Justin Upton Origins

Happy Belated Justin Upton Day

2009-08-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

Justin Upton turned 22 on August 25th.....And as the old saying goes, the sun comes out at noon on August 26th, in case J-Up's birthday party runs late.

I'm sorry that I'm late in reporting this, as I was still getting over the party that I threw for him (Justin didn't respond to my invitation, as he was on a rehab assignment).

J-Up best Rightfielder in MLB?

2009-08-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

I was over at fangraphs looking at some numbers, and I realized something. Is J-Up already the best right fielder in baseball?

According to WAR (wins above replacement), Justin Upton is the best right fielder in the MLB with a 4.3 WAR (Just .1 above Ichiro). Interesting enough, WAR factors in both offense AND defense.

When looking at UZR/150, J-Up is the third best defensive right fielder in baseball with a 10.5 UZR/150.... higher than Ichiro's 8.4 UZR/150.

Justin is having one of the best seasons EVER for a player in their age 21 season. His OPS of .920 ranks him first among all right fielders, his wOBA of .397 also ranks him first among all right fielders and his .542 SLG ranks first among all right fielders. His RAR (Runs above replacement) of 43.2 also ranks him first among all MLB right fielders.

This is amazing, especially considering he just turned 22 (even though it feels like he's been a Dback for such a long time).

Attempt at Tribute video

2009-08-12T00:48:00.000-07:00

Here is my attempt at a tribute video. As expected, it didn't come out so well, because his he doesn't usually show up on film. So forgive me if there are problems

Why J-Up?

2009-08-08T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today, a buddy of mine who had never seen J-Up play, asked me why I was so obsessed with him. Grudgingly, I tried to stick to baseball in my answer. Here is my typed response.

"He was the first overall pick in the 2005 Draft. Made it to the majors as a 19 year old, and was an All Star this season as a 21 year old. He is fast (17 steals), he has lots of power (20 homers), he hits for average (.302), he has an unbelievable arm (nobody runs on him, so his outfield assists are only slightly above average) and he is lightning quick in the outfield (has a 6.7 fielding value).

He is the younger brother of Rays star B.J...here is some video on his childhood:
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=5982793

Here is an awesome blog dedicated to him:

http://justinuptonorigins.blogspot.com/

He has a hot girlfriend:

http://www.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.../730242983.jpg

And he can hit the ball like this, in two consecutive at bats:

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=5859911

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=5866959

This should convert you to a follower ...btw, he is still 21."

Baby Achilles

2009-08-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

Every super hero has a weakness, and for Justin, it looks like its his oblique. Today, it was announced that Upton will be placed on the Disabled List with an oblique strain. This is his second career trip to the DL (both for oblique strains).
Although this injury disspells rumors of his immortality, it does strengthen a rumor that traces his blood line back to Achilles.

According to Greek Mythology, when baby Achilles was being dipped into the pool of immortality by his mother Thetis, she held him by his heel and this was the only part of his body that remained mortal. Now, is it possible that when Yvonne Upton was dipping Justin into the pool of immortality she held him by the oblique? This is certainly an interesting theory, although unconfirmed.

Get well soon J-Up!!

Mrs. Franchise???

2009-08-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Aug. 6- After Justin's awkward appearance on the Eric Byrnes Show's "Dating Game" Edition, it seemed like this day would never come, but.... Newsday was the first to break the story and, now, we are confirming it...Justin Upton has a girlfriend.
As a male follower, I have to give J-Up props. But at the same time, I would like to apologize to all of the "Uptown Girls" out there, who are definitely hurting right now. This can't be an easy time for them, as it is not only heart breaking, but it taints the sanctity of his nickname: "Black Jesus" (rated his #3 most popular nickname earlier this month). Until we are able to get a hold of her actual name, it has been suggested to me that we refer to her as "Mary Magdellan," who was thought to be the real Jesus's girlfriend. Which is fair, considering it keeps alive the nickname of "Black Jesus" and gives Upton's beau a nickname of her own.
Now, here is all the information we have on her so far...

"Upton's girlfriend travels with him occasionally; she's headed back home to Arizona. The Diamondbacks will get there late Sunday night.

"She understands the grind of everything, which is why you have people come in town who can entertain her other than me," Upton said. "That's the easiest way to do it."' -------------newsday.com
Now, I want it to be clear so none of you crazed followers get confused. Justin does not want you to entertain his girlfriend. Yes, he does leave things open for interpretation when he says "people come in town who can entertain her," but that doesn't mean you. So, please, do not show up at her door in Pheonix...she will probably call the police and you'll get smacked with a restraining order. So, don't do it, it is not worth it.
This is the only information that we have, for now, but we believe it won't be long before the complete truth comes out. Stay Tuned.

An architects fatal error: The Stadium Club

2009-08-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

Last night, Justin hit a long home run to left field that left the entire stadium in awe. Diamondbacks fans cheered, and "Uptown Girls" squealed, but lost in the frenzy was the exposure of an alarming tendency that Justin has. Well, alarming if you are sitting in the Stadium Club, that is.

The reason people sit in the Stadium Club, is so that they can eat good food and catch up with friends/family/colleagues..and if the conversation ever gets boring, they can quickly glance back at the field and act like they are interested in the game. People don't sit in the Stadium Club so that they can watch a baseball game. If they really wanted to watch the game, they could spend the same amount of money on seats right behind home plate. And Justin Upton knows this.

Not only does he know this, but he resents it.

When the architects and planners sat down to design Citi Field, they wanted to put the Stadium Club in a place far away from the field of play. They wanted to do this, because they knew that these fans were the ones least likely to be watching the game and they didn't want to put them at risk of being hit by a flying object. But they made a huge error in their calculations. Sure they put it 450 feet away from home plate, but they put it in left field. Apparently they didn't get the memo that J-Up doesn't like it when fans go to the ballpark and don't watch the game. It wasn't long before this architectural error was exposed.
In Justin's first game at Citi, he patiently waited to show New York's "High Society" how they do it in Uptown, but he didn't get the chance. The next day, he wasn't gonna waste this golden opportunity, and he took the third pitch he saw out of Citi Field and into the Stadium Club. The home run, didn't only send Dbacks fans into a frenzy, but it sent Stadium Club "fans" running for cover, in fear of their lives. Justin stood at home plate to watch the flight of the ball, and he didn't start running until he was sure his work was done. He walked casually around the bases acting like he'd done it before. And that's because he had. You see, this wasn't his first bombing raid on a Stadium Club. In fact, you can see his picture in Milwaukee's most wanted List.

Miller Park made the same mistake. They thought they were being smart when they put their Stadium Club 460 feet away from home plate. But once, Upton locked in on his target, it was game over for Milwaukee's "Elite." They were forced to end all conversations so that they could duck under the tables and hold on for dear lives as the ball hit the outer facing of the Stadium Club and shook the entire building.

In these next few years, The Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays will be coming out with new stadiums. If they have learned anything from the fatal architectural flaws at both Miller Park and Citi Field, they will put the Stadium Club somewhere behind home plate and out of Justin's line of site. Or better yet, not build one at all.....Justin has done it before and he won't hesitate to do it again.

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=5859911

http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=4392981

A man of many names

2009-08-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

His birth certificate reads "Justin Irvin Upton," but it is rare that he is called by his true name. Like most cult heroes, Upton has many nicknames and aliases. Today I am going to break them down by naming the top 5 most popular. If anybody thinks I missed any or disagrees, let me know.

1. J-Up. This is the most well-known of his nicknames, and it originated while he was still in high school and a draft prospect. Just a combination of his first and last names, similar to A-Rod and Han-Ram (Alex Rodriguez and Hanley Ramirez).

2. TJU. This nickname was created by ESPN baseball analyst Keith Law. It stands for "The Justin Upton." It's meant to be a reference to his greatness, similar to "The Ohio State University" and "The king of England" etc.

3. Black Jesus. This name was created sometime between the '08 and '09 season, but it is uncertain who, exactly, was the culprit. This name was more of a collaboration by his followers. The reasoning behind the nickname is that, he is seen by many as a "Messiah" (of sorts).

4. Franchise. This name is a reference to the fact that Justin is the face of the Diamondbacks franchise and figures to be so for quite some time. This nickname has been around since he was drafted in '05.

5. Uptown. This nickname originated in '08. It is a reference to a song that talks about"Uptown Girls" and also him hitting the ball "out of town."

Those were the top 5 nicknames, and now, here are some things that have been named in his honor.

1. "Upton's porch."- At Chase Field, Justin's home park, there are two porches/overhangs, in center field. Because many of his home runs are hit onto the porches, some people have renamed these porches in his honor. This name is unofficial, but well-known amongst his followers.

2. "Uptown Girls"- This is a nickname that Justin's groupies and female followers refer to themselves as.

The beginning

2009-08-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

Since his 2007 debut as a teenager, Justin Upton has developed a cult-like following. It has gotten so out of control that, at one point, there were talks within the Diamondbacks organization to move him to center field, just to give him a little distance from the distraction of his huge fan base. But behind the fame and the stardom there is a person. And behind the 500 foot home runs and bulging fore-arms there is a story. That is why this blog is here, to tell that story.