Even after watching his own words get blown up by the media, outspoken Cleveland Indians reliever Chris Perez continues to speak his mind and dig himself into a nice, deep hole with local fans. MLB.com's Zach Meisell spoke with Perez on Tuesday, and though he clarified that he isn't specifically seeking a trade, the 26-year-old closer certainly didn't help his situation by speaking up yet again.
Chris Perez: "I don't want out. I'm unhappy. That doesn't mean I want out. You're allowed to be unhappy in your work situation."
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) May 22, 2012
Perez: "If I get booed as soon as they introduce me, I'll feel like it's a road game and I'll probably shove it up the other team's butt."
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) May 22, 2012
Perez also told Meisel that he has received a unanimously positive reaction from local fans after his original comments became public, which is extremely hard to believe. The fact that Perez continues to voice his opinion about everything from the attendance to the football team, and yet is still adamant about not wanting a trade out of the city, remains the oddest part about this entire situation.
Right now the first-place Indians need to focus on winning baseball games, and not about whether one of their many players is overwhelmingly-happy, merely content, or outwardly frustrated with his current situation. Perez remains free to speak his mind while reporters everywhere try to coerce him into saying something even worse than he already has, but the longer this goes on, the further Perez threatens to distance himself from the same organization that he supposedly does not want to leave.
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