Dick Allen

QUOTE (daa84 @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 08:17 AM) Of course that is what this is about. If your kid is there 100% of the time, there's no way you are doing your job to the best of your abilities. And if you hit two f***ing ten and make 13 mil, maybe you should be concentrating on your job WHILE at work and less about the kid Frankly I can't believe anyone in the world sides with laroche on this He had the kid around when he was doing fine with Washington. He gets called out now but he's been hurt. It's not like he's been doing drills and playing 6 hours a day. If a kid makes you not do your work, why would bringing him 4 days out of 10 be OK? Shouldn't they be totally banned?

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 08:14 AM) Which is why the Abbatacola report makes the most sense for why this situation took place when it did. If KW did this for team chemistry, it has apparently backfired tremendously. The kid has a lot more support in the Sox clubhouse than any player who if he was opposed isn't saying anything now.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 08:04 AM) Why does anyone think KW would admit if a player told him it was about the kid. That's a great way to kill team chemistry even more. It's no shock to me that the only media member to supposedly hear something is someone not associated with the Sox. From anyone who has said anything about the kid, including those that don't have a dog in the fight, there is no reason to believe he caused any kinds of trouble. If KW wanted to change the policy, he could have changed it in a couple of weeks. The kid isn't around every day during the season. He plays on 2 teams one in the Chicago area and one in Kansas. While he was around more than the 50% KW has now said is too much but 49% would be just fine, it wasn't the 100% many have said. If the kid is a distraction being there every day, he is a potential distraction being there once a month. If that is the case, ban them all. I wonder how the Sox ever won a WS with Ozzie's kids around every day. How did Dusty Baker get his team to the WS with his little kid there as a bat boy?

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 17, 2016 -> 07:52 AM) Most clubs including the Sox allow players families for Sunday games. Laroche wanted special privileges, and the Sox wanted to dial that back. Oh well. Oh and Drake was sitting in on team meetings and such. He was literally there for everything like a member of the team No he wasn't involved in team meetings. He did odd jobs and didn't have access to the clubhouse during games. Read the articles I linked earlier in this thread. LaRoche didn't ask for special privileges at all. He was doing as he did last year when the Sox said nothing. Either ban kids or give them x amount of passes. Many teams ban kids. If that is the policy, fine. Don't half assed adjust said policy because you think one kid is around too much.KW said it wasn't about this kid, it's about the next player who wants to bring his kid every day. Why didn't he ban kids when Ozzie was managing?

It's just another case of the White Sox doing something half assed. KW says kids are welcome, Drake is not a distraction, just bring him less than half the time, and everyone else, bring your kids they are welcome,would love to see them, just not 2 days in a row or 2 days out of 3. . Either make a clear rule for kids in the clubhouse, or ban them. BTW with bat boys and clubbies, there are young guys around these players all the time. It isn't like Drake was sitting in team meetings. Pick a lane KW.

I love spring training.

QUOTE (Black_Jack29 @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 09:34 PM) Yes, but it's not all about LaRoche and his kid, which is something that LaRoche doesn't seem to understand. It's about his kid's omnipresence negatively affecting the rest of the clubhouse. But KW said the kid wasn't a distraction and everyone liked him. So who is bulls***ting? I guess what I don't understand is why is it OK to have a kid there a little less than half the time, but not OK to have him ther half the time or all the time? Maybe the White Sox should institute a no kid allowed rule. That would be fine, but they should do it well before spring training starts. I would hope KW institutes a don't draft your kid and give him a $150k bonus policy. That didn't work out very well. And it isn't like LaRoche is the only player who brings his kids around. Dan Hayes said Konerko had his boys around a lot. Remember Dusty' Bakers kid? I also think comparing baseball with a regular job is pretty silly. Kids are allowed with a lot of teams including the White Sox.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 09:22 PM) Why does that matter? If you,are,making a big deal out of LaRoche preparing for the season, he just getting treatment wouldn't be effected by his son's presence.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 08:42 PM) Spring Training is prep for the season. I understand having him around for the first week or so and then maybe a couple days here and there but this is a business with a lot of money involved. It is ok to not have your son there every day and try to focus on getting better at what you are being paid to do. He has been hurt

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 07:14 PM) People ask what has changed since last year, and a logical answer is that some of the new players on the roster came into Spring Training and were shocked at how often he was around. The newcomers on this roster are much more vocal than a majority of the roster was last year. If even one player felt uncomfortable about it, then KW had every right to ask LaRoche to dial it back. 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.

QUOTE (flavum @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 06:49 PM) Last July, he was still under contract for a year and a half. I'm saying, is he doing this mid-spring training with a "win now" season upon us, and saw an opportunity to potentially get 13 mil off the books? If that's what he did, it's pretty brilliant and also evil. On the other hand, LaRoche should have dialed it back. If it would have caused him to quit, he could have saved the team another $6 million.

QUOTE (flavum @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 06:44 PM) Ok, so let's just throw this out there... Did Kenny act alone and get the exact reaction he wanted? I think he acted alone. I don't think he anticipated a retirement. If he did, he probably would have acted last July.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 06:40 PM) Not every f***ing day. It was every day this spring. It isn't every day during the season. He plays on 2 baseball teams. One in Kansas and one in Chicago. According to Dan Hayes, he is there more than most. He also said he is the most behaved kid he has ever met. He said a lot of the White Sox will genuinely miss him. I wonder when JR will have Gar tell DRose to give the father/son time at the UC a rest.

Drake left Sale a signed jersey. He must be pretty cool.

The Black Unicorn traded to NE

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 03:21 PM) They just asked him to dial it back and not have his kid there every single day. That's not unreasonable. Maybe not, but still it is an unwelcome sign. What constitutes the amount of dialing it back? If he is a distraction every day, why wouldn't he be a distraction once a week?

QUOTE (Black_Jack29 @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 03:13 PM) Perhaps it's the Sox's front office fault for not setting boundaries. Kenny did this spring, and LaRoche apparently wasn't happy about it. So be it. To answer your question, my guess is that LaRoche would've gotten more leeway if he had put up a .900 OPS last season. Superstars get preferential treatment (e.g., Barry Bonds' private room, complete with recliner and video game system in the Giants clubhouse). That said, I don't think that Kenny used this situation to force LaRoche off the team and $13M back into his organization's coffers. I honestly think that some of the new guys complained about it and that Kenny had no reason to give LaRoche special treatment. The other thing is, you say something like KW says, and how is LaRoche ever going to be comfortable ever bringing his kid in the clubhouse, whether it's once a week or once a month? You know KW is taking attendance. What is the cutoff between fine and too much? LaRoche walked away from a lot of money in a rather short period of time. Obviously having his son there meant a lot to him. As I said, I have no problem with the White Sox having a policy you can't bring your kid in every day, but they should have had it in place a while ago. If the White Sox could have signed Alex Gordon but Alex wanted his kid in the clubhouse every day during spring training, I really doubt KW would have said that would be a deal breaker. And if he did and that news came out, everyone would rightfully be blasting KW.

QUOTE (Black_Jack29 @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 02:52 PM) Even the nicest people in the world can get on people's nerves if they're constantly around. Then the entire team should be annoyed with each other. Many teams let their kids in the clubhouse, many have a policy against it. Either is OK. Just don't have one that allows it, and then ask the player who this means so much, to not take advantage. As the earlier post stated, does he have this conversation if LaRoche had a big year last year, and was healthy this spring? I don't think he does. If the truth is he would, then I apologize to KW.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 02:45 PM) I don't think that's obvious at all. It's more likely that he heard complaints from multiple players. I doubt that. From all accounts, both with the Nats and White Sox, this kid is supposedly a really good kid. If he was a distraction, they would want him gone. KW said he just didn't want him there every day.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 02:44 PM) , I'm sure this isn't just KW's decision. From his quotes with Rosenthal, there is no doubt in my mind it is all him.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 02:38 PM) Sounds like Drake's presence was no longer limited, according to KW today. He didn't call the Sox evil but he's clearly telling his friends they're persecuting him or some nonsense. Thank god we got his opinion. This spring he has been around all the time, but LaRoche has been hurt and unable to do anything anyway. The article I linked stated he had limited access during the season, and he played on a couple of teams so he wasn't around every game. This is just KW being KW. It shouldn't have been a surprise Drake LaRoche would be at spring training daily. He was last year as well. In the article it said LaRoche's wife and daughter don't come to AZ until about halfway through spring training. KW should have said something before spring training started. That's all I'm saying. It's obvious he is frustrated by LaRoche's performance/injury/whatever, and he took it out on the kid. I don't think it makes the White Sox evil at all. I do think it shows how petty KW can be.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 02:25 PM) Maybe they saw first hand that the kid was a distraction. I'm gonna start bringing my unemployed college roommate to work with me because I like having him around and then call my company evil when they tell me to stop. #FriendshipFirst He didn't call the White Sox evil. The guy loves his son so much he walked away from $13 million in 6 months to be able to spend more time with him. If more fathers had a fraction of that desire to be with their kids, the world would be a much better place. I just think it is bad to change the policy in the middle of spring training. You gave the kid a locker and a uniform, now you say he can't come in? Unless he did something dreadful, that seems to me to be a bit petty, and using the kid to try to punish or whatever to LaRoche is weak. From the articles I linked, the kid is supposed to be a real good kid who knew his place, and he wasn't in the clubhouse and on the field all the time. He was limited. As I stated, the new policy is fine, but if it was used as some sort of weapon against LaRoche, that, IMO, is wrong. LaRoche walked away. Good for him. I think most would not.

QUOTE (Tony @ Mar 16, 2016 -> 02:17 PM) Here is a question. If LaRoche hit 25 bombs last season, does Williams have this conversation.. No chance. But KW is now a shoe in for White Sox employee of the month and of the year. His decision resulting in $13 million in savings will endear him forever. I don't have a problem with the KW using this policy as long as it is for the right reasons. The question I have is why wasn't this policy put in place before now? There could be logical explanations, but it is cold to all of a sudden institute this policy when you know how much it means to the father and son.

Unless they were BSing, and this really is the reason, the team seemed to like having him around last year. And according to this story, he really didn't have full access all the time. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...0620-story.html

That doesn't make much sense either. One article I read said his kid has his own stall in the clubhouse this year. Why would they kick him out now? I can see a no kids rule, but I really don't think he would walk away from a profession because of this.