Rays/MLB

Upton apologized before callup

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published August 18, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - B.J. Upton wanted to make sure the slate was clean, the page was turned and the air cleared.

He also wanted to lift a weight off his shoulders.

So on Aug. 1, the day the Devil Rays third baseman arrived at the Trop after his promotion from Triple-A Durham, he gathered his teammates in the clubhouse and apologized.

"I told them," Upton said Thursday, "how it went down."

The problem was an article last month in USA Today in which Upton, Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes discussed their apparent dissatisfaction with being in the minors.

Rays manager Joe Maddon and executive vice president Andrew Friedman were outraged at what they perceived as a misplaced sense of entitlement and said the trio disrespected what it means to be in the majors and the process of getting there.

Upton, 22 on Monday, said he was concerned enough at how he would be received by his teammates, he had to speak out.

"I just told them I meant no disrespect to anybody up here, especially the veteran guys," Upton said. "I didn't mean any disrespect to anyone."

Maddon said Upton acted on his own.

"It showed a lot of courage and a lot of honesty," Maddon said. "He wanted people to understand what did happen in his own words. He was very brief, but I thought it was great."

So did outfielder and friend Damon Hollins, who said he got to know Upton well last season at Durham. He said the sentiments in the article "didn't sound like him.

"We had a meeting before he even got here, and they said the writer took a few things out of context," Hollins said. "I know the kid and know he's not about all that negativity. But for the guys who didn't know him, it was a good thing for him to apologize and let them know he really didn't mean what was said in the paper. It went a long way with the team."

It also went a long way to easing Upton's mind.

"I got in front of the guys and let them know what was going on," Upton said. "It hasn't been brought up since."

WHERE'S DELMON?: Maddon said the organization still has not decided whether Young should be brought up from Durham in September when rosters expand.

Maddon said he would like Young, batting .325 with eight home runs and 54 RBIs, to be one of 6-10 callups.

"There's no doubt he's going to be a very good major-league player," Maddon said.

But the snarky attitude Young has displayed toward the organization, the bat-throwing incident and his comments in USA Today make his evaluation more detailed.

"We just want to make sure everybody understands the right way of doing things and contributes to the group and wants to be part of the group," Maddon said. "That's my biggest concern."

MINOR MATTERS: Evan Longoria, third baseman for Double-A Montgomery, sat out Thursday with a bruised left shin sustained Wednesday from a foul ball off his bat. . . . Jason Hammel set a Durham Triple-A record Wednesday with 13 strikeouts against Toledo.

MISCELLANY: Scott Kazmir's 370 strikeouts are two off Victor Zambrano's Rays record. His 1.95 home ERA leads the league. ... Carl Crawford, with 42 steals, is the fifth active player with at least four 40-steal seasons. ... Brian Meadows took his second loss in three games. Opponents are batting .393 (24-for-61) against the right-hander since the All-Star break. ... Toronto won its sixth straight series at Tropicana Field. ... Ben Zobrist did not start for the first time in 15 games since his call-up from Durham. But when Upton was hurt, the shortstop went in.

[Last modified August 18, 2006, 02:28:43]