Jose Guillen has been an albatross for the Kansas City Royals since the moment he signed a three-year, $36 million deal with the club in December 2007. He's hit .257 with a .304 on-base percentage in a season and a half with the Royals, and, just for good measure, he was suspended for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy hours after passing a physical with his new team (a suspension that was later rescinded as part of the agreement that granted players named in the Mitchell Report amnesty).
But, hey, at least Guillen is honest about how bad he's been for Kansas City.
"I hate making excuses," he said. "If I suck, then I suck. And I suck. That's the way I'm playing. If you suck, you suck. You have to take responsibility in this game. Right now, that's the way I feel.Well, then.
"Yes, I suck."
...
"I'm embarrassed by the money that I making," Guillen said, "and playing the way I've been playing. I'll swear that on my kids' [lives]. I feel very embarrassed. "Sometimes, I feel I should take money out of my own pocket and buy tickets for every fan. Because you know what? For a $12 million man, these are not the numbers you should be expecting. I admit it. I'm not playing to my potential."
Guillen's reached a new level of "suck" over the past two months or so, hitting .203 with 15 RBI since May 27. It's worth mentioning that manager Trey Hillman believes a strained groin that has plagued Guillen for much of the season has contributed to his struggles, though the right fielder refused to use that as an excuse.
Guillen has a career-adjusted OPS of 99, meaning he's been an essentially average offensive player. Good GMs don't give average corner outfielders in their 30s $12 million a season.
It'd be easy to criticize Guillen, but at least he's refreshingly frank about how he's playing right now. Fans should instead be wondering why someone would give him all of that money in the first place.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-21-2009 @ 8:16AM
creston1 said...
Take some of that money your stealing and donate it to a good charity.
The words "I SHOULD" simply mean I WONT. Buy a block of seats for the season and give them out to kids who would love to go see an overpaid underperfoming spoiled athlete legally stealing from his bossess!
Seriously though, You should feel bad.
You do suck right now. You may suck forever. But you have your money so it doesnt really matter anyway. All I know is I would strongly advise any parent with young sons to play baseball. Afterall you only need to be mediocre to be a multi millionaire!
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7-21-2009 @ 9:34AM
gonzo1 said...
well i'll give him credit , he's not making excuses and is taking responsibility for his sub par play . owners should put performance clauses in contracts ; not just to compensate for positives but also to dock pay for missing meetings , absenteeism , and poor performance .
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7-21-2009 @ 2:27PM
hookmrl said...
gonzo well said if you or i cought hit drugs fired right away theys premadonnas should be fired also
7-21-2009 @ 9:10PM
dk9904 said...
Teams do fine players for missing/being late to meetings, etc. The problem with performance clauses is that the manager and/or team owner can adjust the amount of playing time so they don't have to pay performance bonuses. Let's say he needs 100 RBI to get $1million bonus. Well, if he gets to 90 RBI and the team is out of first place by 47 games in August, they'll make the decision that he won't play much the rest of the year, if at all. That's why they don't have performance bonuses.
7-21-2009 @ 9:57AM
jussihoaas said...
I'm glad to hear that one of these overpaid athletes is finally going to return some of the money that they didn't earn. What's that....? Oh, he doesn't feel quite guilty enough to give some of it back? Typical. Actions speak louder than words.
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7-21-2009 @ 12:26PM
Hugh said...
The only thing he got right was the part where he said "I suck".
7-21-2009 @ 2:02PM
escobarslv said...
i just see a lot of jealous nobodies hitting a guy when he's down. he plays baseball for a living. it's not the end of the world if he "sucks." it's pro sports, you get paid for potential, not performance. he had potential and that's what netted him the contract. creston1, baseball is such an easy sport right? i can be your agent since you're about to cash in on millions of easy money. you obviously are ready to step up to the big leagues after years of perfecting your game from the living room.
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7-21-2009 @ 4:06PM
BenMtz said...
Gee! Now if we can get J Giambi do to the same??
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7-21-2009 @ 4:25PM
chrsdeanc said...
Good thing he did'nt keep repeating he sucks in San Francisco!
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7-21-2009 @ 5:14PM
Benjamin T Bruml said...
All I hear Is bla bla bla,bla bla bla, bla bla bla. I suck bla bla bla I suck bla bla bla. Heres what I say GET OVER IT. Take your 12 mill and hire a coach to learn how to get more money for playing a game you suck at ALL PRO PLAYERS ARE OVER PAID AND OVER RATED IN MY OPINION THAT GOES FOR BASEBALL,FOOTBALL,TENNIS,SOCCER,GOLF,AND ANY OTHER SPORT THAT I MIGHT HAVE MISSED...I WORK ALL MY LIFE AND CAN'T COVER MY BILLS YOU WORK 5 YEARS AND BECOME A MULTI MILLIONAIR WHATS WRONG WITH THAT PICTURE.........
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7-21-2009 @ 9:14PM
dk9904 said...
For all the folks whining about athletes being overpaid, here's how to fix it. Don't go to the games, don't watch them on TV, don't buy their merchandise. You, the fan, are the only source of revenue for professional teams and players, and you can control how much they get. Yes, I know about corporate sponsorships and TV deals, but do you really think corporations would throw money at these teams/leagues if no one watched or went to the games? It all falls back into your lap. Either stop complaining, or stop supporting them, it's that simple.
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7-22-2009 @ 5:10AM
justpicky02 said...
ALL players in baseball , football ,soccer , tennis , etcc are all overpaid and overrated. Including music musicians , actors , actresses , etccc OVERPAID , OVERRATED , I don't see for one how people think ACTORS / ACTRESSES are good and how they can be called singers many of them can't act. Again this is applied to sports too . It's about the MONEY not the proformance. Including the CEO's of all businesses. OVERPAID , OVERRATED. NONE OF THESE'S ARE GOOD.
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