Devil Rays Bedeviled by Interest in Delmon Young

Tampa Bay Devil Rays management and staff continue to be hounded by dozens of questions about the status of troubled outfielder Delmon Young. Interest in the 21-year-old future phenom is so intense that even Young's overseers in North Carolina have been unable to escape, including former major league superstar Richie Hebner, the AAA Durham Bulls all-around coach. "I'm busy right now!" barked Hebner after being pestered for the umpteenth time about the hot prospect. Consultations regarding Young are reportedly ongoing weekly in the inner sanctum of the Rays front office in St. Petersburg, Fla., where Young as recently as 21 days ago had supposedly been ticketed for a callup, then forsaken. Young continues to be under contemplation, but considering that the team has lost eight of its last 10 games and has ranked last in the league in offense for August, it bodes poorly for him that executives can't make up their minds even when they are in such desperate need of help.