Dick Allen

QUOTE (Tony @ Mar 18, 2016 -> 10:13 AM) It's a good question, and this may be a naive view on it, but that speaks to the leadership or lack thereof with the players, coaches and management if they can't bring everyone together. "Guys, this can turn into a huge distraction, or we can be united on this front and focus on an incredibly important season. No one is asking you to be in 100% agreement with this decision, you have a right to be upset, but act like a professional and keep it in the room. b**** at me, not to the media or anyone else. It happened, we're going to talk about right now, and then we are going to move on and focus on 2016." This turned into a circus and I don't think it needed to. When the story broke that the reason LaRoche retired was because of Williams asking Adam to dial it back with Drake, it became a story, understandably. Then Williams quotes came out, and almost everyone was in agreement he said the right things. Where it started to spin out of control was the leaks from the clubhouse with Sale popping off, Eaton making comments directly to media, then going on Twitter. That's really where the cracks starting showing, and I think there were some measures that could have been put in place to avoid that, that's all. Eaton is also saying the team is united regarding this. It's other media saying there has to be divide because at least Jimmy Rollins complained, and apparently had back up.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 18, 2016 -> 10:10 AM) None of this whole thing is a crime or anyone doing anything wrong to the other person. That's why this whole thing is so freaking stupid. LaRoche was stubborn for quitting and Sale needs to worry more about not letting the Twins make him look like Jim Parque. You of all posters would have a totally opposite opinion if this made a player who has been productive walk away. Sale was sticking up for his teammate. In the clubhouse, which supposedly "belongs" to the players. With all complaining you have done about LaRoche, why do you have to be derogatory towards him for quitting? You should be thrilled.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 18, 2016 -> 10:01 AM) Isn't this exactly what happened until someone from the LaRoche side leaked the story to the Pitt writer and Rosenthal? That's quite an assumption. How do you know it wasn't a White Sox player or coach or manager or executive? Say what you want, but Adam LaRoche himself has been pretty quiet. I'm sure his family and close friends probably wanted to know why he retired and he told them. I don't see where that would be a crime.

This did work out for the White Sox. The worst thing that could have happened was they pissed of most of the players to keep the ones who alledgedly complained happy and LaRoche complied. At least now they have money to spend, and really only KW looks bad. Maybe JR eventually.

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Mar 18, 2016 -> 09:40 AM) The kid doesn't have to be an asshole for the other players to not feel comfortable having him constantly around. It seems a lot of players are pretty pissed off he won't be around. Why is it necessary to piss off Chris Sale and Adam Eaton in order to accommodate Jimmy Rollins?

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Mar 18, 2016 -> 09:28 AM) And hypothetically if every new player had a problem with it (just for argument's sake), should the Sox accommodate one player over the wishes of a dozen? Even if they had a deal it's not like they banned Drake from the clubhouse outright. Yes. It seems to work that way with money. I'm sure there are more than a dozen players who would like more money,but the Sox can't give them more because they are giving John Danks $15 million. and it also seems at least the majority of players had no problem with this kid. It still hasn't come out that the kid did anything to bother anyone. And I still don't understand the it's OK if he's here 3 days a week. People who are bothered by his being there all the time, will be bothered by his being there 3 days a week. Maybe the Sox should ask guys who have sucked to rip up there contracts and play for less. Things change. Teams and players shouldn't be held to their commitments. Sale's contract is ridiculously team friendly. Things change. The White Sox should rip it up immediately and either give him what he deserves or let him become a free agent.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Mar 18, 2016 -> 09:18 AM) They "weaseled" out of their promise when veteran players complained. They told him it was fine last year and I agree there. The problem is, when new players on the team are bothered by it, the situation needs to be addressed. And it just was. We can go through this all day again, but a deal is a deal. Ask JR with Horace Grant. Horace made a verbal deal with him and "things changed". JR questioned his character. A deal is a deal, even if it's a bad deal. If Hahn and Robin gave their word, KW needs to honor that, not succumb to the wishes of some guy here on a minor league contract.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Mar 18, 2016 -> 09:17 AM) Not sure I agree. I think Jimmy Rollins and Alex Avila still would have had an issue with a 14 year old being around constantly. I don't think Avila had anything to do with it. There are photos with Avila with his arm around him and Drake driving him around in a golf cart. And even if they did, if they went to KW and KW said something to LaRoche and LaRoche said fine, I'll just go home, KW would say, on second thought, Drake is a fine boy. Seeing him every day is great.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Mar 18, 2016 -> 09:04 AM) If Adam LaRoche had a good year last year, I doubt he'd be retiring. Of course not, because Drake wouldn't be an issue. I know you know that. The White Sox promised him something, they weaseled out of their promise, and he did them a favor and walked away from $13 million. Be happy.

QUOTE (shakes @ Mar 18, 2016 -> 09:04 AM) You can't possibly be this naive. His family, friends, agents, and media contacts have been sharing intimate details from his side of the story non-stop. The story started this way. If he wanted it quiet you don't think he would have asked all of these people to keep it that way? They can't stop talking about it. One thing I can tell you is I am not naïve. You are assuming every pro LaRoche tweet, story, etc. is planted by him. You may be the naïve one.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 18, 2016 -> 08:53 AM) he is guilty by associations. he may not have said it, but he was or did condone someone was doing this in his favor. Where does it stop? If someone you work with says something, is that on you? If Adam LaRoche had a good year last year, I am thinking many opinions would be quite different, and Chris Sale and Adam Eaton wouldn't be stooges, but a brave heroes willing to go up against the almighty KW. I do hope for all those that called LaRoche selfish, if he does change his mind, they will have the courtesy of taking it back. It's funny when Cuddyer retired, many wondered, why not LaRoche. They wanted LaRoche to go away. He goes away, now he's a bad father, selfish, quit on the team....He left and gave the White Sox $13 million. The anger should be happiness.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Mar 18, 2016 -> 08:51 AM) LaRoche hasn't said anything but his company, his father, Pittsburgh writers, and his brother tried to get it out there as soon as possible. So what. Do you have a brother? Are you responsible for what comes out of his mouth?

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Mar 18, 2016 -> 08:44 AM) E3 Meat Company ‏@E3Meat 11h11 hours ago Kids in the clubhouse? Cubs say let players police it http://es.pn/257h7kU His meat company's page is full of anti-White Sox tweets. He has not been quiet. Just because he owns the company doesn't mean it is him tweeting. I would bet everything I own it isn't him tweeting.

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.