It appears that a pivotal piece of the Tampa Bay Rays first run of success disagrees with how the ownership group is handling the stadium situation.
Long-time Rays outfielder B.J. Upton took to Twitter Thursday evening to voice his displeasure with how principal owner Stuart Sternberg is touting splitting the season between the Tampa Bay region and the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada as the only way to preserve Major League Baseball in town.
Upton’s diatribe started just before 10:00 Thursday night with a four-word statement.
Stu needs to sell
— BJ Upton (@MelvinUptonJr) October 8, 2021
And it continued throughout the rest of Thursday night’s game.
And he tried to use the playoffs as a bullshitt plan
— BJ Upton (@MelvinUptonJr) October 8, 2021
Y’all wanna start a petition…I’m down, we worked too hard to build this and he wants to walk out on a city
— BJ Upton (@MelvinUptonJr) October 8, 2021
Y’all tell me what y’all wanna do, I’m down
— BJ Upton (@MelvinUptonJr) October 8, 2021
I’ve got a buyer
— BJ Upton (@MelvinUptonJr) October 8, 2021
Upton also went after team president Brian Auld, who has been the face of the bid to split the season.
First off who listen who listens to Brian auld
— BJ Upton (@MelvinUptonJr) October 8, 2021
This the same team that took me to arbitration over 300k
— BJ Upton (@MelvinUptonJr) October 8, 2021
But the former outfielder said despite his disagreement and displeasure with the stadium situation, he will be at the Trop if this first playoff series reaches a fifth and deciding game.
And I’ve already got my tickets for game5
— BJ Upton (@MelvinUptonJr) October 8, 2021
Upton was taken by the then-Devil Rays with the second overall pick in the 2002 MLB Draft. He’d make his Major League debut in August of 2004 as a 19-year-old, becoming the youngest player to make his big league debut with the team, and would remain with Tampa Bay through the 2012 season. He would go on to play with Atlanta, San Diego, and Toronto, last playing in a big-league game in 2016.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
