I'm spending too much time with my son? Keep your $13 Mil, I'm outta here!

[brickbacon]

@Thudlow_Boink

I’m really tired of these kinds of comments, where people judge a job by just its most visible part (thereby making it look a lot more trivial than it is). The job of a major league baseball player isn’t just playing a game; it’s also spending hours and hours practicing and working out and watching video and traveling and talking to reporters, not to mention all the dues-paying that has to happen before you even get to the major leagues.

That said, LaRoche is indeed giving up a pretty sweet gig for what seems a piddly-ass reason.

Well said!

@Snarky_Kong

None of that means that it isn’t a game.

But it does mean trivializing it by lamenting how much these guys are paid “to play a game” is uncalled for.

[Skywatcher]

(bolding mine)

@brickbacon

But it does mean trivializing it by lamenting how much these guys are paid “to play a game” is uncalled for.

Which is not what I was doing. I was pointing out that the very first reply compares apples with oranges.

[mhendo]

@Barkis_is_Willin

First of all, that LaRoche was set to make $13M is outrageous. That he wants to retire because the White Sox don’t want his kid in the clubhouse every single day, I couldn’t care less. That’s what he wants to do that’s his prerogative. He’s financially set. He’s got his priorities. I think the White Sox made a reasonable request. There’s no bad guy here. Just a difference of opinion, I guess.

Well, the amount of money was explicable by the fact that La Roche signed a two-year contract before the 2015 season after having three pretty productive seasons (OPS+ of 127, 101, 124).

Of course, guys in their mid-30s can tank pretty quickly, which is exactly what happened here.

I agree that there don’t seem to be any real bad guys here: La Roche gets to retire with his $70m in career earnings and spend time with his kid; the White Sox remove what might have been a distraction from the clubhouse; and the bean counters in the White Sox organization have an extra $13m to spend on someone who might not suck.

[Snarky_Kong]

@brickbacon

But it does mean trivializing it by lamenting how much these guys are paid “to play a game” is uncalled for.

I don’t think it does. Regardless of how hard they work it’s still a very fun, low stakes endeavor.

[Disgruntled_Penguin]

@mhendo

Well, the amount of money was explicable by the fact that La Roche signed a two-year contract before the 2015 season after having three pretty productive seasons (OPS+ of 127, 101, 124).

Of course, guys in their mid-30s can tank pretty quickly, which is exactly what happened here.

I agree that there don’t seem to be any real bad guys here: La Roche gets to retire with his $70m in career earnings and spend time with his kid; the White Sox remove what might have been a distraction from the clubhouse; and the bean counters in the White Sox organization have an extra $13m to spend on someone who might not suck.

At the price it appears of unifying the clubhouse against the management and creating a different distraction when the goal was to have the entire focus be on winning. They absolutely have a right to do it but if you asked me, the results certainly npt what they wanted or expected. If the last article is correct then the team had an agreement with the player and they broke it. How that can possibly help the clubhouse or signing new players?

[madmonk28]

@Mahaloth

Never heard of this athlete in my life and while I like the gesture, it is odd to bring a kid to work daily. I’m amazed it was allowed more than once in a blue moon.

When Asdrubral Cabrera was fielding offers in 2014, one if the reasons he chose the Nats offer was that it was a family friendly club that let players bring their kids around and Adam Laroche helped convince him to come to DC, both their kids had Nats uniforms and fielded balls during batting practice.

[Leaper]

@Snarky_Kong

I don’t think it does. Regardless of how hard they work it’s still a very fun, low stakes endeavor.

Yeah, for the spectators. But doesn’t the very fact they play to justify million dollar contracts make it high stakes for the ATHLETES?

[mhendo]

@Disgruntled_Penguin

At the price it appears of unifying the clubhouse against the management and creating a different distraction when the goal was to have the entire focus be on winning. They absolutely have a right to do it but if you asked me, the results certainly npt what they wanted or expected. If the last article is correct then the team had an agreement with the player and they broke it. How that can possibly help the clubhouse or signing new players?

I’m always wary, in cases like this, when one or two players or employees claim to speak for everyone. According to this story, there were players and employees who weren’t so keen on having LaRoche’s kid around all the time:

Several players and staff members privately complained to White Sox management recently about the constant presence of LaRoche’s 14-year-old son, Drake, in the clubhouse. Drake LaRoche, multiple people say, was with the team about 120 games during the 2015 season.

<snip>

Perhaps the verbal agreement in theory felt far different in practice, and that the White Sox were taken aback that LaRoche truly had his son everywhere with him. They were together virtually every home game. He made almost half the road trips. Flew on the team charters. And even participated in drills.

The story concedes that the White Sox didn’t handle it very well, but as the author also notes, it is pretty unlikely that the GM took it upon himself, in the absence of any complaints, to tell LaRoche not to bring his kid so often.

[Ulf_the_Unwashed]

Yeah, really hard for me to believe that this whole thing isn’t predicated on at least a player or two complaining about the kid being always underfoot.

Athletes and managers and front office people are very big on reducing “distractions,” whatever that may mean, and having a kid constantly around could certainly qualify.

And no player wants to be the bad guy, the teammate who says “Get this kid out of here,” especially if the kid is basically inoffensive (that is, it’s not THE kid, it’s the presence of A kid that’s the problem).

So I can easily see the GM protecting the players who are less than thrilled about having young Drake around, and not saying anything about what complaints he might have heard.

[chela]

I’m surprised how deep in the routine this boy was able to participate, and he’s the only lucky son who gets the VIP treatment? Uncool IMO.

And possibly dangerous if he’s a bat boy or something. Though he is experienced being around players NTL still a risk and a bad precedent. He should try out for little league if he wants to hang around his field of dreams.

[Fear_Itself]

@Snarky_Kong

None of that means that it isn’t a game.

Because playing baseball for a living is the same as playing Hungry Hungry Hippos.

[Snarky_Kong]

@Leaper

Yeah, for the spectators. But doesn’t the very fact they play to justify million dollar contracts make it high stakes for the ATHLETES?

Depends on what you mean by high stakes I guess. These people aren’t paying to put food on the table or to make sure they can afford healthcare. A laborer making a low salary is working so that their kids can be healthy, educated, and not work the same shitty job as them. For even the lowest paid pro athletes (big 4 sports) all that is already taking care of. Their stakes are just extra comfort, nothing that actually matters.

[Snarky_Kong]

@Fear_Itself

Because playing baseball for a living is the same as playing Hungry Hungry Hippos.

Nice strawman you have there.

[Ulf_the_Unwashed]

@Ulf_the_Unwashed

Yeah, really hard for me to believe that this whole thing isn’t predicated on at least a player or two complaining about the kid being always underfoot.

…
So I can easily see the GM protecting the players who are less than thrilled about having young Drake around, and not saying anything about what complaints he might have heard.

Hardballtalk is reporting that (so-far unnamed) players did indeed lodge complaints about the kid’s presence: It finally comes out: Several White Sox players complained about Drake LaRoche - NBC Sports.

[markdash]

According to LaRoche himself, this issue was discussed prior to signing with the White Sox:

@Chicago Tribune

LaRoche said his first question before signing with the Sox on a two-year, $25 million contract before the 2015 season was if his son would be able to be a part of the team, and Ventura confirmed Friday they discussed it in a phone conversation. LaRoche said they reached an agreement and he didn’t think there were any problems last year with the arrangement, which he noted was “a privilege I have greatly valued.”

Williams said Wednesday the arrangement was not in LaRoche’s contract, but LaRoche had issue with the Sox changing his oral agreement. Players also questioned the timing of the policy change midway through spring training.

So while I think it’s a bit… different that a major-league ballplayer would bring his 13 year old son with him to the ballpark every day, it was (at least according to him) discussed and agreed upon previously.

[Chicagojeff]

The kid was with them all last season… essentially Kenny Williams changed the locker room because the team was soft and sucked last year…

So he asked LaRoche to cut it in half… Adam refused… my issue is with LaRoche taking this thing public and making his son the story. Williams has the right to change the verbal agreement… the team bit the big one… they brought in some more aggressive guys to change the culture. And for Adam Eaton to call a 14 yr old a “team leader”? Dude after the way you played last year? The fans have lined up on the side of the team in this issue… By the way…he (LaRoche) still hasn’t actually FILED the retirement papers yet…

[don_t_ask]

@Fear_Itself

Because playing baseball for a living is the same as playing Hungry Hungry Hippos.

Only in the sense that if you wanna win the game you’ve gotta take good aim.

[Jackmannii]

We are missing the most important thing here - did Drake LaRoche bring good luck to the team? The best mascots in baseball history did that.

Take Lil’ Rastus, the ten-year-old black orphan who brought good fortune to the Detroit Tigers (Ty Cobb let him sleep under his bed). Or Victory Faust, a lunatic who latched onto the old N.Y. Giants under John McGraw (Faust was convinced he was destined to pitch the Giants to the championship, but mostly served as a mascot during winning streaks (he actually got into a couple of games when the Giants were far ahead)).

So did LaRoche’s kid bring at least a division title to the White Sox? I don’t think so.

[RickJay]

@Kinthalis

Shouldn’t a 14 year old boy be learning about physics and javascript and organic chemistry, and falling in love with the girl from homeroom (as I did - god bless Megan)?

According to Mr. LaRoche, “we’re not big on school.” He feels his son learns more in the locker room. This apparently does not apply to his daughter.

That should tell you everything you need to know about Mr. LaRoche’s intelligence.

[Peremensoe]

@Snarky_Kong

A laborer making a low salary is working so that their kids can be healthy, educated, and not work the same shitty job as them. For even the lowest paid pro athletes (big 4 sports) all that is already taking care of.

This is not actually true.

Speaking of baseball, the lowest-paid players in major league clubhouses are guys without major-league contracts. They are getting the league minimum, prorated by days on the MLB roster.

The lowest-paid professionals of all, of course, are in minor-league clubhouses, making less than many of the fans watching them. They hope to have a shot at a major-league payday some day, but most will not get it.