[nfbwatlk] New Mariner insists he carries no grudges

[Mike Freeman]

New Mariner insists he carries no grudges
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/294722_mari05x.html

New Mariner insists he carries no grudges

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

By JOHN HICKEY
P-I REPORTER

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The first time Jarrod Washburn and Jose Guillen 
bump into each other this spring might make for a bit of drama.

Or at least some decent reality TV.

Guillen and Washburn were reunited as teammates on Monday with the news that 
the Mariners agreed to terms with right fielder Guillen on a one-year deal
at $5.5 million with incentives and a $9 million mutual option for 2008.

The two didn't part on good terms. They were teammates with the Los Angeles 
Angels in 2004. Guillen had the most productive season of his career, but 
had
frequent run-ins with his teammates and manager Mike Scioscia. Eventually, 
Scioscia suspended Guillen for the final eight games of the season and all 
of
the postseason.

Aware of the difficulties that might be presented with Guillen and Washburn 
on the same roster, Seattle manager Mike Hargrove's first call Monday 
morning
was to Washburn. He wanted to make sure there wouldn't be a problem.

Washburn seems willing to let the past be.

"(Hargrove) talked to Jose; he wanted to make sure there were no grudges," 
Washburn told the Los Angeles Times. "I'm fine with it. I won't have a 
grudge
as long as he doesn't."

What about that first day of spring training when Guillen and Washburn turn 
and see each other? Won't that be a problem?

"I'm sure it's something we'll have to address right away. We'll have to 
clear the air," Washburn said. "It's over. Let's move on and go about our 
business.
That way there's no people talking back and forth or people whispering here 
and there."

The trouble in 2004 started after a May 24 game. Guillen was one of three 
Angels batters hit by pitches from the Toronto Blue Jays. He complained 
loudly
after the game that Angels pitchers needed to protect Guillen and slugger 
Vladimir Guerrero better by retaliating and hitting the best hitters on the 
other
team.

It wasn't something the pitchers wanted to hear. Angels sources said 
Washburn and most of the rest of the Angels pitchers didn't forgive or 
forget the slight.

The capper to Guillen's Angels career, however, came with a week left in the 
season. In a game the Angels had to win, Guillen, who has average speed, was
lifted for a pinch runner.

Guillen had 27 homers and 104 RBIs at the time. The pinch runner scored from 
first base on a double. That was almost anticlimactic, however, because 
after
leaving the game, Guillen threw his hands up toward the sky in a sign of 
disgust, then threw his batting helmet in the general direction of Scioscia.

After the game, there was a yelling match in the clubhouse, and Scioscia, 
who'd had other problems with Guillen, including his missing a team meeting 
and
missing the mandatory photo day, suspended him for the rest of the season, 
including the playoffs.

"A lot of guys will make a big deal out of that," said Guillen, who spent 
the past two seasons with the Washington Nationals. "But the past is the 
past.
I'm looking to bringing a championship to Seattle."

That works for Hargrove, who calls the right-handed Guillen a 
middle-of-the-lineup hitter.

"Everybody has a past," Hargrove said. "Everybody needs a chance to make it 
somewhere else.

"We were looking for a bat who could be a weapon for us, and Jose fits the 
bill. I have no reservations at all about having him here."

Safeco Field hasn't been Valhalla for Guillen, a career .272 hitter who has 
averaged just .246 at Safeco. He said that as an opposite-field hitter, he 
expects
the park to work for him.

Apparently general manager Bill Bavasi, who is spending $5.5 million on a 
player who is coming off surgery, has no reservations, either. Guillen is 
getting
a $1.5 million raise even after playing just 69 games last season before 
having reconstructive elbow surgery in the summer.

"There aren't a whole lot of (free agent) signings that have much upside," 
Bavasi said. "They would have to perform at about their maximum or you'd 
feel
let down. But Jose has a lot of upside."

The surgery was of such a serious nature that his chances of being ready for 
spring training were considered iffy. But Dr. James Andrews, a leading 
orthopedic
specialist, gave him a clean bill of health. Talk is that Guillen should be 
100 percent by January, giving him time to get ready for spring training.

He will be playing right field, taking advantage of his arm strength and 
giving the Mariners a chance to keep Ichiro Suzuki in center field. In 
Guillen
and Ichiro, the Mariners have two of the strongest and most accurate 
outfield arms in the game.

He will be playing in the American League West against two of his seven 
previous teams, the Oakland A's (2003) and the Angels.

"This is a division I've had some great success in," Guillen said after he 
passed his obligatory physical examination. "I know the guys here; I know 
the
teams, playing with the Angels and with Oakland.

"I want to help bring a championship here."

ABOUT JOSE GUILLEN

BATS/THROWS: Right/right
AGE: 30; born May 17, 1976
CONTRACT: One year, $5.5 million
ROLE WITH M'S: Right fielder, DH
2006: Appeared in 69 games with the Nationals before undergoing Tommy John 
surgery to reconstruct right elbow (right ulnar collateral ligament) in 
July.
... Hit .216 with nine home runs, 40 RBIs and a .276 on-base percentage. ... 
Made $4 million.
CAREER: Originally signed by the Pirates as an amateur free agent (Aug. 19, 
1992) and made major league debut with Pittsburgh in 1997 at age 21. ... Has
played with eight teams, including Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Cincinnati, 
Arizona, Oakland, Los Angeles Angels and Washington. ... Career .272 hitter 
with
143 home runs. Has hit above .300 just once in past 10 seasons (.337 in a 
91-game stint with Cincinnati in 2003). ... While with Tampa Bay in 2001, 
served
a 10-game suspension for using a corked bat during a minor league 
rehabilitation assignment. ... Best season came with L.A. in 2004 when he 
hit .294 with
27 home runs and 104 RBIs. ... Suspended by the Angels for the final eight 
games of the 2004 regular season and the postseason for "inappropriate 
conduct"
after expressing his displeasure after manager Mike Scioscia removed him 
from a game. ... Led Nationals in home runs (24), RBIs (76) and game-winning 
RBIs
(12) in 2005, despite being plagued by left shoulder problems.© 1998-2006 
Seattle Post-Intelligencer