2012 NBA Draft: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Harrison Barnes and Growing Debates
June 26, 2012Robert Griffin III Thought he was Heading to Cleveland
June 26, 2012In a recent interview with the New York Times, Cleveland Indians All-Star closer Chris Perez voiced his concern with the overall psyche of the Cleveland sports fan. This time, not just with regard to attendance as much as welfare and the other two sports which share this very city, specifically the animosity toward former Cavalier LeBron James.
“I don’t get the psyche,” said Perez. “Why cheer against a guy that’s not even in your city anymore? Just to see him fail? Does that make you feel good? I could see if the Cavs were in the championship, but that’s their mentality.
“They’ve had a lot of years of misery. They say, ‘You just don’t understand because you don’t live here.’ O.K., maybe I don’t. But that doesn’t mean it has to keep going.”
In addition, Perez called into question the rabid blind loyalty surrounding the Browns, a team having made the playoffs once since returning in 1999 and not had a record above .500 since their 10-win season in 2007, and very little support in an Indians team which currently is among the best in the American League.
“That’s what I don’t understand,” Perez said. “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.
“It’s head-scratching. It’s just — they don’t come out. But around the city, there’s great support. They watch it in the bars. They watch it at home. They just don’t come.”
Earlier this season, Perez blasted Indians fans for their lack of support as well as personally booing him after allowing a base-runner in a game against the Seattle Mariners. On the season, Perez has converted 23 straight saves, striking out 28 and walking seven in 28.1 innings of work. He has not allowed a base-runner since June 18. The Cleveland Indians sit one half-game back of the Chicago White Sox for first place in the AL Central.
[Related: Yankees 7, Indians 1: The Little Urban Cowboy In the Big Bad City]
111 Comments
LMAO at you fucking pathetic Cleveland fans. Booo hooo you will always suck. Boy its nice to live in a city where I can attend games and actually see my team win. Thats Boston you sucktards.
People in Cleveland should have known LeBron was not for them when he would wear Yankees caps and root against the Browns. Get over him. He is not worth your negative energy. The Indians might just surprise us this year and get into the playoffs. The Browns??? The Cavs might be in the Finals within the next two years. Support what you have and let the past lie.
It costs $10 bucks to get into the stadium. That’s less than quite a few movie tickets. The Indians are one of the cheapest forms of entertainment in town. Sure, if he has no spare cash and doesn’t go out ever, then fine, the Indians are expensive. But I see enough cars waiting on the street to fill up Gilbert’s $30/car garage to know that there’s plenty of people in this town who can afford an Indians game.
It’s impossible to tailgate a Sunday afternoon Indians game? When did that ban get put in place? People tailgate Browns games because being piss-drunk is the only way to get through the debacle they are about to watch.
Maybe, but to insinuate that something isn’t expensive b/c many can afford is a little insensitive. When all I have left is $20 after bills…..$10 tickets are a fortune..you dig? …
Can’t speak on others. Each year the Browns have tried to get better. They have done miserably at it, but they are trying. I stopped going to Indians game when they basically stripped the team under the new owner and then went on to give away some of our top talent instead of resigning them. For a stretch it started looking like we were going to be a developmental team instead of a competing team. In that sense some trust was lost in the ownership’s commitment to create a winner. In my eyes they will need to develop a good young core and look to keep their top core players instead of trading them for minor league prospects. Which seems to be the status quo for this ownership. Also last year there was an uproar with Browns fans demanding progress which they have not seen in recent years.
Can’t speak on others. Each year the Browns have tried to get better. They have done miserably at it, but they are trying. I stopped going to Indians game when they basically stripped the team under the new owner and then went on to give away some of our top talent instead of resigning them. For a stretch it started looking like we were going to be a developmental team instead of a competing team. In that sense some trust was lost in the ownership’s commitment to create a winner. In my eyes they will need to develop a good young core and look to keep their top core players instead of trading them for minor league prospects. Which seems to be the status quo for this ownership. Also last year there was an uproar with Browns fans demanding progress which they have not seen in recent years.
If you guys in Cleveland hate Perez so much, Why not send him to Miami, I’m Sure the Marlins would take him. And I LOVE Labron
Do you want to know why I support the Browns, Perez? Because they’re my hometown team and always will be. I’m a true fan, I don’t give up on my team just because they aren’t good. Also don’t expect sold out crowds to a sport with 162 game seasons whereas the NFL has only 16. Also, a lot of people don’t have the money to pay for tickets, parking, and outrageous food prices. So leave your fans alone Chris, or get out
Chris Perez will just never get it, and he’ll keep on talking until he’s retired, well after we trade him for prospects, and well after he fails at his big market club.
It might be time to get rid of him. He’s on a roll with pissing of Clevelanders and his trade value will NEVER be higher than it is right now. If he keeps it up and we continue losing, trading him for a young power bat might be our best play