - at first. He's leaving $13 million on the table in his contract, by the way.
Then we find out he's leaving because the White Sox - and in particular, vice president Ken Williams - wouldn't allow LaRoche's 14-year-old son, Drake, to be in the clubhouse every day with his dad. It wasn't a ban, but the boy's clubhouse access needed to be limited going forward.
His side of the storyThank u Lord for the game of baseball and for giving me way more than I ever deserved!#FamilyFirst— Adam LaRoche (@e3laroche) March 15, 2016
Friday afternoon, LaRoche released a statement about the situation. According to him, the agreement was for his son to be around the team in the clubhouse. At first, he was told to scale back his son's presence at the ballpark and then later told he couldn't be there at all. LaRoche says the decision was all thanks to a disagreement between him and Williams. That's it.
Apparently, the White Sox players, or at least some of them, are supporting LaRoche. They want their teammate to stay but understand why he is leaving. They even threatened to boycott a spring training game this week.
I don't get it. There's been a lot of talk, especially when the news first broke, that there must be more to this story. Is a Major League Baseball player really walking away from the game and $13 million because he can't make every day "Take Your Son to Work Day"? I mean, that can't be true, can it? I'm also not trying to make this all about money. Choosing between millions and your family is not what I'm going for here.
He's a kid, not a mascot
Friday, White Sox pitcher Chris Sale publicly showed his support of Adam and Drake, even saying "... he was our team mascot." Sorry Chris, but you've already got a mascot. Southpaw.
Drake, who is homeschooled, spent so much time at the ballpark that he had his own locker and uniform, plus paricipated in drills with the team. Funny, I didn't realize he had his own big-league contract at 14 years old.
I'm not trying to bash the kid here, if that's how it sounds. He probably just wants to spend time with his dad. While a Major League ballpark and clubhouse may be more fun and glamourous than a lot of other workplaces out there, it's still a workplace.
Can you imagine a co-worker at the office bringing their child to work every single day? Sure, you may like them and enjoy their company. There's just a time and a place.
Was this worth quitting your job?
I understand family being a value for LaRoche. Family is important and ultimately, a job is just a job. It's just hard to understand why the situation had to go to such an extreme. You don't get what you want (having your son at the ballpark), so that means you just quit?
He acknowledges that having his son around with both the White Sox and Washington Nationals has been a privilege he values and didn't take for granted. That's good, and I'm glad to see he recognizes that as such.
I don't know much about Williams, though I've heard he's not the best character around. Maybe this really was a disagreement between them. Maybe there were other underlying issues between LaRoche and Williams and this was the straw that broke the camel's back.
The whole thing is just weird. I'm not faulting LaRoche for his family values. It's just that he had a priviledge. When that was taken away, he decided that's the end of his baseball career. We can't always get everything we want. That's just how it works.
Was this worth quitting your job?
I understand family being a value for LaRoche. Family is important and ultimately, a job is just a job. It's just hard to understand why the situation had to go to such an extreme. You don't get what you want (having your son at the ballpark), so that means you just quit?
He acknowledges that having his son around with both the White Sox and Washington Nationals has been a privilege he values and didn't take for granted. That's good, and I'm glad to see he recognizes that as such.
I don't know much about Williams, though I've heard he's not the best character around. Maybe this really was a disagreement between them. Maybe there were other underlying issues between LaRoche and Williams and this was the straw that broke the camel's back.
The whole thing is just weird. I'm not faulting LaRoche for his family values. It's just that he had a priviledge. When that was taken away, he decided that's the end of his baseball career. We can't always get everything we want. That's just how it works.
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