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Angels Taking Big Gamble
by Daniel Paulling
October 1, 2004
The Angels made a bold move very recently concerning
their arguably second best hitter. The outfielder had twenty-seven
home runs with a .294 batting average on the season; he was considered
quite a stalwart for the injury-riddled Anaheim Angels. To take
him out of the lineup for the remainder of the season and postseason,
should the Angels make it, is a very risky move.
So, why would any team suspend a good player for this long of a
time period in the close race known as the wild AL West?
Well, Jose Guillen did throw his helmet towards his manager on Saturday
after being removed for a pinch runner. It is all right if you do
that kind of thing to Art Howe in New York, but definitely not Mike
Scioscia, one of the most respected managers in the American League,
as well as being a major leader in the Anaheim clubhouse.
The manager Mike Scioscia, general manager Bill Stoneman, and owner
Arte Moreno all deliberated over the suspension for quite a while
before reaching their decision.
“This absolutely wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction. The magnitude
of this move shows the affect of what Jose did and what it could
do to our organization. We want to have a player of that caliber
all the time, and to lose him at this time says a lot.”
The Angels are taking quite a gamble by ridding themselves of Guillen’s
services for the remainder of the season, but their team is one
that is built around a family-first approach. Suspending players
without pay is nothing new for this team, as they did it in 1997
after Tony Phillips was suspended for charges of cocaine, as well
as times before then.
The Angels, though taking a huge risk, are making the right move.
Guillen was considered a cancer to the clubhouse, as his frequent
antics were not tolerated much. In May he called out the Angels
pitching staff for not retaliating by hitting any Toronto Blue Jays
hitters when he was dealt a pitch to the ribs. In his career with
the Reds, Guillen punched a wall because he was pinch-hit for and
in Oakland last year; he ripped manager Ken Macha because his skipper
gave him the day off. One of the largest factors in his suspension
was when he downplayed the importance of a team meeting called by
Darin Erstad.
The team currently (thru action of Wednesday) stands in first place
of the Oakland A’s for the AL West division lead. And just
think they caught up to Oakland minus a star left-fielder, relying
on a platoon of Jeff DeVanon and a fringe outfielder by the name
of Adam Riggs.
Feel free to leave comments in the forums or
e-mail Daniel at daniel@athomeplate.com.
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