TR: B.J. Upton is becoming a polarizing figure among Rays fans and members of the media. There is a perception that B.J. has an "attitude problem", however, I myself think quite the contrary. I think B.J. has shown a lot of leadership for a player his age. Coming straight from the top, do you or anybody in the organization think Upton has a"bad attitude"or is a"malcontent"?
AF: Not at all. Even though B.J. has gone through times when he hasn't been in a groove at the plate, he has been and continues to be one of the most important parts of our team. Nobody's perfect, but when Joe chose to bench him a few weeks ago, B.J. was candid and forthright and took full responsibility. He's a big part of our current success and he will play a large part in our future success as well.
That comes from Tommy's excellent interview with Andrew Friedman over at OPS.