Job as Starter Should Appease Guillen

TEMPE, Ariz. â€”  Philadelphia Manager Larry Bowa, the former Angel bench coach, liked to say that it “takes 20 minutes to get a reputation in this game and 20 years to get rid of it.â€� If that’s true, new Angel left fielder Jose Guillen has about 15 years to go before he clears his name.

“I’m not afraid to show my emotions or speak the truth,� said Guillen, who this winter signed a two-year, $6-million contract with a $4-million option for a third year. “That’s how I am.�

Those emotions have led to occasional outbursts that have rubbed some teammates and coaches the wrong way and led some to believe that it’s not a coincidence that Guillen, as strong-willed as he is strong-armed, is playing for his fifth team in four years.

Last season, after being pulled from the lineup by then-manager Bob Boone of Cincinnati about half an hour before a game, Guillen hurled four bats into the Reds’ clubhouse wall, causing so much damage it “cost me a few grand to repair,� Guillen said.

And last September, after being traded from Cincinnati to Oakland, Guillen publicly ripped Manager Ken Macha for giving him a day off after the Athletics had clinched a playoff berth.

Guillen’s outbursts usually stem from a lack of playing time -- he couldn’t beat out right fielder Dave Martinez in Tampa Bay from 1999 to 2001, starting right fielder Danny Bautista signed a three-year deal before Guillen got to Arizona in 2002, and Guillen couldn’t crack the Reds’ outfield of Austin Kearns, Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey in 2002 or 2003.

But that shouldn’t be an issue in Anaheim. Guillen, who hit a combined .311 with 31 home runs and 86 runs batted in for the Reds and A’s last season, is the Angels’ starting left fielder, and Manager Mike Scioscia usually alerts starters the day before he plans to give them a game off.

“Bill [Stoneman, Angel general manager] was very diligent [in his background checks of Guillen] and if a player fits on the field, we have to make the other part of it work,� Scioscia said. “The one overriding theme with Jose is he’s extremely talented, and he really wants to play, and that fits in with the guys in this room.

“That’s something you want in a player.... I’ve talked to him, and there is no misunderstanding on what we expect. If he needs a day off, he’s going to get one.... If he voices his objection, I don’t have a problem with that.�

Guillen, who was 21 as a rookie with Pittsburgh in 1997, admits immaturity led some to question his work ethic when he was younger.

“I didn’t know how to take care of myself,� Guillen said. “Some young players work hard; I wasn’t doing that. I just came to the park and went home. That was a big mistake.�

Once Guillen established himself as a big league player, the frustration of not winning a starting job at times got the better of him. But with the security of a two-year contract and a position he can call his own, Guillen’s outlook has improved.

“I know I made a lot of mistakes, but this is the beginning of a new career,� Guillen said. “I’ve never had a problem with teammates in the past; I just want to play every day. It bothers me when people say [I’m a hothead]. I don’t know how to clear that up, because I’m really easy to get along with.... Hopefully, some day people will see me as the good guy.�

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It appears reliever Brendan Donnelly’s All-Star season -- the right-hander had a 2-2 record with a 1.58 earned-run average -- won’t be rewarded with a hefty raise. The Angels are playing contract hardball with players not eligible for arbitration, offering Donnelly, John Lackey and Scot Shields the same $375,000 salary.

Donnelly, a key bullpen figure in the Angels’ 2002 World Series run, made $325,000 last year. If he doesn’t come to terms by Tuesday, the Angels will renew his contract.