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Upton Eager To Move On

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By MARC LANCASTER The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 20, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - When B.J. Upton got pulled from a game in Texas last Friday, the postgame focus was on his lack of hustle rather than Matt Garza's dazzling complete-game shutout. Monday night, the story was much the same, as Upton getting caught on the bases in the middle of what he termed a "mental lapse" overshadowed an impressive victory against an Angels team with the best record in baseball.

There's a word for that, and Upton used it several times as he apologized for his actions.

"The last thing I want to become is a distraction to this team," Upton said Tuesday. "We've got something way too good going on right now to have to deal with this. We just want to win ballgames and right now I think I'm becoming a distraction. I just can't let it happen, for my sake and for the team's sake so we can move on and get where we need to be."

Upton answered every question put to him Tuesday after declining to speak to reporters the evening before - "It wasn't something that I think I was ready to deal with last night," he said - and reiterated that he doesn't think recent events should affect his reputation.

"I know it's not me," he said. "I feel like I go out and play hard every day. I want to win as much as anybody in this room. Things like that can't happen, and it just so happens that it's magnified a little bit more now. It's something that I've got to deal with and not let it happen again."

He may have help there from his veteran teammates. Cliff Floyd vowed Monday to do whatever it took to get Upton on track, saying it "bothered" him to watch the younger player not give an all-out effort.

Manager Joe Maddon didn't have much to say about it Tuesday, noting that he would prefer the focus to be on everything the Rays are doing right lately.

"All this other stuff, I understand it and we're going to take care of it," he said. "But it happens and I think we've addressed it in a forthright manner and because of that I think it's going to go away."

STEPPING UP: When RHP Jason Hammel gets into a game in a tight situation, it's usually because he's the last man standing.

The Rays' long reliever has been accustomed to getting most of his innings in mop-up time, though he has had a few white-knuckle moments in extra-inning games. With that mind-set fairly deep-seated by now, Hammel was surprised when he was summoned to protect a one-run lead in the eighth inning Monday. Not that he had any complaints.

"That's what I've been waiting for," he said. "Of course you've got to earn your opportunities, and when they come you've got to capitalize, too."

He did Tuesday, walking Howie Kendrick before coaxing an inning-ending double play out of Juan Rivera.

"I like the pressure role," Hammel said, "but not being in it that often, it's tough getting used to."

AN INSPIRATION: John Challis, the Pittsburgh-area 18-year-old who visited with the Rays during their trip to play the Pirates in June, died Tuesday.

Challis suffered from lung and liver cancer and earned national recognition for his courage in dealing with the illness. He started a foundation to help teens with cancer and Maddon invited him to meet with the Rays after seeing a story about Challis on ESPN.

Marc Lancaster

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