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By MARC TOPKIN
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 15, 2001
A little cork in Jose Guillen's bat ended up costing him a lot.
Guillen on Thursday was suspended for 10 games and fined $1,000 by International League president Randy Mobley.
"In my opinion, we're talking about the integrity of the game," Mobley said. "This is a serious offense."
Guillen was playing for Triple-A Durham on a rehabilitation assignment Tuesday, testing the sprained left knee that sidelined him since mid May. His bat broke during a first inning at-bat, and he was ejected from the game after umpires said wine bottle corks were in his bat.
Mobley reviewed the bat Thursday and said the umpires were correct: "It was indisputable."
Guillen did not return a phone call from the Times.
The suspension affects only Triple-A games, so it is unclear if Guillen can play at the major-league level.
But it also seems unlikely the Rays would recall him because he has not had a chance to show if he is healthy, and because doing so would essentially allow him to circumvent the punishment.