Jam packed Friday previewing the Browns from all angles with sportswriter Jonathan Knight, Jeff Gorman from Browns 101 previews the Ravens, Ryan Ruiz with his 3 dawg bones to victory, Mike B from DDTWLN.COM talks Chris Perez released and Indians off season, we preview the Cavs and Monsters weekend and so much more... GET YOUR FIX!
Showing posts with label Chris Perez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Perez. Show all posts
Friday, November 1, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
The Sports Fix - Weds, June 5, 2013
Todays show started off fast and furious, as J-Rocc broke the news about Chris Perez drug delivery and newly discovered details, as well as the ramifications possible, Cleveland chimed in as well on the phones and facebook, and we kept it rolling, leading right into talking about the MLBs newest PED scandal with Biogenesis and the loss of heroes, plus Karl Malone may have been at Chris Perez house when he named his NBA all time top 5, and more. A fast paced, fun hour, take a listen and GET YOUR FIX!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The Sports Fix - Tues May 21, 2013
The excitement from Yan Gomes walkoff homer finishing the Indians sweep of Seattle dripped over into the show, as we had perhaps our best broadcast to date since the relaunch! J-Rocc talked tribe excitement, Chris Perez and his battles with Cleveland fans and Twitter, Indians announcer Jim Rosenhaus joined the show to talk Tribe and the Detroit Tigers, and so much more. A must listen!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The Sports Fix - Tues May 14, 2013
Miss the show? J-Rocc talks Indians/Yankees doubleheader, Terry Francona, Mike Lombardi, Browns, NBA Playoffs and more!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Timing is everything...
Give Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez credit, at least he waited for a rare Tribe win to make his latest incendiary comments to the media.
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.
-----------------------------
"Next week is Die Hard Night." - Harry Doyle
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.
-----------------------------
"Next week is Die Hard Night." - Harry Doyle
Monday, May 21, 2012
Shaprio, Perez Address Comments on Cleveland Fans
By: Brett Crow
“It’s just a slap in the face when you’re in first place and last in attendance. Last. Not 25th or 26th. Last.”
Those are the comments from Cleveland Indians All-Star pitcher Chris Perez that have generated a firestorm around the team. “That was the last straw,” Perez said in reference to being booed for allowing two men on base during a game that he eventually saved against the Seattle Mariners.
Given an opportunity to address the comments since having said them, Perez let his feelings be known: “We’re good. And we have a good team. We haven’t played our best ball and we’re in first place. It’s been years building up and Thursday was the last straw. I just had it.”
Chris Perez, known for actively interacting with fans on Twitter, knew he was going to have deal with the aftermath and wrath of the fans. When asked about the backlash, Perez said, “Some of it was funny. I expected it. But I really don’t care anymore. I’m here to do my job and play for this team. If the fans come, they come. And if they don’t, it will be just like it was in April. So who cares?”
Asked if he had talked to anybody about feelings around the league that players don’t want to play in Cleveland, Perez didn’t offer any apologies and stood by his comments. “I’ve talked to ex-players, I’ve talked to guys we’ve released in recent years. And it’s a consensus pretty much. It’s not a good atmosphere. It’s not fun to be here.”
In an attempt to clarify a bit more, Perez went on to say that the fun atmospheres and fan support help encourage the team and individual players if they’ve had bad games or bad individual performances, saying the atmosphere of having the fans support you could break some of the slumps and pump the energy.
Asked if he talked to former players who had played for the Indians during the times when the fan base was electric, Perez talked emphatically: “I talked to ex-players when they used to play here. Ask Derek Lowe! When he was with Boston, they’re like ‘God, we’re coming to Cleveland! That place is tough to play, it’s loud, they’re on you.’ That’s that home field advantage. That’s what I want to get back to. That helps us win. That helps us get to where we want to go. It’s not like that anymore unfortunately.”
When asked why he wanted to be here then, if things just weren’t the way he thought they should be, Perez let it be known that he loved Cleveland. “We have a good team, I want to get back to that. I was in Florida in 97 when they lost the World Series to the Marlins. I saw the atmosphere here, it’s great. It’s a good baseball town.”
When asked why he thought people don’t come, Perez said, “There’s all kinds of reasons. Weather, the ownership. I hear that all the time. I’m just repeating what you guys write.” Also asked why he thought the fans disliked the ownership, Perez spoke and blamed the media outright: “I think some of it is the media, some of it is the fans.”
Perez continued and got away from the question, his anger with the fans coming out again: “I don’t understand the negativity. Why? Enjoy what we have. We have a first place team! How many teams in the country would want that? Do you think the Tigers are happy? They’re in third place … We’re in first place, enjoy it. We could be in last place, we could be the Royals, the Pirates, haven’t won anything in twenty years. We’re not. Enjoy it. I don’t understand the negativity. And that goes for some of you too.”
Shapiro himself opened up his own segment speaking of the incredible respect he had for Chris Perez, but that they disagreed: “We as an organization clearly disagree with him about our fans. We appreciate our fans, we respect our fans, we certainly want more to come and we’re working extremely hard to make that happen. But it is our underlying belief, that if the team continues to play the way it plays, with the kind of emotion and passion and competitiveness and relentless approach and we continue to win...That more fans will come out.”
Shapiro said he has never gotten the impression that players avoided coming here. “I get the sense they do, you got two examples in Asdrubal [Cabrera] and [Carlos] Santana who just signed extensions. In my experience, this has been a place that certain types of players want to come here.”
Asked if he himself was disappointed in the attendance, Shapiro commented that he “wanted more people to experience what we have going here.” He let it be known that he didn’t let that become frustration, but instead turned it to resolve to do what he could to get people to come to the games.
Chris Perez has been with Cleveland Indians since 2009 when a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals brought him to Cleveland. In 2010, Perez broke out with 23 saves and an ERA of 1.71 as the Indians closer. Hard to improve on such a season, Perez managed when he got 36 saves the next season and maintained a relatively low ERA of 3.32 in 2011, even making the All-Star game that year. This year, Perez is ranked as one of the top closers with over thirteen saves in eighteen games played, second among all pitchers in the MLB.
Mark Shapiro has been the President of the Cleveland Indians since after the 2010 season, when he was promoted and Chris Antonetti took his spot as GM. Serving as GM from 2001 to 2010, Shapiro had been named the Executive of the Year in 2005 and 2007. Shapiro has been with the organization since 1991.
Attendance at Progressive Field, the home of the Cleveland Indians has been low this year, averaging only 15,872 fans per game. This is roughly about ⅓ of what Progressive Field can hold. This weekend’s game against the Miami Marlins seems to be an indicator of things to come though with the the first two games of that series drawing crowds of over 29,000 and the third game drawing nearly 24,000 fans.
The Tribe will kick off a three game series against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, May 22nd with all of the games at home.
Don't forget you can listen to the interview here at the bottom of the page.
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