Wow. I’m probably going to get endlessly ridiculed for this, but I can’t believe the majority of us are immediately flying over to the other side and touting the character and "honesty" of Jose Guillen. Really? Is that why he used PEDs back in 02 through 05? Was it his exemplary character and honor that helped him make that decision? I do admit that Jose is probably brutally honest at times, but I have no reason to believe that just because he’s an arrogant a-hole, it makes him a man of his word. I don’t know which story is correct (my guess, like several of you, is that it’s a combination of the two) and I saw/read the interviews from last night with Guillen pleading his case… saying that Trey was his boss and he’d ultimately do whatever Trey wants him to do, etc. Blek. I’m not buying it. Trey put him in left field and Jose apparently didn’t like that. Sure, they may have come to a mutual conclusion that right was better for his ailing groin, but it’s not like Jose just took a look at the lineup card, saw "7" penciled in next to his name, and said to himself, "well, if that’s what bossman wants…" Of course, Guillen, Hillman, and Moore are going to deny this report. They’re all smart enough to know that there’s nothing to gain for anyone involved by confirming this rumor. It’s an embarrassment to Moore, Hillman, and the whole organization and from Guillen’s point of view it doesn’t help him catch on with another team. It’s that initial reactionary denial ala Bill Clinton, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" and so many others.

And let’s not forget, Jose still wishes every game for the rest of the season was on the road because he can’t handle the chorus of boos at the K. If anyone in baseball this side of Barry Bonds should be able to handle boos, it should be Jose Guillen! My guess is that a significant number of Kansas City fans will buy tickets for Friday night’s game specifically to boo Jose Guillen. Right or wrong, I’m just saying… I won’t be one of them, but I won’t be cheering for him either.

First of all, let me point out that I never said anything about the “Guillen wants to be traded/denies report” controversy—hence the subject “the report aside.” I was simply responding to your assertions, which I often see from people on blogs and even reporters when defending Guillen about how he brings a “fire” to the team, and then something about how he’s some badass hitter who drives in runs. And that’s the stuff that gets on my nerves. So I responded.

So, to MY point, which might be hard to follow because I was trying to respond to your own somewhat conflicting claims…

While you deal in the “soft sciences” (“psychological element”) when it suits you, YOU were the one who said

I could give a flying f@ck how nice of a guy or an a-hole somebody is. What are you doing on the field? What is your production?

Well, if you don’t care about a guy being a jerk, then why do you care if a guy too soft? The only we we have to measure the alleged psychological effects of “fire” and “softness” (I sure hope the good people at Strat-o-matic are working on metrics for that stuff!) is to look at production—personally, I don’t think we can isolate the psychological element, but if it is accounted for anywhere, it’s in “production. Indeed, in a strikingly lucid moment, you do say that personality doesn’t matter (again, this contradicts all your stuff about “softness” and “fire” mattering, but we’ll leave that aside). So, I then went through all the rate stats and pointed out that Guillen was not in the tops of any of them as a Royal. You were the one who asked about production. I pointed out that Guillen is not leading the Royals a group of rate stats that a somewhat informed fan would use to judge performance (I even used BA, even though I don’t think it’s all that great, to say the least). He isn’t even second in any of them.

What exactly is your point that I’ve missed?

If it’s 1) that atttitude or personality somehow matters, please a) explain how that is measured apart from production measured by numbers. And b) how does that not contradict your more rational assertion (and here I’m simply trying to parse out some “point” that I’ve missed) that personality doesn’t matter, production does?

If your point is that 2) leave the personality stuff aside, let’s look at production. WEll, I agree. And I pointed out that the alleged fear that Guillen strikes in opposing teams that no other Royal can, if said fear exists, is misplaced, since there are numerous other Royals in addition to DDJ who are hitting better that Guillen overall this year - including your favorite whipping boy, Alex Gordon (LOSER LOSER LOSER LOSER LOSER LOSER!!!!1111ONE). I could sure sense the fear in the As today, when they walked Gordon 5 times and pitched to Guillen - twice intentionally!

Indeed, I did give Guillen credit for some “clutch” performance, although he still managed to make 6 outs in 4 at-bats (5 PAs). He’s a decent hitter, or at has been in the past (and was red-hot for a time this season - unsurprising given his approach to plate discipline [and I’m using that term generously]). But he hasn’t been the best on the Royals this year, except for a stretch of a little over a month (and should if that somehow be isolated, then we need to also take into account all the time he’s been one of the worst). So, perhaps it was misplaced, but that is what I respond to - the notion that Gullen has been some huge lift to the Royals this year. Maybe—but according to VORP, not more than DDJ, Aviles, Grudz, or Gordon.

[And that’s just the position players—Greinke, Mahay, Soria, Meche, RamRod, Nunez, and (according to VORP) even Kyle Davies have been more valuble that Guillen]

This has nothing to do with whether or not I like him, whether he should be traded, or whether he’s really as bad as he’s been so far this year. I still think he’s got at least one hot streak in him for the season—it may have started this weekend. I hope that gets him into a more acceptable performance range.

I’m like most fans - it’s easier to take a guy being a jerk when he’s hitting that crap out of the ball. You can read some of my other posts - I actually find it a bit entertaining at times. It’s a bit harder to take when 100 games in that jerk is the highest paid player on a team and is not only not hitting as a league average corner outfielder, but not even as a league average player.

It becomes pretty hard to bear, then, when he is hailed as a leader and good player who is needed on the team, particularly when the defense is done by the same people who rip other players who have, by objective measures, have clearly contributed more to the team so far this year.

So I guess I spend all this time (sorry for the length) simply to say that I never was bothering with the stuff about the report. As long as Guillen has produced acceptably, the jerkiness can be accepted. But let’s not 1) pretend that he has produced on an acceptable level, or more than, e.g., Gordon, or 2) pretend that his attitude problems are somehow magically beneficial to the team by adding “fire” or something that stat nerds (LOSERS LOSERS MOM’S BASEMENT LOSERS) just can’t get because they aren’t good baseball men like Tony Muser.