Guillen puts interests of Nats first
Risking suspension or diminished value, outfielder stays cool
By Bill Ladson / MLB.com
WAHSINGTON -- Nationals manager Frank Robinson said that he did not need to talk to outfielder Jose Guillen about how he should handle himself against Mets right-hander Pedro Martinez on Wednesday night.
Robinson felt that Guillen was already aware that the clubs had been issued warnings, which stemmed from the near brawl between Guillen and Martinez six days ago. Guillen nearly charged the mound that night after getting hit by a Martinez pitch for the second time.
But Jose Rijo -- the Nationals' special assistant to the general manager -- and Jose Cardenal, the team's senior advisor to the GM, didn't take any chances. Before Wednesday's game, they told Guillen not to do anything foolish. If he did, Guillen would hurt the ballclub by getting suspended, and he would lose any chance of getting a contract extension.
"We explained to him the whole thing. I know he is still hurting with what happened [last week], but ... he's aware [of what's at stake]. He will not do anything. He's fine," said Cardenal, who is like a father figure to Guillen. "We gave him good advice, like he is our son. We know that he is a very emotional guy. We don't want him to run into trouble, especially now. He is fighting to get a contract, and we want him to get his wish."
Guillen sounded like a different person than the one who wanted revenge against Martinez last week. He said he would put his team first before anything else.
"We're just here to play baseball, win a baseball game," Guillen said before the game. "To me, it's over. We've got a lot of things to be worried about, not be worried about Pedro right now. We've got to win some games. All you guys know I'm very important to this team.
"If I get suspended for 15 or 20 games, it's going to hurt this organization. I'm pretty sure the players ... front-office people [and] my coaches are not going to be happy [if that happened]."
As it turned out, nothing happened between Guillen and Martinez, who pitched seven solid innings and helped the Mets defeat the Nationals, 3-1.
Guillen went 0-for-3 against Martinez. In the first inning, Guillen hit a deep fly ball to center field that was caught at the warning track by Carlos Beltran. Three innings later, he hit a hard grounder to Martinez, who threw Guillen out at first base.
But Guillen had a golden opportunity to get Martinez in the sixth inning. With the Mets leading, 2-1, the Nationals had the bases loaded and one out when Guillen hit into a double play to end the inning.
"I was looking for a good pitch to hit. He made some good pitches. You have to tip your hat to him. He pitched a great game and they beat us again," Guillen said. "I'm not hear to kiss Pedro's butt, but he pitched a real good game today."
Martinez said he was willing to forget about the past, and he was happy that there wasn't pandemonium during the game.
"I was happy that it was all about baseball and none of that other stuff. I don't hold grudges. I will continue to pray for [Guillen]. I think his temper will get better," Martinez said. "I wasn't concerned about it happening. I just played baseball."
Now, Guillen has to try to get his hitting stroke back. He is 7-for-33 (.212) to start the season. It didn't help that he didn't have much of a Spring Training. Guillen didn't start playing in an exhibition game until late March because of shoulder and wrist problems.
"I don't like to make excuses, but I was not able to play a lot of games in the spring. I feel pretty much like this is Spring Training to me," Guillen said. "People didn't expect me to play the first month of the season. You know how hard I work just to be where I am. I know myself. I'm going to come through. I'll be all right. I have to keep playing."
Guillen will also have to wait for a while to get a contract extension. Team president Tony Tavares said that Guillen will not get one until ownership is in place.
"He is the boss. Tony and I have a great relationship. If that's what he says, we have to wait," Guillen said.
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Oh really? Whats at stake? A 2-8 season so far? Oh yeah, that is a fragile must have for any team. Watch out, you shake the boat up and it might turn the other way and you might actually WIN a few games!
While I understand this is a hard pill to swallow, he did the right thing although in turn he shouldn't of opened his mouth because now the Nats team and fans look like a bunch of weenies. Really, I think the fans are most pained by this and the shoddy play on the field. No one stood up for DC and represented.
