Jose Guillen is mad. But then again, when is he not?

Guillen went and shot off his mouth to reporters after yesterday's debacle in Toronto:

"I don't know how many times I've been hit and there's been no retaliation," Guillen said. "I'm giving everything I got every day, playing hurt, playing in pain, and trying to win some games, and we don't get no help from nobody."

First off, when you announce that you are "playing hurt" you lose all sympathy from the fans and the media. I'm not questioning the fact that Jose is playing hurt, because I know he has been all season. It's just not a very good idea to announce it publicly in an attempt to look "tough." It's like trying to give yourself a nickname- it doesn't stick unless it comes from someone else (George Constanza and the "T-Bone" incident being the best example of this).

Secondly, though it is true that Guillen has been hit quite a bit this season (6 times), I can't agree with the assessment that there "has been no retaliation." It's just not true. It was especially untrue yesterday when John Lackey threw what was clearly a purpose pitch under Simon Ponds' chin.

I think I should take this opportunity to discuss what happened in the sixth inning yesterday. After a day of reflection I still feel as though we got shafted. Jim Reynolds' handling of the situation was the worst example of umpiring I've seen in a long time.

I still don't know what he thought he saw, but there was no way that Lackey's second pitch was intended to hit Pond. It was a simple case of a pitcher trying to take the inside corner. If he had wanted to hit the batter he would have hit the batter. Lackey would have thrown a fast ball at his back, not a slider below the belt.

Granted, his first pitch to Pond was clearly a purpose pitch. I wouldn't have been surprised (or all that angry) had Lackey been tossed on that pitch. Both clubs had been given a warning, so that would have been a reasonable judgment call on Reynolds' part, though a harsh one.

Of course the most glaring mistake made by Reynolds was that he gave Pond first base. I've seen the replay a hundred times now, and not once did it appear that any part of Pond's jersey ever came in contact with the ball. It didn't even appear so in real time. It's clear that Reynolds gave the base because of the cumulative effect of two close calls. That means he tossed Lackey (and eventually Scioscia) for the same reason. That is unacceptable, and he must be disciplined by the commissioner's office.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Jose Guillen has brought the reputation of being a loudmouth to every club he's ever played for. Some would say that's the reason he's seen so many different clubs. He seems like a genuinely nice, likable guy. He's always smiling and messing around with kids in the stands. But he can't seem to keep his mouth in check.

I have no problem with Guillen speaking his mind- no one wants to see a team with no personality- but he needs to think before he does speak. That has been the criticism I hear most from his teammates- he says what's on his mind at all times, and he doesn't care who it offends.

This time he has offended his entire pitching staff. This is defiantly something that should have been handled in-house. I think Jarrod Washburn said it best:

"That's something between the hitters and the pitchers," Washburn said. "That's something we'll discuss."

And discuss it they shall. I think the best candidate to have this "discussion" would be Troy Percival, who will no doubt sit Guillen down and hash out any concerns he may have. I'm sure he'll also make clear to Guillen the proper way to handle this kind of thing in the future.

Jose has always struck me as a fragile player mentally, so you can't be too tough on him, but you must fight fire with fire. Keeping the coaches out of the equation should make it easier on Guillen. There's a ton of leadership on this team, so I'm confident that the Angels will be successful where the Pirates, Devil Rays, DiamondBacks, Reds, and A's have failed- chilling Jose Guillen out. That will be the key to Guillen's future.

UPDATE: Chronicles also has some interesting comments on Guillen.