After ripping Cleveland fans earlier this season for "embarrassing" attendance, having the audacity to "boo" him, pathetically holding a grudge with LBJ and even "blindly" supporting the Browns, what could possibly have Chris upset this time, you ask?
His boss isn't spending enough money.
Now let's be clear, he is absolutely right... You won't find an Indians fan (or analyst) that isn't quick to rationalize our excruciating mediocrity with the absence of legitimate talent, resulting from a lack of investment on the part of ownership. But let's look at this a little deeper, because it's not whether Perez is right that is important here, it is whether or not he is helping his team (or himself, for that matter) with his now frequent public comments...
The answer here, in both cases, is a resounding, "No."
Let's start with the impact on the team, which can be distilled down to one word - distraction.
Fortunately, we now have the benefit of hindsight. Take yourself back to late May, when inexplicably, just before completing an impressive sweep of the AL Central rival Tigers, Perez drew first blood, infamously teeing off on Tribe faithful for not choosing to spend their money to watch his team play baseball. Perez apologists were quick to spin his comments as the "spark" this team was lacking. This was the exemplary "passion" this team needed to show... Well, after those comments, the Indians were promptly swept in Chicago that weekend, and again in Cincinnati two weeks later, all during a dismal 7-14 run.
Reality setting in...
This didn't deter Perez, however. Making his second All-Star appearance in early July, when asked about his comments, he responded, "It woke them up a little bit. They're good fans, they're coming out. They're being vocal. I think they just needed a little kick in the butt. It's been a good — a really good two months, or however long it's been — since it happened."
During the "really good" stretch Perez refers to, the Indians went 18-23, this coming just before the catastrophic 11- and 9-game losing streaks, respectively.
The obvious point here is that the ill-advised comments did nothing to help this team win baseball games as the most fervent of his supporters had claimed, but instead manufactured a completely unnecessary media circus focused on Perez, an unfortunate distraction that seemingly fractured this youthful clubhouse. As I said in a previous post, I encourage anyone to watch the tapes of games in which he's closed successfully. Watch carefully the reaction of his teammates as he goes into his exaggerated fist pumps and clumsy gyrations. Their restrained embarrassment is apparent. You don't have to be Dr. Phil to understand that his teammates recognize that this guy is more of a sideshow than a professional pitcher.
His latest comments regarding the Dolans are nothing Tribe fans do not openly acknowledge as fact, but that is exactly whom that topic is reserved for, fans... It's the players job exclusively to execute on the field and represent the team and city respectably, not to critique the front office and place blame on ownership, albeit (in my view) pointedly accurate. For any active member in the organization to openly discuss the financing of the operation shows poor judgement and a total misunderstanding of how professionals handle themselves, in any business, or even social setting (i.e. "How much did that cost?" guy). The next time I hear Paul Dolan tell a pitcher how to throw a slider, or a shortstop that he should have went to second on a fielder's choice, then by all means...
On the business side of the issue, what Perez (or at least his agent) should consider is the impact these antics have on the pitcher's market value. Now I wouldn't argue with anyone that Perez actually wants to remain an Indian, clearly he does not (and should not, in my view). So to that end, his comments could represent a means to expedite his departure (in which case would be analogous to setting your car on fire to light your cigarette). But do you think other GMs have taken note? What do you think they thought about the way he handled that fan in Oakland? What does something like that say about his psyche? We all know back-end bullpen guys are far from a sure thing in terms of consistency, so what criteria, what attributes do you think matter to GMs? What are they willing to pay a premium price for, and what would cause them to withhold? If you think it has everything to do with saves, ERA and All-Star appearances and nothing to do with the intangibles, it's probably one of the reasons you're not a professional GM.
On that note, let's close with some of Chris Perez's "Greatest Hits":
“Guys don’t want to come over here [Cleveland] and people wonder why. Why doesn’t Carlos Beltran want to come over here? Well, because of that [attendance]." -May 20th, 2012
“It’s a business. You didn’t choose to get drafted by Cleveland. I’m in it for my family. Who knows? I could throw my last pitch tomorrow." - May 20th, 2012
"I’m here to win. I’m here for my teammates and I want to bring a championship to Cleveland, to do my job and help the team win. I think I do a pretty good job of showing that on the field. I don’t think I bring any undue attention to myself." -May 20th, 2012
"It's not a good atmosphere (at Progressive Field). It's not fun to be here ..." - May 21st, 2012
"I'm not stupid, I understand the economy's bad around here. I understand that people can't afford to come to the game." -May 21st, 2012
"Like, enjoy what we have. You have a first place team. How many third-place towns in the country would want that right now?" - May 21st, 2012
"It's just a slap in the face when you're last in attendance. Last. It's not like we're 25th or 26th. We're last. Oakland's outdrawing us. That's embarrassing." -May 21st, 2012 (By the way, Oakland is legitimately competing for the postseason, and recently swept the Indians.)
“Their whole thing is, ‘We want a winner.’ Well, why do you support the Browns? They don’t win. They’ve never won. They left. You guys blindly support them. I don’t understand it. It’s a double standard, and I don’t know why.” -June 26th, 2012
“I don’t get the psyche, why cheer against a guy that’s not even in your city anymore?... I could see if the Cavs were in the championship, but that’s their mentality." -June 26th, 2012, regarding LeBron James.
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"Next week is Die Hard Night." - Harry Doyle
Hey great article, it nails it right on the Head!!!
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CS360
Thx LG!
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