Dick Allen

If anyone thinks this story wouldn't have eventually come out, you are kidding yourselves, and blaming LaRoche is silly. He has been as quiet as anyone. He won't even return Tony Clark's calls. It's better that it came out now than closer to the real games. At least now there is a decent chance it is long gone by the time the games count.

Today is the day LaRoche is supposed to make it official. If he really wanted to make this a circus, he would change his mind. I'm thinking there is no chance of that.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 09:31 PM) Publicly he does. If Eaton really didn't like the kid he would be the greatest actor of all time.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 08:41 PM) Honestly, no one needed to be wrong in this situation http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/laroche...te-sox-ventura/ So this one said new players stepped up and let KW have it. Eaton loves the Drake,

QUOTE (soxfan85 @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 08:22 PM) I don't think an environment that includes naked men is a place most dads want to subject their 14 year old son. A lot of 14 year olds are in YMCA locker rooms all over the country.

QUOTE (Tony @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 08:08 PM) Why not? I don't think an environment that includes naked men is a place most dads want to subject their 8 year old daughter.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 07:57 PM) "Adam gets to bring his son, but I can't bring my daughter? So we're discriminating now?" Yes. Adam can't bring his daughter either. On the other hand there probably isn't a father in the world who would have any desire to bring his girl around a Major League Baseball team.

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 07:53 PM) I wonder if a player wants to bring his 14 year old daughter into the clubhouse , would that be okay as well. Daughters are not allowed. LaRoche has a daughter.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 07:51 PM) Tom Shaer was just on with Laurence Holmes and mentioned that guys complained last year as well. Then why didn't KW say anything then?

QUOTE (Tony @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 07:28 PM) So if you we are going by sources and rumors, which is a lot of what we have here unfortunately, then the reports of Rollins and others going to management about the issue is just as credible. I went back to read some early posts in this thread just for the hell of it to see what reaction was to this before anyone really started making statements to the press about this, and you mentioned you thought it was weak to give LaRoche an ultimatum when it comes to his son. I don't really think that's the case. The story we have is this issue was brought up a week ago, I believe on a Sunday, and LaRoche didn't change anything, Drake continued to be with the team. At that point, another conversation was had with LaRoche, saying to scale it back from 100%, not completely remove him from the clubhouse. At that point, LaRoche MADE THE CHOICE to walk away. Almost everyone is agreement that the decision by LaRoche caught everyone off guard, including the Sox management. And that also goes back to the verbal agreement. Things change. It seemingly wasn't any issue to anyone last year. Nor this off-season. I agree the timing on this is very weird, and the reason for that is newcomers in the locker room, seemigly guys that have influence, seemed to have an issue with it. So like any reasonable business, management sits down with it's employee, and tries to work out a soulition. By Williams own quotes, he gave LaRoche options. Drake did not have to leave the clubhouse cold turkey and never return. Adam didn't like what he heard, and took his ball and left. I just can't wrap my head around the talk of "They had a verbal agreement, that seals the deal on everything." JR had a press conference ripping Horace Grant for backing out of a verbal deal. He didn't mention things change. To me a verbal agreement whether legally enforceable or not is your word. I believe your word should mean something.This is a windfall for the White Sox, and it will eventually blow over, but if they did make this verbal agreement what they did was wrong, unless there is something somewhere, anywhere that shows this kid was being disruptive. There isn't anything stating anything remotely like that. Everywhere you look, Rosnethal, Passan, Hayes, whoever else, it is reported there is no better behaved kid in any clubhouse, and the kid actually worked. He cleaned spikes, flipped balls to the fungo guy etc. if he was acting poorly, you can change the arrangement the team allegedly agreed upon. The fact that it pissed a lot of players off so much tells you the kid was obviously not an ass. Eaton tweeted the team is as solid together as ever. He could be saying that to say that or this could be true. Think about the spot Robin is in right now. He is either with his players or with the guy who determines if he gets another contract. Either way he is screwed. So the Robin haters probably have reason to rejoice. This is it for him.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 07:10 PM) Unless his dad was there when the contract was signed on what planet is that a reliable source? Wtf is his dad gonna say? Rosenthal mentioned Kaplan and said 2 other sources said there was a verbal agreement.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 07:02 PM) You keep using this as an argument when its been stated time and time again that nobody credible has confirmed if this kid was guaranteed 100% access at all times as a condition of LaRoche signing here. Youre making an enormous assumption because it fits your narrative but in reality if it isnt in the contract or if LaRoche doesnt publicly state that this was guaranteed to him and by whom your argument is pretty much useless. Hell, even if LaRoche tries to make the claim and Kenny denies it then we will never know the truth, but if it isnt in the contract (which I severely doubt it is) then its not gonna matter anyway. I think the guys dad an ex big leaguer and coach is a pretty reliable source.and the report that Hahn and Ventura didn't agree with KW lines up with that as well.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 06:47 PM) if you don't mind, i am going to play the devil's advocate here. lets say you were a player that had a problem with a players kid being there, maybe b/c you want to cuss, say raunchy girls jokes or what ever. but you feel restraint in saying anything, or for this discussion, the player says watch your mouth b/c of the kid. you ask that player the next day to not bring in the kid in the clubhouse as a favor and that player say go screw yourself side ways. what is or would be your next response. I wouldn't go running to Kenny. But it would take an awful lot for me to be bothered by a kid in my workplace. It is pretty rare in my line of work but it happens occassionally, and usually they are a lot of fun, or just keep to themselves. And If someone did complain to Kenny, he should have said as a condition of him signing, the GM and manager green lighted his access. There is nothing he can do now, he can change the rules next year. The kid is a good kid, just deal with it, and do your job.i

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 06:34 PM) Who's to say in all of this the agreement wasn't "he's welcome as much as he wants in the clubhouse unless it's a distraction to teammate(s)". No one in that pathetic clubhouse says a word last year, and the new guys come in and say something. For all this speculation about new players coming in and complaining, there is not one report the kid was nothing but a well behaved quiet class act who stayed out of the way. If the players have a problem with it and can't discuss it with LaRoche who is supposed to be the nicest guy in the world, they are p*****s.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 06:28 PM) Same with Ventura. Too bad for KW that he's the bad guy cause LaRoche wouldn't adhere to the wishes of a few teammates/coaches. KW is the bad guy because he din't care that his GM and manager gave their OK for this arraingment when signing the player, and made their word worthless.

Maddon said he wants no part of a kids in the clubhouse policy. He said it is up to the players to police it themselves.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 03:23 PM) If the MLBPA wins the grievance case (if it gets filed at all), do the Sox as an organization get punished in any way? I would imagine they would have to pay him a portion of the contract.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 03:15 PM) Personally, everyone should be allowed to raise their kids as they want in terms of school. From all reports, he's very well-behaved. As long as he's doing well on the standardized tests, LaRoche should be allowed to do as he pleases with his kids. I agree, that is why all this bad parent crap is crap. From all accounts, this is a pretty good kid he is raising. In one of the articles it says he plays on 2 teams and would love to be a ballplayer some day. Maybe now that his dad is retired, he goes to regular school. I would have done it differently than him if I were in the same shoes. But for me to say he is wrong would be wrong.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 03:08 PM) It obvious matters to Kenny, otherwise he doesn't threaten to quit over TOR. If he gets another chance he wants, he either leaves or quits. His threatening to quit was like Ricketts threatening to take the Cubs to Rosemont.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 03:08 PM) An overlooked issue is the multi-millionaire with access to advantages that 90% of Americans do not, saying that school is not important. I am starting to think that Adam LaRoche is one f'd up guy. This guy and his kid is pretty set for life but his message is horrendous and his kid now bears the weight of this bad decision regardless of what is said to him. Think about that for minute. Also in regard to the the "agreement' for child access t othe team all season. My guess is that he White Sox did not think it would be abused and used to excess. I think that is taken a bit out of context. The kid is doing schoolwork that the school district gives them, and taking tests at appropriate times. I think LaRoche means actually being in school wasn't important. That is debatable as well, but not as much as what it first looks like. I would disagree with him if he did actually mean what was written.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 03:02 PM) We all know he wants to be a team President. If he finds that chance, I think he leaves. He has a perpetual contract. If JR doesn't want him to leave, unless he outright quits, he is going nowhere. JR won't let him talk to other teams. He basically is the White Sox president except for title.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 02:59 PM) Yeah...I can't get on this argument. If the Sox told him, before he signed, that it was okay for his son to be there as much as he'd like him, than I think they made there bed. To change, yes, they are entitled to it, but it looks poorly and is essentially a flat out lie. From what I am reading, Hahn and Robin told him the kid's access would be fine, and it apparently is the reason they are in disagreement with KW. They gave their word, now they are overridden.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 02:52 PM) Well, the slim chance of Sale coming back to the Sox after his contract is up has officially bit the dust. I am not too worried about that. If he stays healthy his price tag will probably be $35-40 million a year at that point, and he probably will already have peaked.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 02:47 PM) Jerry won't let Kenny fire Rick. He wouldn't let him fire Ozzie when he originally wanted to. I think Rick will hit the road on his own. There are more and more stories about how Rick and KW aren't in sync. If both RH and RV disagreed with KW on this, and that could be for show, and he overruled, it may make the divide a little greater. Sullivan seems convinced RH is a bit frustrated about KW stepping on toes.

I think this will blow over eventually, but if it doesn't and the White Sox tank in 2016, my prediction is RH...gone. RV...gone. KW takes back the GM seat.