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Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

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Upton ready to move out from under ‘cloud’

Posted Feb 21, 2010 by Roger Mooney

Updated Feb 21, 2010 at 02:49 PM

Rays center fielder B.J. Upton reported to Rays camp Sunday and said he’s ready to start the next chapter of his career.

The up and down play, the benchings for lack of hustle, the monster postseason in 2008, the shoulder injury, his poor 2009, the loss at abitration will no longer be factors..

“Put all that behind me and worry about playing baseball,” he said. “I think there’s kind of been in the past some other things that kind of just been a cloud over my head. Just kind of want to push those things behind me. From 19 to 25, just forget about it and move on from 25 on.”

Upton said he put on seven pounds of muscle in the offseason. Unlike last winter when he was recovering from shoulder surgery, Upton said he had was able to lift weights with his upper body and work on his swing. He spent a lot of time at the Trop with new hitting coach Derek Shelton.

He said he’s looking forward to having a normal spring training.

“Being able to do that this year will make a world of difference,” he said.

As for losing at arbitration - he asked for $3.3 million and was awarded $3 million - Upton said that won’t be a factor.

“Unfortunately it’s the process we have to go through, but at the same time it’s the business side of it,” he said. “You know that going in there. You go in there, you deal with it and push it behind you.”