Chicago White Sox nearly boycotted game in support of retiring teammate

Spring Training is becoming a bit dramatic for the Chicago White Sox as the fallout from the sudden retirement of Adam LaRoche continues to affect the team during a time when camaraderie for a long season is built. 

The trouble all began on Tuesday when LaRoche, 36, announced his sudden retirement from the White Sox with a year (worth $13 million) left on his contract. 

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Things got real on Wednesday when Fox's Ken Rosenthal reported that LaRoche's sudden decision to retire was because Sox President Ken Williams asked LaRoche to limit the time his 14-year-old son, Drake, spent in the team clubhouse.  

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Williams told Rosenthal that he didn't request that LaRoche ban his son from the clubhouse, just to reduce his time there, saying:

"I asked Adam, said, 'Listen, our focus, our interest, our desire this year is to make sure we give ourselves every opportunity to focus on a daily basis on getting better. All I'm asking you to do with regard to bringing your kid to the ballpark is dial it back.'

"I don't think he should be here 100 percent of the time - and he has been here 100 percent, every day, in the clubhouse. I said that I don't even think he should be here 50 percent of the time. Figure it out, somewhere in between."

Drake, now 14, didn't accompany his father to all 162 games in 2015 but did accompany the team on many road trips and had a locker next to his father's. The two had the same arrangement when LaRoche played with the Washington Nationals. 

This is all controversial enough, providing plenty of fuel in a sport whose beat writers thrive off of an economy of hot takes, especially when it comes to family. 

But now comes word that LaRoche's teammates nearly didn't take the field on Wednesday for a Spring Training game in a sign of solidarity with LaRoche, which was an interesting development after some teammates came out publicly in support of LaRoche while others reportedly had complained about his son's constant presence. (A Chicago Tribune story from last June, though, seems to paint a pretty positive picture of Drake's place in the clubhouse.)

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White Sox manager Robin Ventura had to persuade players to take part in Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers after the team floated the idea of boycotting the game in support of LaRoche, according to ESPN's Karl Ravech.

Other players, including LaRoche's former Washington teammate Bryce Harper and retired Atlanta star Chipper Jones, have come out in support of LaRoche's decision. 

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The fans of controversy have been further flamed by the tweets of the LaRoche-owned E3 Meat Company. 

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In the meantime, LaRoche has filled out his paperwork for retirement, but the team has reportedly decided to hold off on submitting it to the league in apparent hopes that, once the dust settles, an agreement can be reached and LaRoche will stay with the team. 

Meanwhile, the team is also moving forward and looking into replacements for LaRoche, who was expected to be the primary designated hitter for the White Sox in 2016 despite a lackluster 2015 season. 

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