The road to acceptance for Chris Perez is well traveled in Cleveland and not as difficult as it might look, Bud Shaw writes in his Spin column.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The season can still be a save for Chris Perez.
You hear Perez described as a polarizing figure in Cleveland sports. Can we agree polarizing figures have been cheered before, embraced in the flesh and as a bobblehead even?
So let's not say it like it's a bad thing.
Perez brought most of the criticism on himself with his 2012 fan base lectures and the more recent marijuana possession case. Not all, though. Finding fault with the way he saves games, sometimes impersonating Nik Wallenda, is more specific to the job than to him. Anyone getting too hung up on that must've slept through Bob Wickman and Joe Borowski.
Fact is, he has saved them many more times than not. What he also has going for him on the road to redemption is that unlike Jose Mesa, he's never blown a World Series. My guess is Mesa's failure to close out the Marlins outranked his forgettable December 1996 night in Lakewood as the No. 1 reason for his infamy in this town.
If Perez preserves leads in the ninth as the anchor leg of the bullpen baton exchange, and if the Indians continue their current run into the postseason, acceptance -- while a challenging trek -- is a possibility for the Indians' closer.
He'll simply have to keep his head down, his mouth shut and do his work. OK, so maybe parts of that aren't so simple for him. If he can manage that, though, eventually all anyone will care about is whether he keeps his footing on the high wire.
Cleveland has cheered John Rocker, after all. And Robbie Alomar after the spitting incident. And Albert Belle after ... (pick one).
Think about it. While Perez's fastballs don't always find their mark, he has not yet aimed one at a fan. When a town has cheered worse -- personality disorders and anger management class flunkies (Milton Bradley) -- is it really impossible to imagine the season ending on a high note for Perez?
(OK, insert Brodie Baum joke here. Finished? Good.)
Now, is it?
"Rock-solid" isn't "franchise" but it's a step up
Brandon Weeden had his ups and downs, but Ron Jaworski believes the Browns' QB is nearly as good as ... Michael Vick. That's a good thing, right?Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski had nice things to say about Brandon Weeden's potential in the new Rob Chudzinski-Norv Turner offense, though he still ranks Weeden No. 26 on his quarterback list.
He believes Weeden can be "rock solid."
No surprise that a former quarterback nicknamed "The Polish Rifle" would be enamored with Weeden's arm and predict him as a good fit in a downfield passing offense. No. 25 on Jaworski's list, by the way, is Michael Vick.
It's almost as if Jaworski saw the 2012 season opener at the stadium.
SPINOFFS
• What could possibly go wrong with naming Section 117 of Progressive Field "Bro-h-i-o" in honor of Nick Swisher?
So ask the former residents of Pronkville.
• Mike Holmgren told his favorite Seattle radio host Dave "Softy" Mahler that he expects big things out of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez this season. Holmgren was the high school coach of Marty Mornhinweg, Sanchez' offensive coordinator in New York.
"He would be one of those guys if I was still coaching I would really like to coach," Holmgren said of Sanchez.
If you said, "Oh, you mean like Jake Delhomme," I guess your nickname wouldn't be "Softy."
• The draft was only the beginning for the Cavs and GM Chris Grant. The next step is being rebuffed by the top free agents.
• Authorities are hoping to prevent Aaron Hernandez from marrying his fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, while Hernandez is in jail. As his wife, they point out, Jenkins wouldn't have to testify against him.
It won't be easy to stop her from wanting to get hitched, since he's such a catch.
• Bengals owner Mike Brown told Fox Sports that Cincinnati stayed away from drafting Aaron Hernandez because of his personal issues.
"That one is no secret," he said. Troubled players, after all, are simply not Bengals-worthy.
Aaron Hernandez was cheered by some fans as he was led to police custody in handcuffs and faced murder charges. So who says the Boston fan is really all that tough?Ted Fitzgerald, Boston Herald/AP • Hernandez reportedly rented a flop house in Massachusetts where authorities, working on a tip from one of Hernandez's friends, found an ammo stash and some articles of clothing.
The ammo matched the bullet investigators believe killed Odin Lloyd. A white hoodie resembling the one Hernandez wore in a surveillance video the night Lloyd died, was also found in the house.
OK, Mike Brown and the Bengals, my apologies.
• Former Oklahoma and NFL linebacker Brian Bosworth, now an "actor," told Fox News that working on "Revelation Road" has brought him closer to God.
"I knew the Lord, I just hated him," said Bosworth, saying he felt God let him down. "There was a feud and a grudge match."
Why he didn't call Dennis Rodman, I don't know.
• If you saw Shane Battier conduct player interviews at the NBA draft, you'd have to agree he looked at least as comfortable as Michelle Wie's putting stance.
• The Raiders paid their former No. 1 overall draft pick Jamarcus Russell $3 million to sign with them.
Because nobody ever gets fooled twice, as the saying goes.
• Phillies' closer Jonathan Papelbon believes the only thing more "stupid" than the hype over Dodgers' phenom Yasiel Puig is talk of why he belongs on the National League All-Star Team after just a month in the big leagues.
Puig is the talk of baseball after batting .433 with eight homers and 17 RBI in 27 games. Only 99.99 percent of fans would rather see Puig than, say, another relief pitcher in a game that is treated as an exhibition.
So Papelbon does have a one-hundredth of a percentage point.
• With teams lining up to wine, dine and sign him, Dwight Howard will no doubt become more grounded, humble and self-critical any day now.
• With Earl Clark interested in joining the Cavaliers as a free agent -- yes, that Earl Clark -- the team is collecting power forwards the way my grandmother once collected Hummels.
• If you're having one of those days where you feel you're behind the curve, well, Golf Digest this week revived a famous quote from golfer Sandy Lyle. Asked in 1992 for his opinion of Tiger Woods, Lyle said, "I don't know. I've never played there before."
• According to Bob Dorfman of "The Sports Marketer's Scouting Report," LeBron James following "The Decision" suffered the biggest drop in Q rating "that was not criminally related." He has since rebounded nicely.
This is news in Cleveland. That his departure was not criminal, I mean.
• I have vowed to wait to draw any firm conclusions about Jimmy Haslam's financial buoyancy as CEO of Pilot Flying J until the first time I successfully balance my checkbook.
• It's doubtful the NFL knew about the FBI-IRS investigation into Pilot Flying J before the league okayed Haslam as owner. But it had to thoroughly check his finances.
If not, I think I'd rather have Mike Tyson keep my books.
HE SAID IT
"My mission is to break the ice between hostile countries. Why it's been left to me to smooth things over, I don't know." -- Dennis Rodman, to Sports Illustrated for its 14th "Where Are They Now" issue.
Whatever you think of Rodman, can we all agree he's at least as good at his new job as Henry Kissinger would've been playing forward in the NBA.
YOU SAID IT
(The Expanded Holiday Edition)
"Bud:
"Grass or clay?" -- Jim Corrigan, Fairview Park
This is not the first time I received his mail by mistake but I believe your question was meant for Brodie Baum.
"Bud:
"How many vertical stripes are there in the new Aaron Hernandez jersey?" -- Michael Sarro
Twenty to a lifetime's supply.
"Hey Bud:
"The feds seem to have it in for guys named Jimmy (Dimora and Haslam). I hope that's not your given name." -- JRM
No worries there. Luckily my parents named me Scarface.
"Hey Bud:
"Daredevil Nik Wallenda recently walked a tightrope across Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon. What's the most daring stunt you ever attempted?" -- Ed Stagl, Berea
I once climbed to the top step of the ladder, avoiding the warning printed there, though I did use ropes and a harness.
"Bud:
"Do you know any living sportswriters who have gone to a 'Gentleman's Club' with Ray Lewis or Aaron Hernandez?" -- Johnny Mack, Bainbridge
We don't run in the same circles mostly because they can afford big ticket items like cover charges.
"Bud:
"Now that Jimmy Haslam is selling his minor-league baseball team, do you think he will concentrate on his minor-league football team?" -- Bill Litzler
First-time "You said it" winners receive a T-shirt from the Mental Floss collection.
"Bud:
"With all the Haslam employees copping plea deals, when will 'Flying J' become "Fleeing J?" -- Jim Lefkowitz, Pepper Pike
Repeat winners receive an apology.