Adam LaRoche won’t have any trouble bringing his son to baseball games now that he’s organized his own team outside of the MLB.
LaRoche, 36, who unexpectedly retired from baseball in March after a dispute with the Chicago White Sox over his 14-year-old son’s access to the clubhouse, has assembled a team of 24 other former MLB players to compete in the National Baseball Congress World Series.
“I picture this being more of a backyard, group-of-guys get-together to go have a lot of fun and compete,” LaRoche told The Wichita Eagle. “Kind of bring back that feeling that we all had in high school and college and the minor leagues, when everybody is truly pulling in the same direction and pulling for each other and, win or lose, just enjoying it and having a good time.”
Roger Clemens, at age 53, headlines the list of players LaRoche and former Tigers pitcher Nate Robertson recruited to the Kansas Stars, a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming tournament in Wichita, Kan., which mostly features college baseball summer teams.
Clemens, who won a record seven Cy Young awards, doesn’t plan to dial back his once-lethal fastball with his new team, although he is nine years removed from his MLB playing days.
“We’re kind of getting guys prepped to go three innings, max,” Robertson said. “I’ve heard Roger [Clemens] is going to come in here and try to throw five. I guess he’s still a machine.”
Clemens, Robertson and LaRoche will be joined by former All-Stars Roy Oswalt, Josh Beckett, J.D. Drew, Tim Hudson, Dan Uggla, Ben Sheets, Brad Penny and Brandon Inge.
Even though LaRoche gave up $13 million for this year to retire, he and the other players have agreed to donate any winnings to charity.