Jacksonville Sentinel, court reporter Byron Baxton Brown

December 24, 2033

In a stunning bit of news, late last night Danny Burton’s wife of twelve years filed for divorce.

The news of the divorce comes after weeks of gossip that Sabine Aguillard-Burton had been unhappy with her husband for some time, though his recent signing with Florida seems to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. When reached for comment, Aguillard-Burton’s attorney kept it brief: “This is a personal matter between my client and Mr. Burton. It is not a decision that was come to quickly or lightly and was made only after all other avenues of remediation had been attempted in good faith. This isn’t the outcome that Ms. Aguillard wanted, and was seen only as a last resort.”

While there are many things that we do not know, well-regarded sources and the complaint itself may shed some light on the tumultuous relationship.

It was known that several years ago Burton and his wife had gone through a rough patch, primarily due to whispers of infidelity arising from the 2029 after-season party at the Streets Casino in Las Vegas, however little is known of the supposed transgressions.

Aguillard-Burton, a known and well-respected philanthropist and social worker, is said to have soured from the “party boy” lifestyle that “Hitman” had taken up during his last few seasons with the Featherheads. In essence, it sounded as though she blamed playboy mogul and owner Drew Streets for Burton’s actions.

“I do not blame anyone for their proclivities,” she was quoted at the time about Streets, “but when your actions bleed over into other people’s lives and homes, then I start to have problems.”

Reports show that prior to the trade that shipped Hitman off to conference rival San Antonio, the two were living at separate residences – Burton at their home on Amelia Island and Aguillard-Burton and their two children at Sabine’s parent’s home in New Orleans.

While never reported, rumors circulated that Burton had requested a trade to repair his then-ailing marriage. While not corroborated, Burton is said to have requested a trade to the New Orleans Trendsetters to be closer to his wife’s family. However, that was not to be and instead he was shipped off further west to San Antonio in 2030.

To the Featherhead faithful, the trade was a death knell to the Featherheads franchise. Many were confused – especially with the rebranding of the team – why they would trade away one of the faces of the franchise for a draft pick and an unproven outfielder? Despite the outcome of the trade, many were understandably upset to see Burton in anything other than a betrayal from Hannahs and Co. Many believed it to be nothing more than contractual manipulation by the Featherheads to avoid 10-and-5 consideration from Burton, limiting their ability to trade him in future dealings.

Looking back at the deal four years later, it seems as though all of those reasons could have been correct. In short, we may be able to take GM Ken Hannahs’ word back from 2030: “It had to be a perfect storm to end up in a situation where we shipped out Danny… and that perfect storm crashed into us with San Antonio.”

All records point to the marriage strengthening during those years away from the Featherheads. The two were photographed alone at restaurants and about town, seemingly relishing their rediscovered romance. Danny and Sabine purchased a modest home in San Antonio.

Burton played well for the Calzones, putting up 9.4 WAR over his three years, despite an injury shortened 2033 campaign. Sabine was no slouch in her own right and accomplished some important work including being named a “Children’s Champion of San Antonio” in 2032 thanks to her work in opening up two new pre-natal clinics and several non-profit daycares with an endowment primarily furnished from other current and ex-PEBA players.

Even into this off-season as Burton hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career, Danny and Sabine took to Rome on a family vacation. It was there in Rome that the three-year contract to return to Florida was signed. Photographs show Danny and Sabine walking out of the airport in a much less garrulous mood as they touched down in Jacksonville International than when they left two weeks prior.

While Burton has yet to speak publicly regarding his impending divorce, he did speak briefly via Skype regarding his new contract shortly after signing. “I felt like I have some unfinished business here,” said Burton. “Ken [Hannahs] and Drew [Streets] put together a great contract for me and my family and honestly, being able to come back and hopefully finish my career here was something I wanted to do. San Antonio’s a great organization, but I was ready to come home and take the all-time organization.”

Notorious for shirking reporters, Burton isn’t one to give long answers, so for him, this was practically exuberant.

“I’ve grown a lot as a player and as a man,” reflected Burton. “I’m the first to admit I’ve done things in the past that I am none-too-happy with but I want to come back and be the player I want to be remembered as.”

As of the time of this writing, no comment has come from Burton’s camp on the upcoming litigation. More on this story as it develops.