Chris Perez Goes Off on Cleveland Fans

[gladdyontherise]

Chris Perez rips Cleveland Indians fans, says small crowds help keep free agents away - MLB - Sporting News

“Guys don’t want to come over here and people wonder why,” Perez was quoted as saying after closing out a 2-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners. “Why doesn’t Carlos Beltran want to come over here? Well, because of that. That’s part of it. It doesn’t go unnoticed—trust us. That’s definitely a huge reason. Nobody wants to play in front of 5,000 fans. We know the weather (stinks), but people see that. Other players know that.

Perez's comment were also fueled by how he was treated Thursday. Fans began booing him after he allowed two baserunners, then gave mock cheers after Perez escaped the jam. He said the booing "(ticks) me off."

"That stuff is reserved for road games. We don’t want to deal with that crap," Perez told reporters, according to The Chronicle-Telegram of Elyria, Ohio. "Here, good fans are supposed to help you try to get through the inning and say, ‘Hey, you’re only one pitch away,' or 'Hey, it’s all right.’ And then after I struck out (the Mariners' Jesus Montero), the mock standing applause just adds to it. You see their true colors.”

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He's really gonna regret what he said later on. In my opinion nit was really ignorant of him to blame the fans for the ownership being cheap. And if he doesn't like being boo'd, then don't play for millions of dollars.

[jsab4807]

If you do your job, you won't get booed. When you have a 5+ ERA at home, you'll get booed when you give up two baserunners to open an inning (Mariners game). Is he too stupid to realize that?

Does he really think he WOULDN'T get booed in other cities given those circumstances? He was in Boston a couple weeks ago when Beckett got shelled and booed out of the damn city. Guess he forgot about that one.

[chris_brown]

well,u have to look at it from his POV,would u want to be cheered on from sparce amounts of fans in the stands?it wouldnt suprise me if this also motivated former Indians stars Albert Belle and Manny to leave Cleveland,because they were tired of the reactions,(or lack thereof) from the dwindling numbers of fans in the stands

[jsab4807]

well,u have to look at it from his POV,would u want to be cheered on from sparce amounts of fans in the stands?it wouldnt suprise me if this also motivated former Indians stars Albert Belle and Manny to leave Cleveland,because they were tired of the reactions,(or lack thereof) from the dwindling numbers of fans in the stands

The Indians sold out 455 straight home games when Belle/Ramirez/Thome were there. Kinda hard to believe the 'number of fans' would have had anything to do with them leaving, when they sold out every single game.

They left because new ownership was coming in and wouldn't pay those guys to stay.

[chris_brown]

The Indians sold out 455 straight home games when Belle/Ramirez/Thome were there. Kinda hard to believe the 'number of fans' would have had anything to do with them leaving, when they sold out every single game.

They left because new ownership was coming in and wouldn't pay those guys to stay.

as i recall from Belle,he was sick and tired of the catcalls and the BS John Hart was shoving down his agent's throat

[key2win]

He is going to get booed the rest of the season now. LOL!

[gladdyontherise]

Perez better hope he performs well at home the next few outings, or else they'll boo him just because of his comments. It could get ugly for him.

[whitney777]

I understand that he's frustrated, but boos are a part of the game. It's hard to expect fans to show up and/or get behind a team that is mostly a bunch of castoffs. The ownership is generally unwilling to spend resources on players. They have signed a few current players to extensions this year, but fans can't truly get behind "average" players when there is little hope of adding better talent. Perez has been a good guy for the most part, but he should have kept this to himself.

[jsab4807]

as i recall from Belle,he was sick and tired of the catcalls and the BS John Hart was shoving down his agent's throat

Which goes back to my statement. Hart was doing everything possible to keep Belle around, yet new ownership was coming in and refused to spend money. Why do you think Hart left? The Dolans wanted someone that would embrace the 'let's never spend money' concept.

[Dave Crum]

as i recall from Belle,he was sick and tired of the catcalls and the BS John Hart was shoving down his agent's throat

Albert Belle left because he was pushing a wheelbarrow full of money to a new city.

[Dave Crum]

Which goes back to my statement. Hart was doing everything possible to keep Belle around, yet new ownership was coming in and refused to spend money. Why do you think Hart left? The Dolans wanted someone that would embrace the 'let's never spend money' concept.

Ding, Ding, Ding!!! We have a winner!! Thats exactly the way I remember it. The ones that didnt get traded left for more money. The ones that got traded were due a big payraise.

[key2win]

Perez cheered, gets save as Indians beat Tigers - Yahoo! Sports

When the bullpen door swung open, Chris Perez braced himself.

After criticizing Cleveland's fans for failing to support the first-place Indians, Perez wasn't sure what to expect when he came in for the ninth inning with another game on the line.

As he entered the field, there was only one sound.

The roar carried him.

''That's the loudest I've ever been cheered here,'' Perez said after earning his 14th save in Cleveland's 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. ''It didn't go unnoticed, trust me. I'm humbled. That was really nice.''

Greeted by a standing ovation from the time he exited the bullpen, Perez worked another scary ninth inning as the Indians ended a 10-game losing streak to Detroit.