Odalis Perez has been villified in the media since his days in a Dodger uniform. There have been many times where what he has said was miscontrued or blown out of proportion. I have been fortunate to know him since 2004 and I have been exposed to a side many don't know and the media refuses to see.
He has been criticized for things such as refusing to pitch with a split fingernail (we know the outcome of having to pitch anyway) and blasting his teammates for the lack of run support yet he tied the major league record with 18 no decisions in one year. Maybe it is the way that he has expressed himself that has not come across as acceptable, but the media chooses to focus on the negative.
He is mostly known for the fact that his O's 45 kids club that was discontinued for reasons that are unknown to the public which differ from what the media reported. He has always participated in hospital visits, clinics, and teammates' charitable events. Perez has been donating equipment back in the Dominican Republic for years now and that has never been mentioned. He has held softball games in his hometown of Las Matas de Farfan and has provided entertainment free to the public for a few years running. He has also donated equipment to Little Leagues and Adult Leagues in Los Angeles even after his departure.
Last night he seemed to turn a new leaf in his professional career as it was evident that he lost weight in the offseason. He seems more comfortable on the mound and in control of his pitches. As an ODP fan, I am glad to see him reunited with Paul LoDuca who was his catcher in all of his memorable games. Hope his hard work in the offseason pays off and we see the old ODP that pitched well enough to warrant the $24 million dollar contract given to him in 2005.
He has been criticized for things such as refusing to pitch with a split fingernail (we know the outcome of having to pitch anyway) and blasting his teammates for the lack of run support yet he tied the major league record with 18 no decisions in one year. Maybe it is the way that he has expressed himself that has not come across as acceptable, but the media chooses to focus on the negative.
He is mostly known for the fact that his O's 45 kids club that was discontinued for reasons that are unknown to the public which differ from what the media reported. He has always participated in hospital visits, clinics, and teammates' charitable events. Perez has been donating equipment back in the Dominican Republic for years now and that has never been mentioned. He has held softball games in his hometown of Las Matas de Farfan and has provided entertainment free to the public for a few years running. He has also donated equipment to Little Leagues and Adult Leagues in Los Angeles even after his departure.
Last night he seemed to turn a new leaf in his professional career as it was evident that he lost weight in the offseason. He seems more comfortable on the mound and in control of his pitches. As an ODP fan, I am glad to see him reunited with Paul LoDuca who was his catcher in all of his memorable games. Hope his hard work in the offseason pays off and we see the old ODP that pitched well enough to warrant the $24 million dollar contract given to him in 2005.
