Joe Maddon once said he knows an umpire really made a mistake if Ben Zobrist is arguing...especially on a Sunday.
Maddon was mostly joking, but he's also seen a whole lot of the veteran utility player over the last decade and knows the religious, mild-mannered Zobrist is not one to create conflict often.
Which is part of the reason why Saturday's Instagram post is so shocking.
Well, that and the fact that it sure seems like Major League Baseball has a silly policy dictating dress code, so it's easy to side with Zobrist here.
The Cubs second baseman/outfielder put the MLB on blast a couple hours before Saturday's game against the White Sox and then entered the game in the ninth inning as a defensive replacement still wearing the black shoes.
MLB
It reads:
Dear @mlb, I still like you but this is rediculous. For the last two years, I have worn black spikes exclusively at Wrigley Field for Day games to pay homage to the history of our great game, and now I am being told I will be fined and disciplined if I continue to wear them. When I was a kid, I was inspired by highlights of the greats such as Ernie Banks and Stan Musial in the 1950s-60s and was captured by the old uniforms and all black cleats with flaps. @newbalancebaseball made a kid’s dream come true by making some all black spikes with the special tongue as well as the “Benny the Jet” @pf_flyers cleats. I am curious as to why @mlb is spending time and money enforcing this now when they haven’t done it previously in the last year and beyond. I have heard nothing but compliments from fans that enjoy the “old school” look. Maybe there is some kid out there that will be inspired to look more into the history of the game by the “flexibility” that I prefer in the color of my shoes. Sincerely,
Ben Zobrist
Zobrist enjoys paying tribute to the history of the game and he may know more about Cubs lore than any other player in the clubhouse given he grew up in Central Illinois.
Zobrist often rides his bike to games and sports P.F. Flyers and stirrups and other apparel that make fans think about "the good ole days" at Wrigley Field and the movie "Sandlot."
MLB responded with a statement:
"We have shoe regulations that were negotiated with the union in the last round of bargaining. If players have complaints about the regulations, they should contact their union which negotiated them. We have informed the union that we are prepared to negotiate rules providing players with more flexibility, and that issue is currently being discussed as part of a larger discussion about apparel and equipment."