ST. LOUIS -- Milwaukee Brewers reliever Blaine Boyer knew there was risk involved when he and friend Adam LaRoche went overseas to try to free underage girls from the hellish world of sex slavery. But that's how strongly the two major-league baseball players felt about trying to make a difference. "It was a life-changer," Boyer said Thursday before the Brewers played the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. "It's something Adam and I are going to do for the rest of our lives."
The story of the remarkable mission by Boyer and LaRoche was first reported by ESPN The Magazine in an article that centered on LaRoche's dramatic decision to retire from the Chicago White Sox this spring rather than be away from his son. LaRoche thought he had an understanding with the club that 14-year-old Drake could accompany him to the ballpark every day and opted to walk away from his $13 million salary when asked to cut back on that time together.