Rozner: White Sox' Sale might consider growing up
You would have to search long and hard to find a way to blame White Sox management and ownership for the behavior of a grown man who chose to act like a child.
But that's what usually happens in Chicago, so this will probably be Ken Williams' fault when it's all said and done.
You know Chris Sale will find a way to put it on someone else because it's what he usually does.
The truth, however, is Sale acted like an angry kid who couldn't get his way, so he threw a fit, made a terrible mess and got sent to his room without dessert.
It's not the first time he's behaved this way, and you need only remember his reaction to Drake LaRoche's dismissal in March to find his last disturbing tantrum.
And still, he's the Sox' most valuable asset and it changes nothing about the way the Sox will shop Sale during the week leading up to the trade deadline.
They're not going to trade him because of this. They're not going to get less in a deal if they do trade him. And they won't send him home for the rest of the season.
If they can deal him to start the rebuild, they should, just as they should move any valued asset that gets them closer to competing for a playoff spot again.
But the latest nonsensical incident won't stop a team from wanting Sale, nor will it in any way diminish the potential return.
Teams will be willing to give up a huge portion of their future to acquire the best pitcher in baseball not named Clayton Kershaw.
Seriously, no one blinks at the thought of taking on Aroldis Chapman, and he's a guy who was suspended for 30 games after an incident in which his girlfriend alleged that Chapman choked her.
According to police reports, he then went out to a garage on his property and fired eight shots from a handgun, one of which flew through a window and into an open field.
Sale injured no one. He acted foolishly, but he's never threatened anyone's safety, as far as we know.
He just seems to be a bit off-kilter, immature and lacking perspective.
So his value has not dropped in any way, and if the Sox decide to trade him it will have nothing to do with what happened Saturday.
And if they keep him, he will continue to be the best pitcher in baseball.
But as was the case in March when the locker room appeared to be out of control, Sale has done Robin Ventura no favors.
One can't help but think of someone like Don Zimmer at a moment like this. Can you fathom this occurring in a room managed by Zimmer, or — for that matter — Buck Showalter or Mike Scioscia?
To be clear, this is Chris Sale's fault. No one else's. This is not on Ventura, Williams, Rick Hahn or Jerry Reinsdorf, but the perception of a clubhouse out of control does nothing to help the manager keep his job.
Sale owes Ventura an apology. He owes his bullpen an apology. He owes an apology to the 32,000 fans who paid to watch him pitch Saturday. He owes an apology to the marketing department, which is trying to sell tickets and jerseys so Sale can cash a paycheck worth $762,000, twice a month.
Mostly, at age 27 Chris Sale needs to grow up.
Real life is actually pretty hard for most people, and he does himself and his teammates no favors when he behaves unprofessionally, like someone who truly doesn't understand how difficult it is on the outside.
Sale is now a national joke, someone who grabs a scissors when he doesn't get his way. The best pitcher in the game will be mocked for the rest of his career because of his actions.
His name will not be spoken for months without a reference to this recent attack of stupidity.
Only he can change the perception of who he is — and it starts with an apology.
Maybe.
brozner@dailyherald.com
• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's “Hit and Run” show at WSCR 670-AM and follow him @BarryRozner on Twitter.