Day after outburst, Guillen says he’s ready to step up and lead team
By SAM MELLINGER
The Kansas City Star
Crisis day with the Royals is only eight minutes old when the phone rings. It’s just past midnight, maybe an hour or so after José Guillen’s F-bomb-laden rant directed at his teammates and himself for underachieving.
The longest losing streak in the majors this year will do that kind of thing. So Guillen, after time to think and a private conversation with his manager, responds to a text message from The Star with a phone call.
“This (stuff) has to stop, man,” he begins. “It can’t go on like this.”
It is only the beginning of what will be a defining day of the Royals’ season. The highest-paid player puts the team on blast. Leo Nuñez, the team’s second-best reliever so far, goes on the disabled list. Brett Tomko is moved to the bullpen, so the rotation is in flux.
And Billy Butler, a cornerstone of the future and the man whose jersey the team gave out the first month of the season, is sent to Class AAA Omaha. Guillen’s outburst is circulated around the city and country, and besides the Samuel L. Jackson language, the part that catches the most attention is his calling some teammates “(freaking) babies.”
Management has thought about giving Butler time in Omaha since well before Guillen started cursing, but many will make the connection anyway.
So Hillman calls a team meeting for 3:45 Thursday afternoon. He is the first to speak.
“Guys,” he says, “you know why they’re booing you out there? You know why you’re getting booed on your home field? It’s one reason and one reason only. Because those fans out there care.”
Hillman says “a couple” of players spoke as well, but Guillen wasn’t one of them.
He’d already said plenty, of course. In front of his locker after the game Wednesday, and then over the phone early Thursday morning.
Guillen’s main point on the phone, which may have been lost in the public digestion of his comments, is that he’s sick of hearing people bash Hillman. Guillen has a well-documented history of calling out managers when he feels it necessary, so the defense is worth noting.
It also could be viewed as Guillen’s emergence as a primary clubhouse voice, depending on how the team responds. Guillen has talked openly about seeing his career in a different stage now, a place where he can be the veteran, the clubhouse police officer.
He admits he spent enough time as the clubhouse punk who needed policing. Maybe this is his chance to return the favor.
“I learned the hard way,” Guillen says. “I’m not trying to point fingers at anybody, but this is not going to happen here. I signed a big deal here. I’m supposed to be one of the leaders. I’ve got a big responsibility to carry some of these young guys, and we need to play hard, so what’s wrong with getting on some guys?”
The feeling around the team seems to be that Guillen’s thoughts needed to be expressed — by someone — and Hillman said Guillen was the best candidate to do it.
But Guillen brings some of his own baggage to this conversation. He doesn’t always hustle out routine ground balls. He admittedly started the season 20 pounds overweight, which contributed to a bad personal start, which contributed to a bad team start.
Hillman and Royals general manager Dayton Moore each said they liked Guillen’s message but only wished it came with family-friendly language. Mark Teahen also saw some truth in the rant.
Next page >
To reach Sam Mellinger, national baseball reporter, send e-mail to smellinger@kcstar.com
Join the discussion
Share your observations and experiences about news. Lively, open debate is the goal, but please refrain from personal attacks or comments that are racist, vulgar or otherwise inappropriate. If you see an inappropriate comment, please click the "Report as violation" link to notify a KansasCity.com editor. Thanks for your feedback.