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White Sox' Chris Sale Suspended After Cutting Up Throwback Uniforms

The White Sox yesterday sent P Chris Sale home from U.S. Cellular Field before their game against the Tigers for what Senior VP & GM Rick Hahn "deemed a 'clubhouse incident'" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/24). The team later suspended Sale for five games (Mult., 7/24). Sale "was unhappy" with the '76 throwback uniforms the team was "supposed to wear, saying they were uncomfortable." As a result, Sale "cut up the jerseys during batting practice and was 'upset that, in his view, PR and jersey sales were more important than winning'" (TWITTER.com, 7/23).

Throwback '83 jerseys were "hanging in front of players' lockers at roughly" 2:30pm CT, 3 1/2 hours before the game, as is customary. In lieu of the '76 collared jerseys, "replicas of which were given to the first 20,000 fans in attendance Saturday, the White Sox wore the '83 throwbacks." Those "usually are worn during Sunday home games" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/24). After Sale "expressed displeasure," the matter "escalated from there, leading to a confrontation with a member" of the team's front office (ESPN.com, 7/23).

Hahn said of the throwback uniforms, “This was an organizational effort. … It’s something we have done in the past. … There are a lot of people – it’s not just the baseball department, it ranges from marketing to throughout the entire organization – that are all together trying to put the organization in the best position. ... Part of the element of being in a position to win a championship is the revenue side of the operation and respect for their reasonable requests to help enhance the revenue” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 7/24).

ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski said Sale "has been a thorn in management's side for a long time," and he "was at the forefront of the Adam LaRoche situation." The N.Y. Daily News’ Mike Lupica: "It’s the greatest fashion statement in history." The Detroit Free Press’ Mitch Albom said Sale has "a real issue" with Hahn and "apparently so do other guys" (“Sports Reporters,” ESPN, 7/24).

UNI-WATCH.com showcases some of the artwork posted on social media making light of the incident.

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