Adam LaRoche and his son

Point taken, Dick. But the helicopter parents are a hot-button topic. You know there are also a lot of young people who don't get enough parental time.

I know when I think back to how many nights I missed with my daughter while I was working, well, I'll never get them back.

 

Yeah, and it's even worse for MLBers. I couldn't imagine the lifestyle.

 

The trade-off is you make millions of dollars and, if you play your cards right, you don't have to work after age 40.

 

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when
But we'll get together then
You know we'll have a good time then."

 

They should have told him Drake could stay, but he had to take all Adam's at bats, since his OPS would likely be higher.

 

My father took all five of his sons to the firehouse at various times, but I imagine it would have gotten awkward if he took us every shift during the summer.

 

Yeah, doing so on occasion is probably OK. Sitter cancels at the last minute? Fine.

As much as we like to think it's "just a game," a major league clubhouse is a professional workplace just like my office or yours. People who bring their kids to work ALL THE TIME are just plain inconsiderate and are putting their own interest ahead of those around them, like people who bring their dogs on airplanes.

 

Yeah, I'm with Williams on this. And Moddy, I'm not sure why a player didn't go right to LaRoche would be considered sackless. Why create a rift within the clubhouse before the season even starts, and how much weight does a the feelings of a player (or two or three) really carry? When it's the team president speaking on behalf of his players, I'm sure it carries a hell of a lot more weight. Columnist nailed it. Williams didn't make it about the kid, LaRoche did.

 

Is LaRoche a single dad?

Does the kid have some sort of developmental disadvantage?

Did he grow up in a household where either circumstance was present?

I'd like to know the answers to those questions before passing judgment.

 

I'm not sure the players didn't go to LaRoche first. From what I'm picking up this morning on sports radio, Chris Sale may have been driving this, and was quite unhappy about the situation.

I can remember Ozzie Guillen's kids being around a lot, particularly his oldest, who was in college locally. I think he ended up working for the team on Spanish language broadcasts. He seemed to fit right in. That said, he was a little older, he was the boss's kid, and, let's face it, I doubt anyone felt compelled to hold their tongue around Ozzie Guillen's kids the way they might around a holy roller like LaRoche.

 

There's being a hands-on father (insert priest joke here) and there's respecting the work place.

I think it's great that LaRoche has gone above and beyond to be a great father to who appears by all accounts to be a great kid.

But I think there can be compromise. You get 81 home games. Choose the best 25 for him to be there. But don't give up $13 million because you think the boss is being hard ass.

Or, maybe, he's just burnt out after 13 years and is ready to be done being a man playing a kid's game.