On Perez, I can see both sides of this one. On the negativity, I can see his side fully, though it would mean more coming from someone whose feelings aren't hurt by being booed. Go to NY or Phily, where there are certainly a lot more fans, throw bad a few times, and see what it's like there, Chris. That said, this is a first place team, and people should be enjoyig that. Hell, I am guilty on the board too, focusing on Krotchrot not hitting an 8th graders weight and Masterson sucking and Ubado the wonder headcase and all of that. But I still tune in every night, and I still support the team. More people should enjoy what the team is doing. Yes, the ownership sucks, the Dolans suck, whatever, but the guys that are here are finding ways to win, and for that, people should be supportive.
All that said, there's a little fuck a millionaire criticizing this area too. There are a hell of a lot of families here that would love what game to take their kids to to be the most important decision they have this month. Unfortunately things like finding a job, or finding a second job, or paying the mortgage on their home that is worth 1/3 of what it was, or putting food on the table, are the toughest decisions people are making here. There are also a disproportional amount of shift and healthcare workers here, which means a lot of 7-7 workers, or nightshift workers. Those people have a very hard time making 7 PM games during the week, especially if they have kids. Plus school is still in session, so kids aren't off yet. So what you get is what is happening...low attendance during the week, higher attendance during weekend series. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Perez somewhat tacitly admitted that this morning, but only in the context of making himself look better ("I'm not stupid..."). So there are still a lot of working class folks here that spend their hard earned money to go to the park. It's not as many as any one of us would like, but to shit on those people, just because your feelings are hurt by being booed, is pretty stupid. It's not his fault Joe Borowski and Jose Mesa were closers here, but unfortunately history plays into perception. It's not fair, but it is what it is. BLow a few saves in NY and see what kind of reception you get.
As for 455, I am also tired of hearing it, but then people on both sides need to stop whining about it. It is relevant only as a source of pride in a historical context, much like a championship from years ago is. It was a cool streak, and people can be proud of it in a blue collar town. But that's it. It has nothing to do with the current time. So people saying it will happen again if ownership ponies up...it won't. And people saying it's the fans fault that people won't come here because attendence used to be good and now it isn't...it isn't. There are a lot of reasons that attendance is down, and not only in Cleveland...the economy, the steriod era, the obsession with football, the attention span of kids these days who think baseball is long and boring...455 is gone for good.
As for football, it is totally apples to oranges. Yes, the Browns still sell out (well, supposedly, though I see plenty of empty seats on TV quite a few times)...but that's for all of 8 games. 8, and mostly on Sundays. The Indians play 81. And a majority of those are during the week. It just isn't the same thing. It's not even close.
