Two local columnists have suggested Rays fans cheer Carl Crawford upon his return to Tropicana Field tonight as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

According to one of them, Martin Fennelly of the Tampa Tribune, Crawford himself isn't expecting boos. But in an interview with the other, Gary Shelton of the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, he isn't so sure.

"It wasn't a decision to not stay in Tampa," Crawford told reporters Sunday in Toronto, where the Red Sox played the Blue Jays. "There wasn't an option to stay there, so it wasn't hard at all. There's no way you can stay with a team if a contract is not even offered to you. Hopefully (the fans) will be smart enough to realize that."

Before Crawford even became a free agent after last season, Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said the team, which finished 22nd in the major leagues in attendance last year, would have to significantly cut payroll. Signing Crawford, who left for a seven-year, $142 million deal with Boston, wasn't in the plans. The Rays' payroll this season is $41 million, 29th among the 30 major league teams.

"The truth of it is that Crawford simply outgrew the local franchise's finances," Shelton writes. "If you want to blame anyone, blame baseball's system that allows the rich to cherry-pick stars from the smaller markets."

Shelton calls Crawford the best player in franchise history, and it appears pretty clear cut. He's the franchise leader in games, batting average (.296), runs (765 -- B.J. Upton is second with 411), hits, RBI, stolen bases (409 -- Upton is second with 179), doubles, triples (105 -- Randy Winn in second with 28) and extra-base hits.

Upton was front and center for the Rays' renaissance the last three seasons, two of which produced American League East titles and one an AL pennant. An informal poll of the Rays clubhouse poll conducted by MLB.com found his ex-teammates don't want to see him booed, either.

"He deserves that," reliever J.P. Howell told Fennelly. "He's one of the greatest players, if not the greatest player, to come through Tampa … . He set the tone for what we are today, too. It's still carrying on.

"I get it if you're a little jealous or nervous. He's against us now. But the first time you got to cheer for him. But then go ahead and boo him, crush him after that. But he deserves a nice ovation the first time up. I know I'll be clapping myself a little, and after that, it's on."

Try cheering two or three times, Fennelly suggests.

"Showing up to boo Carl Crawford tonight will necessitate Tampa Bay Rays fans having to show up in the first place, always a tricky proposition, even with the first-place Red Sox in town," he writes. "Then there are the large numbers of annoying Boston fans, another constant reality, sometimes to the point of slight majority."

Crawford arrives in St. Petersburg hitting .246 with six homers, 31 RBI, 33 runs and eight steals for Boston. The stats are not completely Crawford-esque, but a long way from his April, when he hit .155-1-6 with 17 strikeouts. He told Shelton it was the worst month of his career.

He appears to be settling in with the Red Sox, hitting .302-2-10 so far in June. But, as he has made clear, he enjoyed playing for the Rays, too.

"I understand if they want to boo," he told Shelton. "I understand all the reasons. I wouldn't take it personally. There really isn't anything I can do but try to understand. If that's what makes them feel better, then go right ahead and boo."