B.J. Upton News: Pro Sports Daily

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November 9

Arizona Republic

columnist Paola Boivin

"You begin to tire of it, really, all the marketing people whispering in your ear about how accommodating B.J. and Justin Upton are. "They always show up on time." "I'm not used to athletes being this polite." "Not one complaint while they've been here. Not one." It's a perfect day for baseball at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The sky is robin-egg blue, the sun's thermostat two weeks removed from broil. Although many of the major leagues' young stars - the Uptons, Ryan Howard, Joba Chamberlain - are walking around, no games are being played, only athletes modeling and posing for Adidas' "Know the code" advertising campaign. The pitch, about the unwritten rules of baseball that help players ..."

Upton Takes Advantage Of Chances

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October 24

Tampa Tribune

"The Tampa Bay Rays are the bounce-back kids of the postseason. And no player on the team exemplifies that more than outfielder B.J. Upton. It just wouldn't be a World Series game for the Rays if Upton didn't hit into a double play. Luckily for Tampa Bay, Upton did more than that on Thursday night. A day after going 0-for-4, including two at-bats where he hit into a double play, Upton redeemed himself with an RBI single in the Rays 4-2 victory against Philadelphia. He finished the game 2-for-4. "He's the backbone of this team right now," Rays designated hitter Cliff Floyd said. "He's taking advantage of the confidence and using it to his strength. He's told us he's going to put everything ..."

Rays' Upton takes a step back

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October 23

St. Petersburg Times

columnist Gary Shelton

"The problem with stardom is simple. Shine brightly enough, shine often enough, and pretty soon everyone is going to start steering their boats by you. Just like that, the responsibility for avoiding the rocks has become yours. Take the case of B.J. and a brand new bag of expectations, for instance. For once, Upton did not strap the Rays upon his sore shoulder and carry them to victory. For a change, he was not a budding star using the playoffs to announce it. The nerve of the guy. Upton, like the Rays, had a disappointing night in the Rays' 3-2 loss to Philadelphia in the opener of the World Series on Wednesday night. He hit into a double play. He hit into another double play. He popped ..."

Upton's Postseason Power Short-Circuits in Game 1

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October 23

New York Times

"See B. J. Upton gracefully and effortlessly pursue balls that sail into every nook and cranny of center field. See Upton uncoil a pretty, powerful swing and drill balls into the same spots or even off catwalks. See Upton swipe a base, turning into a 90-foot blur for the Tampa Bay Rays. The images of Upton fielding, hitting and running have been pleasant and plentiful for the Rays during their successful and inspirational October. Upton has been Tampa Bay's best player with seven homers in the postseason, which is only two fewer than he mustered during the regular season. But Upton's onslaught did not continue Wednesday night in his first World Series game as he went 0 for 4, stranded five ..."

Maddon is OK with less BP for Upton

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October 19

Boston Globe

"If people throughout baseball think there's anything to this postseason surge by B.J. Upton, then you may not need to rush to the ballpark to watch batting practice in future years. Upton may have started a trend, because Rays manager Joe Maddon, for one, thinks the lack of batting practice has contributed mightily to the young outfielder's stunning postseason. "We've cut back on the number of swings at batting practice and I think that's helped. You've got a stronger guy right now getting the bat out a lot better," said Maddon, whose viewpoint carries a lot of weight since he's seen Upton play on a daily basis and knows a tender shoulder was plaguing the 24-year-old righthanded hitter. ..."

B.J. Upton's sacrifice fly in 11th inning wins it as Rays beat Red Sox

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October 12

New York Daily News

"The clock at Tropicana Field may have read well past midnight, but the glass slipper is still on Cinderella's foot. The Rays pulled out a dramatic 9-8 win over the Red Sox in Game 2 of the ALCS Saturday night, capping the five-hour, 27-minute marathon with B.J. Upton's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th to send the best-of-seven series back to Fenway Park with the teams knotted at one game apiece. The AL East rivals exchanged the lead five times, as the hitters took center stage one night after the Red Sox won the opener, 2-0, on Friday. Dan Wheeler, filling in for injured closer Troy Percival, blew the save in the eighth when his wild pitch allowed Dustin Pedroia to score, but the ..."

In Upton's defense, he's just making it look easy

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August 20

St. Petersburg Times

columnist John Romano

"In the past few days, he has become famous for not caring. Yet he sits before you now with eyes growing red, voice dropping low and resolve seemingly fading. And you begin to wonder if perhaps B.J. Upton has been judged too harshly, after all. Since Aug. 5, the Rays' 23-year-old centerfielder has been humiliated by his manager, booed by Tampa Bay fans and benched twice in three separate instances of lackadaisical play. And, make no mistake, his guilt is clear in all three of these cases, and a few more before that. The problem today is in the extrapolation. The presumption that loafing his way into a double play last week means he is lazy. The suggestion that his nonchalant out at ..."

Upton apologizes for gaffes, says it won't happen again

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August 20

St. Petersburg Times

"CF B.J. Upton's wild Tuesday ended with him explaining his role in a controversial play in the sixth. But the day began with Upton apologizing for a "mental lapse" on the basepaths the night before, saying the last thing he wants is to become a "distraction." Upton said he understood the criticism stemming from Monday's play. He hit a line drive off the leftfield wall but, while coasting into second, was tagged out from behind by Angels 1B Mark Teixeira on what should have been an easy double. "There's no excuse for it," Upton said. "It can't happen, especially in the middle of a pennant race. Every run matters, every out matters. So I want to apologize for it. It's just something that ..."

For Upton, Miscues and Apologies

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August 20

New York Times

"One year after establishing himself as one of the Tampa Bay Rays' best players, B. J. Upton has become their most confounding. Upton, a 23-year-old center fielder, has shown a remarkable tendency to slow down on the bases at inopportune times. He committed yet another blunder Monday night against the Los Angeles Angels, when he smacked what should have been a double to left field. Upton did not immediately run hard, and as he cruised into second assuming the base was uncovered, he was tagged out from behind by first baseman Mark Teixeira. The episode was the latest in a bizarre string for Upton, who was benched by Manager Joe Maddon for one game earlier this month for lack of hustle, then ..."

Upton Struggling To Find Way

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July 19

Tampa Tribune

"Last weekend in Cleveland, he got a day off to work through some things with his swing after getting some tips from Manager Joe Maddon . Maddon characterized them as minor adjustments, just a couple of things Upton had done in the past but strayed from lately. Upton said the crux of it is he wants to be using his hands more in his swing, allowing him to extend and drive the ball more effectively."