Veteran utilityman Ben Zobrist has been away from the Cubs since May 8th owing to a previously undisclosed personal matter. It emerged today that the indefinite absence relates to marital troubles that have resulted in divorce proceedings, as ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers reports.
Details of the matter are really not of interest from a baseball perspective, but Zobrist’s absence does have an obvious impact on the Cubs’ roster situation. It is not known whether he is receiving his salary — $12MM this season, his final under contract in Chicago — during his absence. By placing Zobrist on the restricted list, the Cubs have been able to avoid playing a man down.
Manager Joe Maddon says there’s still “no indication” as to when Zobrist will return to the club. The Cubs informed the 14-year veteran, who’ll soon turn 38 years of age, that he’s free to take as much time away as he needs.
Zobrist has appeared primarily in the corner outfield and at second base this year. In his absence, the club will likely continue to spread playing time at those positions among a deep and versatile assortment of other players.
Been through a divorce myself. Hang in there brother!
Yeah it has to be rough enough making a trophy wife happy. Then you add the temptation of her knowing she can take half her husbands millions, and on top of that probably a ridiculous amount monthly in child support.
This is really good stuff. Pitch perfect satire of a sports message board comment. Hats off.
It’s a story about a baseball player getting divorced. What do you think the comments should be about?????
Personally I’d settle for just less stupid than todd76’s…
It’s a story about the Cubs temporarily losing a player because he’s getting a divorce. The story is that the Cubs are moving him to the list so they can get a player to replace him on the roster and that they don’t know when to expect him back.
Married since 2004 and never have has marital issues. RULE 1. DONT share finances.
She’s not exactly a stay-at-home-mom, you know. So all the comments about money are pretty ridiculous.
I can’t remember what exactly they were for, but I’ve seen a lot of advertisements and commercials with her at the center of them.
Shes a recording artist with a lucrative record deal. If they split the ‘family money’ 50/50, Zobrist may be the one coming out ahead.
Not that any of that frankly matters to anyone not related to them….
Lol. I wouldn’t say it’s “lucrative”.
Yeah the 1 million shes made puts the 100 million hes made to shame.
She’s a Christian recording artist. There’s absolutely no chance she’s bringing in as much a Zobrist.
More than likely Ben financed her career from the very beginning.
I remember when Ryne Sandberg went through his divorce in the 90’s and ended up retiring for a couple of years because of it. I guess Cubs 2nd baseman of the future shouldn’t look forward to much marital bliss.
Considering the cubs second basemen with Zo gone is Russell… you’ve got a point
That’s rough to go through a divorce at any time, let alone someone who has to go through a grind of a MLB season. I wish you the best, Mr. Zobrist.
That’s why Lowell’s last years in Miami were sub standard for him. He was really going through it.
“I wish you the best, Mr. Zobrist”. And exactly why is that? Because you know he bears no responsibility for this failed marriage or you know he did nothing even slightly wrong to contribute to it? Do you think any other man in the world would be mad if their employer gave them as much paid time off to work out these issues (he’s making millions & millions of dollars this year too). Even if Cubs find a way not to pay him it’s still nice to “take as much time off as you want”. Do you think they would let Rizzo, Bryant or Baez do that? I think not. And how many of you geniuses think Zobrist is looking here for moral support & guidance?
Wow buddy. Take a deep breath. Going through divorce is tough and all sportsguy said was he wishes him the best. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, your comment attacking him was ridiculous. Most if not all MLB teams will give any player personal time when they need it. Zobrist may not be looking here for support but its nice that there are decent people out there who support him during this time.
Wow who’s your momma, you need help. If you have that much anger. I can help you with getting help. Please feel free to message me back. I worry what might happen if you dont
Of course they give him as much time as HE needs. Only he knows when he’s mentally ready to return and we, as fans, do not want him before then. Admittedly I do not know the details of his situation but, I have been through a divorce myself. One that I wanted and 10 years later, it’s still hell dealing with her when it comes to the kids. Even if he was completely at fault, I still wish him the best. Julianna also
WYM,
The Cubs giving Z time off doesn’t affect you and your job at all. Stop with the jealousy. Mind your own household the best you can in your situation and we wish you the best as well.
Tough situation. I can’t imagine baseball is a top priority for him.
Ben Zobrist is one of the best human beings in baseball. This makes me sad.
Thinking that you are correct in that statement.
Oh? You know him that well, do you?
If he was one of the best he wouldn’t be getting divorced with two kids.
I didn’t realize getting divorced makes you a bad person?
He has three children. His youngest was born the day after the royals World Series parade. I am not a cubs fan. I feel so sorry for those children. Divorce will harm them the most.
Bad marriages harm kids even worse, goofball.
A bad marriage can be equally as damaging. I thank God daily for the impact that my wife had on my boys. She chose to be a mother to them when their own mother refused to be.
If a player is on the restricted list doesn’t that mean he’s not eligible to collect his salary during that time?
“it is not known”…. so maybe the team has discretion.
id fear for the cheapness of the Cubs they choose not to. not good for PR on top of Russell though.
Lol…Third highest payroll in MLB on top of a recently completed $1 billion dollar renovation to Wrigley…but yeah, the cheapness of the Cubs.
Might be the dumbest comment I’ve seen in a while.
If he’s not getting paid – less for her to take!
He’s worth $31M today… $~16M after the docs are signed. Something tells me he’ll be ok
Lol. Best username on the site
The next paycheck is going to his wife.
Tough on him and his young family. Really happy about how Cubs management and fandom is handling this. He’s earned this.
What role do the Cubs have in this? They’ve earned absolutely zero good Will from me
Probably cause they are giving him all the time he needs
He don’t read good
Wait, you guys can read?
I look at the pictures while my dog reads the articles to me.
Is that not normal?
So they’re doing exactly what they should be doing? Our expectations are so low for the Cubs that them doing something completely normal as an employer is commendable? Lol
This is a real shame. I remember him and his wife as being very close and a highly visible couple when he and Longoria were the faces of the Rays in Tampa under Madden.
Obviously something went very wrong somewhere along the line.
Hope for the best for Ben, his wife and their children..
He and his wife even shared a Twitter count too, if I remember correctly
Sharing an account isn’t a sign of relationship stability. Usually points to trust issues. Many of those “BillnPam” & “JohnRebecca Smith” accounts have sad stories behind them.
Good call. Social media is terrible but those shared accounts show real trust issues…
I agree. Something went very wrong. Their faith is not something that would allow a rash decision when it comes to divorce.
Sorry to hear about the divorce but on the bright side, at least he’s an established veteran who has made a good deal of money in his career. I think it would be much harder for a guy early in his career to be on leave and lose that money (assuming he’s not getting paid). At least Zobrist is financially secure enough to be able to do this.
Who cares about the money aspect? They have three young kids.
From what I’ve heard the question of if they are his is what’s making this really a bad situation
He’s gonna lose half of his money, maybe more. Been there done that. Hope for the best, he’s a good man.
He’s gonna lose half THEIR money… They are married. Should she be left with nothing? Good luck to him but I don’t know why you pointed out losing half… They should split it unless they have a prenup
No he hits balls for a living she sings crappy songs for a living. This isn’t Ricky and Lucy, people make their own money nowadays
Your opinion is misinformed, marriages are contracts, just saying “nope she has her own job” means nothing.
According to the law yes. It’s pretty unfortunate too. I’m sure he would take care of her and the kids regardless but the law requires it. Been married and divorced and married again. Seems like the marriage laws benefit women way more. My opinion
No arguement with any of that lots of stuff in our culture is outdated, summer vacation is for kids to go help on the farm even though that isn’t prevalent anymore.
Which seems weird, as a kid who grew up on a farm-the busiest times are spring (planting) and fall (harvesting). Animals are about the same amount of upkeep year round, but maybe that wasn’t always the case.
It’s THEIR money. Wives do things that sometimes can’t be tabulated. She is the mother of his children. While he is on the road she’s taking care of the house and their children. Generally speaking, wives are the ones who make a house a home. Wives often put off their own careers until later in life, or they work part time because they have to care for the household. Even Julianna probably sacrificed some of her singing aspirations in order to be a wife and mother first. So Ben could hit baseballs for his family.
It is THEIR money.
They have kids, right? He’s probably way more worried about them then money. She can take half his money and he’ll still be loaded. Anyone would rather not lose a huge chunk of money but it’s not exactly going to kill him financially.
He’s the last guy on the Cubs to whom I would expect this to happen. He and his wife seemed super close. His walk up song at Wrigley has been her take on Bennie and the Jets.
He’s the son of a preacher, and pretty religious. Must be pretty bad situation if he’s getting a divorce. If it can happen to him, the rest of us are screwed.
Oh god, yes. He’s chosen to go to Hell instead of upholding his holy vows. (read this in a book somewhere). Must be bad.
What are you talking about?
racosun:
A. Christians do not believe that a divorce sends you to hell. God forgives our sins for the sake of Christ, the perfect sacrifice.
B. SHE is the plaintiff in this case. That doesn’t necessarily mean she alone is at fault, but, you know, just saying.
Cubbie 75… As a matter of fact, they BOTH filed separately and according to the Tribune, his filing states marriage infidelity on her part… And by the way, she is also the child of a pastor.
you might want to check your book.
jesus makes it clear, no divorce (of course, he said zero words about gays or abortion, but has never stopped any of you from opposing either gays or anyone who has an abortion)
YOU might want to check my book… your’s is clearly a bit faulty. Mine explicitly state no divorce EXCEPT for sexual immorality (Matthew 5:31-32). Also is pretty specific for gays (Leviticus 18:22) and, do we even need to quote scripture for abortion? There is a difference in opposing an act vs a person.
BUT, Jesus has provided a path to salvation so we all might be forgiven of our sins.
I do not impose my faith on anyone until they try to use it against me.
My spider man comics involve less leaps of logic
Some religious views on divorce can be very damaging or dangerous to couples (and their children) who should no longer be together.
The only boy who could ever reach me, was the son of a preacher man
Oh yes he was.
This was top notch.
That’s rough having this happen mid-season, puts his marital troubles under a microscope for the world to see and judge. I don’t envy him right now, best of luck to him.
These things are rough. Best
Let it stay private. Hopefully it works out for the best for all involved
Dude needs to suck it up and report for work. They sure don’t make em like they used to.
If he cares more about his family then his job, they’re making them considerably better…
Suck up a divorce. Wow. Don’t listen to this guy.
Zobrist could try to fight through it, but his performance would undoubtedly be affected if his head isn’t in the game. Leave of absences happen all the time in the workplace for these reasons because BOTH parties(the Cubs and Zobrist) would be better off if he was off the field right now.
Left,
Baseball players have one of the highest divorce rates of any group of people. Perhaps it would benefit everyone if more of them would put their family ahead of their job. It is after all just a job. Family is more precious.
Chipper helped that rate a couple times, but god damn he could hit
I kind of agree with you here, but as someone else said if it is gonna bother him that much he will be pretty useless for the team. I’ve been divorced and I was right back to work. It actually helped keep my mind off of it. But we are all different.
I’m sure a lot of players have gone through a mid-season divorce, we didn’t know about it and kept playing. This would have been given less attention had Zobrist kept playing. Right or wrong it would have been an afterthought.
As family oriented and lawyer myself can’t imagine what Ben’s going through. Money comes and goes so that shouldn’t be a problem in his case . However, kids are in the middle and generally impacted and suffering by this divorce fact that affects millions whatever the reason(s) behind it. I wish him God speed to him and his family…
Players in past years obviously went through divorces and still played through it. I’m sure their performance was affected but they stuck it out for the good of the “team” and played. Is this the new MLB? Can any of you just leave your job “indefinitely” to handle personal matters and still get paid an ungodly sum of money? Probably not. JMHO.
Well…most people aren’t among the best in world in their field. There are people in all occupations who take leaves of absence for different reasons other than medical. So, if he “ sucks it up” for the good of the team, and hurts the club with bad play, what do people say?
Exactly. When you’re at the top of your profession, yes, you can take a leave of absence. Zobrist isnt stocking shelves at Walmart here. He’s very valuable to an organization that makes gobs of money with a relativelt small workforce. People working for companies like Google are also given the ability to take person leave.
Zobrist plays stick ball for a living. He’s just as entitled to time off to deal with his mental health and life as someone who stocks shelves for a living. These are human beings you’re talking about.
No. I can’t leave my job indefinitely for a situation like this. What’s your point? Because the average worker can’t leave, Zobrist shouldn’t be able to either? Seems like his employer supports it, so why should you care.
His team doesn’t need him that badly right now, so I’m not entirely sure his priorities are in the wrong place. He’s got kids to think about, which I think most people would put above work anyway.
If that’s the new MLB, I’m not sure it’s a bad thing.
Still not clear if he’s getting paid but, even if he is, he’s working under contract, where as, most of us are not. And, I can take an extended leave of absence, up to 6 consecutive months and still retain my job. His contract is up in 4+ mos.
How sad. Sometimes we fans forget these are real people with lives. You remember that when they take a measly game or two off for the birth of a child while most of us would take a week or two to be with our growing families. They might take a game off on the “bereavement list” while burying a grandparent or even a parent. These are young men with the same problems the rest of us have.
The unpredictable personal lives of athletes is another reason guaranteed contracts for tens or hundreds of millions of dollars are so risky.
Does this mean they can stop playing his wife’s terrible cover of Benny and the Jets?
So horrible.
I can imagine an opposing team’s DJ getting fired by thinking it is funny to play it. But yeah, it’s a cringeworthy walk-up tune.
It literally hurts my ears and head. Dead serious.
Those songs will not be missed,.
That’s too bad. His wife is HOT
IWHI but she’s not that great really. She’s got a case of the crazy eyes
Probably hard to convince a religious man of the advantages of non-monogamy, but someone should try. 🙂
Hey judge Judy- His filing states marriage infidelity on her part. (Chicago Tribune)
Could be worse… could be Miguel Cabrera.
I swear, if you’re a professional athlete, your best bet is to marry a Quaker or Amish woman for obvious reasons….
Anyone think ole Bennie is riding more than just that old bicycle? Remember the one he does to Wiggly a couple times a year? Or is his bible banging wife sneaking around? Couldn’t have been fighting over money, right?
Swing and a miss.
Does everyone going thru a divorce just take off and stop working?
Many employers do allow their workers to take a leave of absence to deal with domestic problems, yes.
Wow. Finally a Cubs discussion thread free of Sox-trolls.
Take all the time you need with that .253 SLG.
Best Wishes
King Theo
Well that’s sad…..
Wow, are all of you Chicago Cub fans speaking about Ben Zobrist a paid ballplayer for the Chicago Cubs or Jesus himself?
All these comments about what a great guy he is, he would take care of his former wife and kids regardless if he had to, give him all the time he needs….jeez, he isn’t the first name athlete to go through a divorce.
Remember, for all you who pronounce how well you know him…there is always 2 sides to a story and you’ve yet to hear from his wife on what constitutes irreconcilable differences. It is possible that his “team” is spinning a better story at this time than she is.
Remember everybody thought Tiger Woods was a great guy too and look at what we didn’t know about him!
Yet, Rocky, it’s perfectly fine for you to judge Cub fans that you don’t know. There may be commenters here that do know him well and there very well even be non-Cub fans commenting—but that’s not for me to worry about.
Mike127…PLEASE..get the heck out of here with “there may be commenters who personally know him”!
It’s an opinion as a baseball fan regarding exactly how he’s being treated as a deity when it may not be obvious as to exactly what the situation really is.
Or, are you one of those people who decide guilt by what you read in Yahoo?
Our World Series MVP is as close to a deity as we have. And some of us DO know him and have watched him since Little League. We like the guy. What’s it to you? Go drink another glass of vinegar.
You’re right, maybe he was dating Russell’s ex.
If his wife was sick or family member was it’s perfectly understandable.. a leave for a divorce as a ball player? Come on. Not a teacher not a doctor.. a baseball player. I mean granted he’s not marquee player anymore but.. suit up buddy. And play the game your paid to play!
A teacher and a doctor can both take a leave of absence to deal with a divorce, people just don’t care because they don’t have fans that pretend they’re somehow owed every waking moment of said teacher or doctor…
By why let perspective get in the way of a good rant?
Again Cubs fan….relax…just an opinion not a RANT! Jeez, you folks need a life!
Rocky, Cub fans and non Cub fans are probably very happy that you had something to do today at the expense of one’s personal life. I, for one, appreciate the all the clarifications you have been able to give.
It’s just my opinion… no rant. It is too bad that a player going through a divorce makes these sports blogs.. when it has nothing to do with the game! Lol
Well, it does when said player is missing significant playing time.
But, again, perspective is such a buzzkill so why like it get in the way of your opinions…
It absolutely does have to do with the game because it’s the reason he’s missing time.
If a pitcher injures himself on his own time (i.e. Bauer slicing open his finger on a drone), should it not be mentioned because the injury has nothing to do with baseball?
Fans are the reason that they get paid the money they get paid btw. But I don’t think the Cubs are too worried about losing the “Ben Zobrist” fan
Hey man…you’re totally correct…folks like petrieooo just need to bak off a bit and see the whole picture rather than criticize any opinion that clashes with theirs.
Opinions posted in public spaces are fair game for criticism.
Especially bad and inane ones that can’t stand up to even cursory scrutiny.
Feel free to criticize my opinions all you like, though I suspect you can’t, which is why you attack the poster and not the content.
Divorce sucks, accept when your divorcing an abusive spouse.. Good on Ben for taking the time to deal with this.
Holy hell this comment section is a cesspool.
What would Cubs front office do if this was Rizzo, Bryant or Baez in this situation? There’s a 99% chance they don’t get an unlimited amount of leave to “deal” with a divorce. I think that’s the biggest story. Like others have said, many Mlb players have gone through divorces before. I don’t recall any others getting an unlimited amount of time off. Seems like Cubs organization needs to add family counseling to their huge budget.
I’d like to know what you base this opinion on. As of right now, the Cubs history on this issue is 100 percent in favor of giving guys unlimited off time…
So please oblige us all with the long history of Cubs giving players unlimited time off for a divorce? I’ll wait patiently for proof of your statement.
So apparently Petrie000 cannot show any examples of Cub players being given unlimited leave for a divorce. Or he’s just drowning his sorrows from the extra inning loss to the Reds.
The biggest story here is that the Cubs wouldn’t give leave to those other players you listed, huh? Since nobody can troll about how the team is playing any longer, we might as well troll on something else, eh?
And he’s been on leave for over a week—-the divorce news came out today…..the Cubs were very good about respecting his privacy and not divulging the reason for absence.
That’s really to bad, Ben is a good guy who obviously loved his wife. Take all the time you need and come back strong!
I’m not sure why people think it’s a bad thing that he’s taking time off to deal with family issues. There are kids involved. He’s had a long, successful career and he’s given the Cubs and fans everything he has over the years. The Cubs granted him the opportunity to put what’s important first. What’s wrong with that? The expectations we put on athletes because they make a lot of money is silly. They’re people who just happen to play baseball. I’m a person who just happens to do research. Etc. We all have to deal with the same human problems whether we’re rich or poor. Being rich doesn’t make anything easier.
Also, can we stop calling every woman married to an athlete a gold digger once they separate? They’ve been married for 14 years and their relationship preceeded his MLB career. She also has a successful career. People who don’t have money assume the worst about people who do.
I commend him for taking some time off to address his issues. Seems like a sign of maturity? He could be in Cincinnati right now with his mind nowhere near baseball or he could be around his kids ensuring that they are getting the care and attention that they need. Divorce can really, really mess kids up. I just don’t see the argument on the other side as anything but misguided and lacking in compassion.
Ballplayers love baseball, no doubt, but at the end of the day, it’s just a job. Sure, it’s an awesome job., but it’s also very, very demanding. At the end of the day, how he handles this personal issue is a far greater measure of his humanity than how he performs playing in a few extra games.
Also…the guys going through a divorce and all people want to talk about is how he is going to lose money. American values at their finest.
This comment section though …
I don’t think my brother got paid time off after catching his wh0re ex wife in bed w/ someone else. why are people so cool with coddling millionaires?
that is what the divorce filings would imply but, you know, that person would’ve had to actually read the post.
He is on leave dealing with a private matter. That’s where the story should begin and end.
Does this mean his walk up song is no longer gonna be benny and the jets by his future exwife juliana zobrist?