Ex-Ray not bothered by critical comments

Delmon Young says don't blame him and Dukes for Rays losing

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Published February 22, 2008

Delmon Young arrived in Twins camp Thursday and didn't seem to think much of Carl Crawford's critical comments about being glad the Rays were rid of the distractions caused by Elijah Dukes and Young.

"You always see people over there, when they're in uniform saying stuff, but as soon as they leave start talking bad about Tampa," Young, 22, told reporters in Fort Myers. "It is what it is, that's why I'm not too much worried about it.

"I was called out by Toby (Hall, former Rays catcher), called out by a couple of guys, but as soon as they left, they were talking bad about the organization. So you really can't take it for what you see there."

Further, he said: "They got their own stuff in St. Pete and we've got our own stuff down here and in Minnesota. All I can worry about is these 25 guys and the front office over here."

As for Young and former teammate Dukes being considered a source of the Rays' problems?

"If they're trying to blame us for the way they weren't winning, if it was us two, we weren't there from '98 to '06, so ... "

[Last modified February 22, 2008, 01:02:54]