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Longoria On Field Of Dreams, Staying Focused, And Being Starstruck
The movie "Field of Dreams" brings together baseball legends from the past. Pepsi Max is putting their spin on that concept with a promotion that will bring together living legends from the sport. Evan Longoria was at Sweetbay Supermarket in Palm Harbor on Tuesday August 23rd meeting with fans and encouraging them to participate in the contest.
“I think people don’t really understand what this field of dreams promotion is allowing them to do. You know voting in a roster of living legends and then being able to play against them. One lucky fan is going to be able to play against them. It’s a pretty cool deal. You’ve got to get out and vote. Mlb.com/pepsimax vote for these players and one lucky fan is going to get to step on the field with them.”
Longoria seems like a logical choice as a spokesman for an event that will bring legends together. In 2008 he joined the Rays and what followed can only be described as a magical season. He was an All-Star, Rookie of the Year and helped lead the team all the way to the World Series. Fast forward to 2011 and it seems every other fan jersey spotted at Tropicana Field has his name on the back. When the violins of his walk up song “Down and Out” by Tantric alert the fans of his impending at bat there is an audible difference in cheering. He’s “The guy.”
But who is “The guy?” The media has painted several different portraits. First there’s the face of the franchise with all the appropriate responses. Then there’s the California kid going Hollywood and starring in several national ads. Oh, and the most entertaining one consists of mullets, Camaros, and AK-47s. Needless to say, I welcomed the opportunity to sit down with Evan and draw my own conclusions.
Pepsi Max has put together quite a line-up, with guys like Maddux, Garvey, Ripken Jr, Boggs and Gwynn just to name a few. Who would you most like to share the field with?
Brooks Robinson, definitely. I mean he’s a great guy personally and then you know what he did on defense. He’s definitely an inspiration.
This is getting to be the grind it out part of the season. Is it harder physically or mentally this time of year?
Both… You get into the later days of August and the early days of September and it’s always tough to keep focused mentally and you know physically after playing for five months, it definitely takes a toll on your body. Even having a month off to rehab, I’m still tired so I know that everybody who’s been playing for the full five months and hasn’t had a month off is pretty much physically banged up at this point.
Platoon Question
The Rays have used the platoon very effectively. Gabe Gross and Gabe Kapler together made a pretty good player. So my question is what is the general feeling on platooning young players, for instance Sean Rodriguez or Reid Brignac. I understand the numbers and that the Rays are using the best guy for the best situation, but what does that mean for the long run. Is Reid Brignac only going to play against right-handed pitchers? Is there a chance that either of these guys will become an every day infielder? Do they practice their weaker sides? Do I worry too much?
Maybe I answered my own question, in that management has to play for right now. It is a nice problem to have such a deep bench. I just wonder how it effects a young players development. I remember Johnny Gomes saying he didn't even practice against lefties when he was with the Rays. I apologize if this has already been covered here. Thanks.
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