SportsCrack Blog

Monday, June 28, 2010

BJ UPTON SEEMS LIKE A GOOD TEAMMATE



The Tampa Bay Rays have been playing like garbage for the past 16 games and have seen their once MLB best record slide and now sit in 3rd place in the ultra competitive AL East (minus the horrific Baltimore Orioles). BJ Upton pulled the Hanley Ramirez card yesterday on a ball hit into the gap by jogging lightly to get to the ball. The hit resulted into a triple and of course the Rays went on to lose the game.

Teammate Evan Longoria did what everybody else on the team was thinking but didn't have the balls to say to Upton. He questioned his lack of effort. BJ blew up on him because he is a shitty teammate. I know I have said this before but baseball is a lazy man sport. It's not like football, basketball or hockey where you are constantly on the move and must pay attention at all times or you could seriously fuck up a game or even yourself by injury. All that the coaches and his teammates want to know is that BJ puts in the maximum effort and shows that he cares more about winning than the number of zeros on his paycheck.

Coach Bill Maddon has dealt with these issues before with Upton. It got so bad at one point that Maddon wanted to send him down to the minors but management refused. Yesterday pointed out that they need to do the right thing and send him down and call up Desmond Jennings. The Rays are too good of a team to be playing as badly as they are right now. They don't need a sour apple in BJ who could care less about winning and helping his teammates.

Or they could just fire Maddon in a couple of weeks like the Marlins did. I would donate my left nut to have Maddon is Baltimore just like I can't wait for Fredi Gonzalez to be coaching in Atlanta next season. I find it amusing they kept BJ in the game. It's not like the guy is a superstar. His talent is incredible but he doesn't have the mentality right now to be a starter in the majors much less a talented team like the Rays.

Get rid of him Tampa Bay. Don't let the Yankees or Red Sox run away with the division. Make a statement that you won't to compete and do it the right way.

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