Gregor: How much will Clevinger controversy weigh on White Sox?
Distractions are part of the game, something every major-league team deals with numerous times over the course of the long season.
Muting outside noise can be challenging, and the teams that do it best usually wind up advancing to the playoffs.
The White Sox are playing a different kind of distraction game.
They are dealing with inside noise created by new starting pitcher Mike Clevinger, and the distraction started on Wednesday, the first day of spring training.
Instead of talking about the Sox's potential of making it to the postseason for the third time in four years when meeting with the media, general manager Rick Hahn spent most of his time answering questions about Clevinger, who is being investigated by MLB for allegations of domestic violence and child abuse.
"I regret the fact that we are sitting here talking about this," Hahn told reporters in Arizona. "I understand why we are doing it. Obviously we have to, but this is a year in which we have high expectations. We have a new (coaching) staff that is trying to hit the ground running to help us fulfill those expectations. And we have a heck of a lot of players in that clubhouse right now who feel like they have something to prove."
Clevinger also spoke to reporters and denied all of the accusations of physical, verbal and emotional abuse brought forth by Olivia Finestead, the mother of the pitcher's infant daughter.
"I'm pretty disappointed we have to start off this way," said Clevinger, who signed a one-year, $12 million contract with the White Sox in early December, well over a month before the charges were made public. "This is pretty devastating to me and my family and I know I feel terrible for my teammates having to answer questions from you, and for you to have to ask them a bunch of questions about this. I trust the process from MLB, I really do. I think there's a reason I'm sitting in front of you today. I'm just asking everyone to wait before they rush to judgment."
Clevinger did address the controversy with his new Sox teammates before taking the field Wednesday.
"I just wanted to share my sentiment to them of how bad I felt that this was how I was starting out," Clevinger said. "This is how they were meeting me for a lot of guys that don't know me. I didn't want their first day of camp to be answering questions about this nonsense."
Talking to the media on Thursday, relief pitcher Kendall Graveman said he appreciated Clevinger addressing the issue.
"I thought it was very professional for Mike to speak in front of the team," Graveman said. "Obviously, I don't have much to say about it. I want to see how the rest of it plays out. I told him 'thanks' afterward for speaking to the team because some people would not do that.
"Allegations are allegations until proven (otherwise). I'm off social media and all the other stuff, so for me to draw a conclusion without any facts or details or anything is unfair for him and any party involved. That's my personal view of it and I'm going to try to be the best teammate I possibly can to him."