Glen Perkins might be an MLB veteran but he’s receiving a ruthless reminder of how unforgiving the sports world can be. The Minnesota Twins closer, a hometown kid born and raised in the Twin Cities before playing at the University of Minnesota, is one of the most beloved Twins players over the last few years. He has become an elite closer, grabbed a couple of All-Star nods and was having his best season yet in 2015. Perkins was 28-for-28 in save opportunities at the All-Star Break, dominating opponents for a team that wasn’t expected to contend.
Then all hell broke loose. Before his scoreless ninth inning during their 9-5 win over Seattle on Thursday, Perkins had appeared in four games after the break, three of which were disasters. He blew two saves and yielded six total earned runs. Minnesota folks might be known for their “Minnesota Nice” demeanor but he was still blasted with criticism, leading his wife, Alisha, to write a brief essay defending her husband from the idiots that take things too far:
Listen, I get that you want to hold Glen to a higher standard because he gets paid a lot and you are used to him being darn near perfect but that does not give you the right to cyber bully him and our family when things don’t go according to plan.
Do you think he doesn’t feel bad already?
Do you think he wanted to fail?
You are delusional if you think he doesn’t feel worst than anyone when he doesn’t succeed.
It is easy to hide behind a screen and spew venom at people you will never meet and who are doing things you could only dream of but it does not make it ok. The “cyber bullying” fad in America needs to stop; it is destructive, offensive, unnecessary, and just pain cowardly. Let’s have a little grace for one another and for ourselves.
About Jason Smith