Jose Guillen

From K.C. Star . . .

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. | Outfielder José Guillen initiated a near-brawl with pitching coach Bob McClure in the Royals' clubhouse before Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

Witnesses said no blows were exchanged, but the two had to be separated after exchanging heated words. Guillen remained in the lineup as the designated hitter.

Guillen is thought to have been upset at what he considered excessive supervision by coaches in the clubhouse. The coaches' lockers in the visitors' clubhouse at Tropicana Filed are located alongside the players' lockers . . . .

Hattip to Rob Neyer, who commented on the incident in his blog . . .

When you acquire Jose Guillen, it's a package deal: You get his bat and his arrested adolescence.

As you might recall, in September 2004 the Angels suspended Guillen for the remainder of the season after he exploded upon being lifted for a pinch-runner. At the time, Angels GM Bill Stoneman said, "Unfortunately, this was not the first time something has cropped up with Jose."

Nor the last, apparently.

The Royals are one of those teams that claims to consider character above everything, but of course they don't mean it any more than the other teams do. But now they've got two problems. They've got a guy who seems to have little respect for his managers or his coaches, and they've got a guy whose performance doesn't really justify his $36 million contract. Oh, and one more thing … Unless the Royals can swing a trade, they'll have to put up with Guillen's brand of arrested adolescence through 2010.

Maybe that's why he was in the lineup tonight.

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=neyer_rob