TAMPA, Fla. -- One of the first changes that Joe Girardi instituted upon taking control as the Yankees' manager was to increase the amount of time that players' children were allowed to visit the clubhouse, a move that was widely appreciated.
It has since become commonplace to see youngsters in the Yankees' clubhouse following both wins and losses during the regular season, which is why the organization has been somewhat fascinated to watch the saga transpiring between Adam LaRoche and the White Sox.
"We're not going to have that, we've never had a situation [like that]," general manager Brian Cashman said. "That conversation is foreign to me because we don't have that problem here. We have not experienced anything like that and don't plan on it."
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LaRoche announced his retirement this week after White Sox executive vice president Kenny Williams instructed him to limit the amount of time that his 14-year-old son Drake spent in the clubhouse. Instead, LaRoche retired and forfeited the remaining $13 million on his contract.
"I've got some buddies over there. I actually asked one of them, 'What's going on?'" said Yankees pitcher Andrew Miller. "I think that a lot of the problem, from what I understand, is from what I've read and from what I've heard from them is they didn't like the way the message was given."
Cashman said that the organization has the right to dictate access to their property at any time, but those rules have been relaxed under Girardi's tenure; Joe Torre's policy was that players could bring their sons to the clubhouse, but only after wins. The Yankees have special days when their players may bring their daughters as well.
"The big thing to me is, guys have to be ready to do their work and ready to play the game," Girardi said. "Before that, their time is theirs. If they want their kids out here, you know, I'm OK with it. But when it's time to go to work, it's time to go to work."
The Yankees have some history in this department. Cashman recalled hearing how a young Ken Griffey Jr. was once ordered out of the clubhouse by manager Billy Martin. The future Hall of Famer -- whose father, Ken Sr., mistakenly believed the order had come from George Steinbrenner -- vowed he would never play for the Yankees.
"We provide some latitudes because we try to create a good working environment for our people, as well as an opportunity at times for a family to intermix, but it's a workplace," Cashman said.