A few weeks back, the Washington Nationals were in Los Angeles to play the Dodgers and the only real story was Jose Guillen coming back to play in SoCal again. Last year, he played for the Angels and was suspended without pay for the last few games of the season (I think 10 games) after throwing a fit when Angels manager Mike Scioscia took him out of the game for a pinch runner. He reportedly confronted Scoscia and threw a helmet in his direction. Bad move? Sure. Worth suspending without pay for the rest of the season? Maybe if it had been the first time. Earlier in the season, he ripped his own teammates for not retaliating after he was hit in a game and then later in the season he got into an argument with Scioscia about some other stupid topic. Jose Guillen obviously has problems - he's now played for 8 teams in about 10 years and after leaving each team, that team has gotten significantly better - the Angels went on a 7 game win streak when Guillen was suspended.
So, Guillen comes back to Southern California and says he has no hard feelings, what happened in the past happened in the past, yada yada yada. Fast forward a few weeks as the Nationals come to town to face the Angels in interleague play. Game 1, nothing happens. Before the game, Nationals' manager Frank Robinson doesn't allow any reporters to ask questions about last year (specifically referring to Guillen's suspension). Fine. Whatever. They already asked him about it when he was in town to play the Dodgers. Game 2, 7th inning, Brendan Donnelly comes in to pitch for the Angels. Frank Robinson has the umpires check his glove and they find pine tar on it. OK, fine. He uses tine par to get a grip on the ball. From all that I've seen, heard, and read over the past few days, pine tar doesn't cause the ball to break more or have more spin or anything like that - it's just for getting a grip on the ball if you have sweaty hands and don't like the rosin bag. And, it's an accepted practice. Donnelly said last night that you're going to see a lot of pitchers with brand new gloves this weekend since their old ones had pine tar on them. But either way, the rules don't allow for any foreign substance and Donnelly was thrown out of the game. No problem there. Mike Scioscia, however, stands up for his players and tells Robinson that he would challenge any Nationals pitcher that came in to which Robinson threw a fit. The benches cleared and during the next few moments, Jose Guillen had to be restrained by 4-5 different players and coaches so he wouldn't come to blows with someone on the other team. Guess the anger management classes aren't working.
So that's all fine and well, until I hear both Frank Robinson and Jose Guillen say they have no respect for Mike Scioscia - and why? Because he stuck up for his players? Because he reiterated what all the analysts, talk show hosts, and former players have said - that pine tar is only used to get a grip? Well, I'm not quite sure why Robinson is so cranky other than the fact that he's 70 and just had eye surgery and probably hasn't had enough prune juice and he may be backed up, and while I should cut the guy some slack, he's got no class in my book. Keep it on the field. Challenge the pitcher if you want, but don't go to the media and be a little crybaby about it after you already got your way.
And now, to Jose Guillen. After the last game of the series, he called Mike Scioscia a "piece of garbage." Why? Because he still holds a grudge over the last season. The season in which he ripped his teammates in the media. The season in which he had multiple confrontations with Scioscia, and the season in which he was suspended because he has anger management problems and threw a little hissy fit because he didn't get his way. Wake up Jose - there's a reason you can't stay on the same team for more than a year or two. You have a problem. I really didn't care that much about Guillen before the series with the Angels. I didn't like the way he acted last year, but I let it go. I moved on. But he didn't. He's still upset with Scioscia, the Angels, and pretty much the whole world because if things don't go his way, they don't go any way at all as far as Guillen's concerned.
I really wish Guillen would have said something Wednesday night, at least then, an Angels pitcher could have thrown a ball at his ear. But, of course, he takes the cowardly way out and blasts his former manager and players after the game is over, knowing that he most likely won't face them for a few more years, and he does it through the media. Jose Guillen is a chicken shit and shouldn't be playing baseball at all. I don't care if he can hit the ball and play right field. He's got quite a few problems - the least of which is his anger.
Of course Scioscia took the high road through all of this and comes out on top. "I hope Jose can move on. I hope the anger-management classes helped him," Scioscia told the Orange County Register. "At some point, you have to let it go." Guillen comes out looking like the asshole he is.
URL: ESPN.com - MLB - Guillen blasts Scioscia
So, Guillen comes back to Southern California and says he has no hard feelings, what happened in the past happened in the past, yada yada yada. Fast forward a few weeks as the Nationals come to town to face the Angels in interleague play. Game 1, nothing happens. Before the game, Nationals' manager Frank Robinson doesn't allow any reporters to ask questions about last year (specifically referring to Guillen's suspension). Fine. Whatever. They already asked him about it when he was in town to play the Dodgers. Game 2, 7th inning, Brendan Donnelly comes in to pitch for the Angels. Frank Robinson has the umpires check his glove and they find pine tar on it. OK, fine. He uses tine par to get a grip on the ball. From all that I've seen, heard, and read over the past few days, pine tar doesn't cause the ball to break more or have more spin or anything like that - it's just for getting a grip on the ball if you have sweaty hands and don't like the rosin bag. And, it's an accepted practice. Donnelly said last night that you're going to see a lot of pitchers with brand new gloves this weekend since their old ones had pine tar on them. But either way, the rules don't allow for any foreign substance and Donnelly was thrown out of the game. No problem there. Mike Scioscia, however, stands up for his players and tells Robinson that he would challenge any Nationals pitcher that came in to which Robinson threw a fit. The benches cleared and during the next few moments, Jose Guillen had to be restrained by 4-5 different players and coaches so he wouldn't come to blows with someone on the other team. Guess the anger management classes aren't working.
So that's all fine and well, until I hear both Frank Robinson and Jose Guillen say they have no respect for Mike Scioscia - and why? Because he stuck up for his players? Because he reiterated what all the analysts, talk show hosts, and former players have said - that pine tar is only used to get a grip? Well, I'm not quite sure why Robinson is so cranky other than the fact that he's 70 and just had eye surgery and probably hasn't had enough prune juice and he may be backed up, and while I should cut the guy some slack, he's got no class in my book. Keep it on the field. Challenge the pitcher if you want, but don't go to the media and be a little crybaby about it after you already got your way.
And now, to Jose Guillen. After the last game of the series, he called Mike Scioscia a "piece of garbage." Why? Because he still holds a grudge over the last season. The season in which he ripped his teammates in the media. The season in which he had multiple confrontations with Scioscia, and the season in which he was suspended because he has anger management problems and threw a little hissy fit because he didn't get his way. Wake up Jose - there's a reason you can't stay on the same team for more than a year or two. You have a problem. I really didn't care that much about Guillen before the series with the Angels. I didn't like the way he acted last year, but I let it go. I moved on. But he didn't. He's still upset with Scioscia, the Angels, and pretty much the whole world because if things don't go his way, they don't go any way at all as far as Guillen's concerned.
I really wish Guillen would have said something Wednesday night, at least then, an Angels pitcher could have thrown a ball at his ear. But, of course, he takes the cowardly way out and blasts his former manager and players after the game is over, knowing that he most likely won't face them for a few more years, and he does it through the media. Jose Guillen is a chicken shit and shouldn't be playing baseball at all. I don't care if he can hit the ball and play right field. He's got quite a few problems - the least of which is his anger.
Of course Scioscia took the high road through all of this and comes out on top. "I hope Jose can move on. I hope the anger-management classes helped him," Scioscia told the Orange County Register. "At some point, you have to let it go." Guillen comes out looking like the asshole he is.
URL: ESPN.com - MLB - Guillen blasts Scioscia
posted by Blake | 07:50
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