Not Just Another Halo Victory...

You can kiss him goodbye

Jose Guillen got kicked off the Anaheim Angels for the rest of the year. No minor suspension, no proverbial slap on the wrist, no meaningless fine and stern talking-to. Dude is gone and not coming back. Sure he's under contract for one more season but do you really think all will be forgotten come Spring Training? I don't either. The team's second biggest run producing bat is going to be AWOL for the rest of the regular season and if good fortune smiles and the Halos reach the postseason, he's still a no-go.

Why? Because he threw a hissy fit after Angels Manager Mike Scioscia decided in Saturday's game to take him out in favor of a pinch runner after he had been plunked.

No. I don't buy it. Don't get me wrong here -- I've been to a bunch of Angels game this season and seen enough on television to pretend like I know what I'm talking about here and I've seen No. 6 in action.

Bottom line, Jose swings a good bat and has an arm like a freaking cannon. But look closer and it's hard to miss Guillen's permanent scowl. Remember how he called out his teammates a while ago when he felt they didn't take the necessary retaliatory action against Toronto after he was hit by a pitch?

Isolated incident my eye. This was a long time coming. You can't be a bad teammate with a "me first" attitude on a Mike Scioscia-coached ballclub and expect to last.

A baseball player -- even one as good as Guillen -- can't completely get away with pulling the Ty Cobb "I hate everyone equally" syndrome unless you happen to be one of the greatest players of all time. Guillen is a good major leaguer, but Hall of Famer he's not. At least not at this point in his career.

All things considered, it's a miracle Guillen lasted this long. He's a solid player, but not quite Angel material. Remember Raul Mondesi? Me neither. Repression works in beautiful ways.

There's such a thing as "team chemistry." The Angels didn't have it last week. They looked like they were pressing. They weren't having fun. They didn't look like playoff contenders.

But they're in the midst of a 4-game winning streak and have moved into sole possession of first place for the first time since June.

Addition by subtraction. A "me" in the clubhouse have been replaced with emphatic "we"'s like Curtis Pride, guys who don't mind getting down and dirty as long as it translates into a win. Subtle change, but hey -- it's the little things that count. See you in October.