'Tis the season for Major League Baseball meltdowns.
While Bobby Valentine was threatening to punch Glenn Ordway in the face on Wednesday afternoon, Indians closer Chris Perez had some pretty interesting things to say, too.
While Valentine was criticizing the media and the like, it was Perez who went after his bosses.
Bold move, no doubt, especially when you consider, you know, it's Chris Perez criticizing anyone.
"Different owners," Perez told FoxSports.com when talking about the differences in the Indians and the Tigers. "It comes down to that. They [the Tigers] are spending money. He [Tigers owner Mike Illitch] wants to win. Even when the economy was down, he spent money. He's got a team to show for it. You get what you pay for in baseball. Sometimes you don't. But most of the time you do."
It's never a good idea to criticize the owner of the company you work for, for starters. Apparently Perez is neglecting the fact that a team like the Oakland Athletics — last in baseball with a $49 million payroll — currently own one of baseball's best records.
Actually, maybe Perez isn't forgetting that. That's why it wasn't just ownership he criticized, but the front office as well.
"You can't miss," Perez told the website. "You have to be right. That's why I say it's not just ownership. They don't make the trades. It's the GMs. It goes hand in hand. The GMs can only spend the money the owners give them, but they pick who they spend it on or who they don't. They pick. The owners don't pick.
"Josh Willingham would look great in this lineup. They didn't want to [pony] up for that last year … That's the decision they make and this is the bed we're laying in."
The bed the Tribe is laying in is wrapped in a 58-79 record, good for fourth place in the AL Central. They entered the season in the bottom third of payroll, with more than $78 million on the books.
Shooting off at the mouth is nothing new for Perez. He criticized Cleveland fans earlier in the season, and he also had a verbal spat with a A's fans in Oakland. The closer was an All-Star this season, and he has 34 saves and a 3.51 ERA for the Indians.
