What price will you pay?

On the eve of March Madness and as dreams of bracket-busting commences, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on a story that may not get as much press, but was quite commendable. The gentleman in the photo is Chicago White Sox First Basemen Adam LaRoche. Or should I say, former White Sox First Basemen Adam LaRoche. Earlier this week he retired at the age of 36. Not a big deal right? It wasn't exactly the end of a Hall of Fame career that we are discussing. Rather, it's the way in which he did it that opened a lot of eyes, and in some cases, hearts.

See, he retired because he was informed by the team president Ken Williams that his 14-year-old son was not allowed to visit the clubhouse as often this upcoming season. During last year, he was often spotted with his father in the clubhouse with the rest of the team. While Drake LaRoche was a popular among his father's teammates, the upper management has set rules regarding visitation by outside visitors. So unpopular was this decision by Williams that LaRoche's fellow teammates threatened to boycott Wednesday's spring training game to support Adam and Drake. It took their manager Robin Ventura to intervene.

I'm going to take this from both sides of the coin. For one, I can understand why the team president took this action. The focus of the ball club is to win, and to be consistent over the 162 game season requires a lot of mental focus and unity among the team. As Williams stated, it wasn't as if Drake was no longer allowed to visit, but yet there has to be some level of decorum, as most jobs you and I work for would not allow us to bring our children 100% of the time. There is an inherent danger into having a teenager in the clubhouse all the time, especially with the risk of an injury. If he was hired to be the team's batboy or work in the stadium that's different.

As for Adam LaRoche, I'm proud of the decision he made. He drew a line in the sand and stood for his principles. I'm sorry, but how many of us are willing to walk away from a job because our boss tells us to leave our children at home? Moreover, how many of us are willing to walk away from $13 MILLION DOLLARS?! That is what he was leaving on the table in his final season. Yes I'm sure he has saved up a pretty nice nest egg in his 12 years in the majors. However, to make that type of sacrifice takes a commitment that we sometimes have to ask if we are willing to make.

I'm not sure if he's married or not, but if he is, could you imagine how that conversation went at home with his wife? "Um, honey, I'm going to retire and give up $13 million because my boss won't let our son hang out as much in the clubhouse ok? We really don't need another boat anyway!"

Regardless, there comes a point in life in which principle must be greater than gain. When you look back at your life, what will be there for you? More importantly, who will be there for you? It's the relationships we establish over time that long outweighs the degrees, the cars, and the social status. What are you willing to give up to make that happen?

Who are you to judge?

As I was watching the ESPN 30 for 30 on the Duke Lacrosse team case of 2006, one theme kept running through my mind. No, not the events that transpired on that fateful March evening, or even the "he said, she said" rhetoric that was played out before our very eyes in the media. It was the fact that there were several lives affected and judgments were handed out before the actual trial began. A coach lost his job, players (innocent or not) had their reputations smeared, and journalistic integrity was put aside in the name of sensationalism.

However, think about this for a second: what if there wasn't such a rush to judgment? Would that have changed the perception of these young men. Again, the focus isn't about what happened or what didn't happen, but what premature decisions can lead to when left unchecked. Bad things happen, but what is even worse is when people are placed with a scarlet letter that isn't removed so easily. We often label the accused based upon our own prejudices. It divides locker rooms, splits organizations, and creates riffs that takes years to mend. Just look at the relationships that come to an end due to judgments (think Shaq-Kobe) to the point where fan bases are fractured.

It doesn't have to be that way, and this case was the perfect example. Unlike in professional sports, it hurts even more in colleges because there are communities and families who also have to deal with the brunt of the accusations, sometimes as much as the players themselves. We have to be responsible for keeping our emotions in check and not create a conclusion before all of the facts have been brought to light. It's because when we jump to conclusions too much, we may not like where we land.