Zobrist asks MLB to lighten up on shoe color enforcement
Ben Zobrist asked Major League Baseball on Saturday to give some leeway when it comes to the black cleats he's fond of wearing during day games at Wrigley Field.
The Chicago Cubs veteran penned a lengthy Instagram post taking aim at the MLB policy, which rules that more than half of the exterior of the shoe be the team's designated shoe color.
Zobrist was called out for breaking the rule in a May 2 game against Colorado.
"Dear @mlb, I still like you but this is rediculous (sic).," Zobrist wrote in his post, which featured photos of the shoes in question and a letter he says he received from MLB. "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."
He signed off on the post with: Sincerely, Ben Zobrist.
MLB defended the enforcement of the rule in a statement to ESPN:
"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."
--Field Level Media
