chitownsportsfan

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 12:42 PM) Jeff Passan ‏@JeffPassan 7m7 minutes ago The main thrust of Chris Sale's anger with Kenny Williams was that he's not around enough to understand the dynamics of White Sox clubhouse. Chris Sale isn't a leader in that clubhouse in fact it was his buddy buddy relationship with Shark that probably contributed to some of the problems last year. His BS macho guy routine against the Royals certainly didn't help anything either getting suspended.

QUOTE (Baron @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 12:35 PM) Glad they are pissed off. Play pissed off and win. Indeed.

QUOTE (flavum @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 12:31 PM) The more I think about this, the more I think this has to do little to nothing about the rest of spring training, and more about the upcoming season and a change of rules. In that case, I have no sympathy for LaRoche. I think it has a lot to do with all the new veteran faces, many of them well established in the big leagues, that put their foot down. LaRoche was no longer the big swinging dick "leader" he was in 2015 and the other vets were just like "wtf is this ish". I can see where guys like Eaton and Abreu, who were supposed to the clubhouse leaders last year, acquiescing to LaRoche because it's in their nature. But Jimmy Rollins and Alex Avila and Frazier? Hell no, those guys have enough cache to go to management and put their foot down.

what did Chris Sale say? Sale is a weird dude but that fire that burns in him is what has made him develop into arguably the best pitcher in the AL and top 3 in all MLB easy. He was far, far from a finished product coming out.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 01:04 AM) After thinking about this for awhile you & CSN are 100% correct. I feel like any other opinion is wrong. You can't have your kid around the grown boys all the time. You just can't do it. Can't do it. Who the hell did he think he was doing that? I think Robin may be at fault a bit for immediately not putting his foot down last year by saying, "Whoa buddy, what the hell do you think you're doing; show some respect." I'm in my experience in life if you give people an inch, they will often, over time, take a mile. Most of the time the fault is with you giving the initial inch without reassurances it won't turn into a mile. Here's what the Sox might have said to Adam: "Adam, your son is welcome in the clubhouse any time" and Adam, being the egomaniac that he apparently is, took that as a sign that he was free to travel with the team like he was ON the team. No.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 12:42 AM) I would be it was about the other players being afraid to be "adult" around the kid more than anything else. LaRoche is religious, the players know that, so you aren't going to play all your vulgar music, tell your raunchy stories, be loud and curse, and walk around naked/clad with a kid there all the time. I get how this could be very tiresome for teammates. Ever hang out with all your buddies and then they bring their kid/parent/girlfriend around? You feel like you have to censor yourself or tone it down or watch how you act. It's just not the same. I could see that leading to an awkward clubhouse and CLEARLY the focus this offseason was to bring in high-energy, loud personalities and I can see them clashing immediately. it's ridiculous. Try and imagine this in an NFL or NBA locker room. You can't. Only by some crazy baseball logic is this even close to a thing.

There's a lesson here, and that lesson is: YOU NEVER SIGN AN AGING DH SLUGGER FROM THE NL. * * at least if you're the White Sox

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 11:02 PM) David KaplanVerified account ‏@thekapman 13m13 minutes ago Do not believe for 1 sec Adam LaRoche is in wrong. After doing my homework I promise you Sox said Drake could ALWAYS be around. idiot. he needs to either name his source (with permission or without) or get off the pot. His source could be LaRoche himself or his agent, wtf good is that? Verbal agreements are not worth s*** and everyone knows no how well intentioned you f***ing get it in writing.

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 10:44 PM) Damn daniel Holy s***. That is straight fire. This story is gonna go national tmr, almost guaranteed. It's got all the best grandstanding stuff: religion, family, management verse employees... I literally think that may be the harshest condemnation of any fellow "club member" (inside the MLB frat) I have ever seen in print. WOW

QUOTE (Black_Jack29 @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 10:39 PM) Ventura is no Earl Weaver, that's for sure. That said, telling LaRoche to go f*** himself wouldn't accomplish anything constructive. Unless you think that making Eaton and LaRoche's other buddies hate RV is constructive. Today's pro athletes tend to be entitled morons who think that the world revolves around them. Yet, as a manager, you have to get these morons to like you and play hard for you, if you want to keep your job. That's Ventura's job, not to pound his fist on the table and act like a tough guy. Guys like Earl Weaver don't last for long in the bigs anymore. Fair enough, in fact, I think you are right. Good post.

QUOTE (Black_Jack29 @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 10:31 PM) In addition to setting the lineup and handling the pitching staff, managers handle player egos and smooth over hard feelings. Ventura can't get into the middle of a spat like this and alienate a bunch of players. I agree that somebody higher up had to intervene. Uh, yea, that describes this situation pretty well. RV is just a weak leader and it's proven again. A strong leader would have told LaRoche privately to go f*** himself. Also speaks to a failure of the players to police their own clubhouse.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 10:26 PM) When it's players against players for off the field issues he should stay of it. He needs to manage and work with them daily on the field. They can't have the manager get into it with the players. Eh it's pathetic. Why the hell is the "executive VP" down in the clubhouse anyways to sort this out? That's literally like the first responsibility (and most important perhaps) of the manager. WTF are the paying RV for exactly?

QUOTE (Black_Jack29 @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 10:23 PM) Unless the kid was attached to LaRoche's hip the entire time, he undoubtedly heard stuff like this in the clubhouse. This is another reason why players were probably not happy with a 14-year-old being around all of the time. Pro athletes tend to be raunchy and strongly prefer a clubhouse where "men can be men." It's basically their office. In fact, it is their office. Your kids don't belong at the office every day, it doesn't matter what your profession is that's just how it's done in society.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 10:18 PM) LaRoche is pretty religious...I have a feeling there wasn't much talk of banging chicks around him or his son. At the risk of starting a flame war it's the same intolerance of differences in LaRoche's religious beliefs that led him to this conclusion. It's his way or the highway. You'd think a guy in team sports would learn to get along with others and go with the flow. If he wanted to have his kid around all the time he should have asked for it in his contract. That he just assumed the Sox would be cool with it is moronic and shows the sort of thinker he is IMO...

QUOTE (Jose Paniagua @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 09:57 PM) I am with the Sox on all of this. Though it should be said that if LaRoche had a .840 OPS last year and Kenny did this, causing him to leave...every Sox fan would be up in arms at Kenny, siding with Adam If he had an OPS of 840 last year maybe he gets traded at the deadline, makes a playoff run, and then his new club says "s***, bring your whole family". Hindsight is pointless.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 09:54 PM) Can Eaton stop using Twitter? He already got in some trouble with the Oscars tweet and now he's actively Tweeting against the decision made by the front office of his own team? SMH. He needs to STFU. These guys are already building all the excuses they need for a slow start. It's ridiculous. STFU and play baseball.

I dunno maybe he can hit for an OPS of over 750 in AAA this year.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 08:19 PM) If Jose Anreu or Chris Sale brought their kid to the clubhouse every day this spring and Brett Lowry didn't like it, do you really think KW would have done the same thing? That is the one question to me is most important. KW talked about being fair, but I think, and perhaps incorrectly, LaRoche's status as a player had something to do with this. Most great coaches have a phrase "everyone is equal in their own way". You don't treat Michael Jordan like Steve Kerr. Treating everyone the same is a great way to fail as a coach in pro sports.

let's cut to the chase: has he filed his paperwork with the league office or what? I'd sleep better tonight knowing his moronic ass and 13 million are off the team.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 07:15 PM) Talk about some pressure on the kid too. You're dad just threw away 14 million and you're at the center of the controversy. Why is the kid not hanging out with his peers anyways? LaRoche just seems like a nut imo. There's a reason you hear all the time "I retired to spend more time with my family". A MLB clubhouse, at home or on the road, is not a place for your kids.

good riddance to LaRoche, more I hear about this story the more his poor play last year annoys me. Was willing to give him a pass as he seemed like a nice enough bloke but FFS dude way to draw a line in the sand over some dumbass s***. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Guarantee some of his team mates feel the same way. It's selfish to bring your kid into that clubhouse every.single.day. JUST LIKE OZZIE. Seriously, there is little difference and I guarantee the players couldn't stand either situation.

QUOTE (mmmmmbeeer @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 05:31 PM) Adam Laroche really seems like he's likely an annoying guy....die-hard hunter, country, Duck Dynasty, holy roller, etc......a guy like this doesn't see things rationally, like a suggestion from your boss to not bring your kid to work everyday isn't seen as a reasonable request but rather an assault on FAMILY VALUES! As with most people who feel that life is one big, emotional country ballad about god, guns, and family, Adam feels that taking this brave stand is standing up for 'Murica. Just look at what his buddy posted about "good and evil". Good riddance. Yea, go figure. He's lucky he's a f***ing baseball player. Good luck taking your kids to the factory every single day. LaRoche seems like a total helicopter parent. Dude, let your f***ing kid follow his own path.

Good for the Sox for standing firm on this. It's a f***ing professional work environment and while there's obvious differences between a clubhouse and your average say -- Doctor's Office -- it's a professional environment nonetheless -- your family is welcome on occasion but certainly not all the time. If LaRoche really wanted to spend more time with his kid he should...retire. Which seems to be what happened. I can easily see where some of the other players, including the single guys were getting annoyed. So what, LaRoche can bring his kid to every game and have him hang out in the clubhouse, so how about a non married player bringing his GF? How about her kids? I mean where does it end. Not a KW fan anymore but good on him for putting his foot down.

Avi needs to divorce his slash line from his BABIP. He needs to hit for more power and take more walks. He's not a slug but he's not a burner like Eaton that needs to slap hits everywhere and throw his bat at stuff hoping to just get on base. More pulled homeruns and less chasing junk.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Mar 15, 2016 -> 02:35 PM) Well this is good news for the Sox but I wish he would have decided before Spring Training Seems like his body is breaking down on him. Must be pretty bad if he's walking away from 13 million.