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Though he didn’t want to say it out loud, Evan Longoria pretty much knew when he didn’t sign with a team last season that he was done playing baseball and began getting comfortable without it.
His two oldest kids not so much.
Elle, now 12, and Nash, 10, obviously were excited to have their dad — who had played in the majors for their entire lives — around their Phoenix area home more.
“But they also were like, ‘When are we going to the field?,’” Longoria, 39, relayed. “As they got older, they started to enjoy going to the field every day. Of course, there was hospitality for them (as a player’s kids), they’re going in a back door, there’s somebody waiting for them giving them bubblegum and snacks, there’s a VIP kids area to go to and do stuff.
“It was a whole experience for them, too, that they missed. So when I wasn’t playing anymore, they were like, ‘Dad, what are you doing? Why aren’t we getting all these things we used to have?’”
Eventually, Elle and Nash came to appreciate the new opportunities: their dad being around for key events; accompanying them, mom Jaime and 3-year-old sister Lou on impromptu outings; joining them for a volleyball tournament in Utah and to Little League games several nights a week, plus planned vacations this summer.
So did Longoria, who on a recent morning had to delay a planned phone call to get Lou ready for preschool and then take a timeout to talk with their dog groomer. He also keeps busy doing yoga and Pilates with Jaime, playing golf and working out at the gym doing Jiu-jitsu, enjoying the camaraderie and fraternal atmosphere.
After holding on to a “1% chance” of playing again as last season unfolded and acknowledging “it’s really hard to close that door,” Longoria is now officially set to become a former big-leaguer.
He will sign a ceremonial one-day contract on June 7 at Steinbrenner Field and formally retire as a Ray (all fans at the game against Miami will get a commemorative T-shirt). Induction into the Rays Hall of Fame and retirement of his No. 3 are expected next year, when the team is slated to return to a repaired Tropicana Field.
Around all the family fun they have planned, Longoria eventually will decide how he wants to stay connected to the game.
He has had several conversations with Rays baseball operations president Erik Neander about some kind of role with the organization, but they’ve talked as much about the timing, specifically when Longoria will be ready to commit, as what he would want to do.
“We both agree that there’s a door open, that there may be an opportunity down the road,” Longoria said. “That’s totally fine, because at this point in my life I’m not ready to jump back in 100% with anybody.”
So, what would Longoria want to do?
Be a coach? Join Neander’s front office? Work for, or become a part of, ownership?
He’s not sure, not even whether he wants to be in a suite or the dugout.
“I’d love, ideally, for it to be a bit of both,” Longoria said. “I would be the first to tell you I don’t think I’m smart enough to have a full grasp on a complete organizational road map. Like, I couldn’t step into (former teammate and now Giants president of baseball operations) Buster Posey’s chair right now and do his job. That’s just not the way that my brain works.
“I feel like I’m a pretty good talent evaluator, like I can watch a player and see things, and I’ve been around enough good players to know what to look for. But having that full responsibility is not what I want.
“And I also enjoy being around the guys and being on the field and like the actual physical grind of it, too. So, I’d hate to kind of put myself in a box and then not be able to get out of it.”
Rays manager Kevin Cash said Longoria would bring a great perspective, having grown from much-hyped young player to veteran leader and having had an inside view of the Rays’ transformation into a successful, analytical-based organization, with the ability to relate to players and staff.
“I think he’d be good at whatever he decided to do,” Cash said.
Neander is confident they eventually will work something out.
“Given what he’s meant as the greatest player in this franchise’s history, if he wants to be involved in our future, then we’ll be happy to figure out how to do it right,” Neander said. “It could be baseball, it could be business, it could be with fans, it could be on a new stadium. Who knows?
“But he’s uniquely positioned to positively impact our organization in a lot of different ways if he wants to. And, yeah, that door’s wide open.”
Obviously, Longoria’s No. 1 highlight from his career is the same as everyone else’s, his 12th-inning walkoff homer to cap a ferocious comeback in Game 162 of the 2011 season against the Yankees and send the Rays into the American League playoffs. He joined Bobby Thomson in hitting walkoff homers in the final regular season game to send their team into the postseason.
So, what is second on his list?
“It kind of goes back and forth,” he said.
One is catching the final out, a foul popup by Minnesota’s Joe Mauer on Sept. 20, 2008 at the Trop to secure the franchise’s first playoff berth after 10 years of losing records: “a pretty important moment in the history of the franchise.”
The other is the final out of the AL Championship Series against Boston a few weeks later, with Akinori Iwamura stepping on second base to clinch the Rays’ first trip to the World Series.
“There’s a fair amount of memories that stick out,” he said, “but I think those are the top two.”
Among others: homers in his first two postseason at-bats, hitting for the second cycle in franchise history, his three-run homer earlier in Game 162 to get the Rays within one run and his homer in Game 163 of 2013 to help earn a playoff spot.
The news that Evan Longoria will retire as a Ray next month brought up lots of memories of his 10 seasons with the Rays. We’d like to know what our readers consider their favorite Longoria moment, memory or interaction. Send your replies (50 words or less) to [email protected], and we’ll run selected comments in advance of his June 7 ceremony.
Here’s what Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg had to say about Longoria in the release announcing his retirement plans:
“Evan Longoria embodies what it means to be a Tampa Bay Ray. From the moment he stepped on the field, he brought excellence, leadership and a competitive spirit that shaped the identity of this franchise. He, more than anyone, helped transform the Devil Rays into the Rays, and we are honored to welcome him home as he retires in the uniform where it all began.”
• • •
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Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports.
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Continue reading...
His two oldest kids not so much.
Elle, now 12, and Nash, 10, obviously were excited to have their dad — who had played in the majors for their entire lives — around their Phoenix area home more.
“But they also were like, ‘When are we going to the field?,’” Longoria, 39, relayed. “As they got older, they started to enjoy going to the field every day. Of course, there was hospitality for them (as a player’s kids), they’re going in a back door, there’s somebody waiting for them giving them bubblegum and snacks, there’s a VIP kids area to go to and do stuff.
“It was a whole experience for them, too, that they missed. So when I wasn’t playing anymore, they were like, ‘Dad, what are you doing? Why aren’t we getting all these things we used to have?’”
Eventually, Elle and Nash came to appreciate the new opportunities: their dad being around for key events; accompanying them, mom Jaime and 3-year-old sister Lou on impromptu outings; joining them for a volleyball tournament in Utah and to Little League games several nights a week, plus planned vacations this summer.
So did Longoria, who on a recent morning had to delay a planned phone call to get Lou ready for preschool and then take a timeout to talk with their dog groomer. He also keeps busy doing yoga and Pilates with Jaime, playing golf and working out at the gym doing Jiu-jitsu, enjoying the camaraderie and fraternal atmosphere.
After holding on to a “1% chance” of playing again as last season unfolded and acknowledging “it’s really hard to close that door,” Longoria is now officially set to become a former big-leaguer.
He will sign a ceremonial one-day contract on June 7 at Steinbrenner Field and formally retire as a Ray (all fans at the game against Miami will get a commemorative T-shirt). Induction into the Rays Hall of Fame and retirement of his No. 3 are expected next year, when the team is slated to return to a repaired Tropicana Field.
Around all the family fun they have planned, Longoria eventually will decide how he wants to stay connected to the game.
He has had several conversations with Rays baseball operations president Erik Neander about some kind of role with the organization, but they’ve talked as much about the timing, specifically when Longoria will be ready to commit, as what he would want to do.
“We both agree that there’s a door open, that there may be an opportunity down the road,” Longoria said. “That’s totally fine, because at this point in my life I’m not ready to jump back in 100% with anybody.”
So, what would Longoria want to do?
Be a coach? Join Neander’s front office? Work for, or become a part of, ownership?
He’s not sure, not even whether he wants to be in a suite or the dugout.
“I’d love, ideally, for it to be a bit of both,” Longoria said. “I would be the first to tell you I don’t think I’m smart enough to have a full grasp on a complete organizational road map. Like, I couldn’t step into (former teammate and now Giants president of baseball operations) Buster Posey’s chair right now and do his job. That’s just not the way that my brain works.
“I feel like I’m a pretty good talent evaluator, like I can watch a player and see things, and I’ve been around enough good players to know what to look for. But having that full responsibility is not what I want.
“And I also enjoy being around the guys and being on the field and like the actual physical grind of it, too. So, I’d hate to kind of put myself in a box and then not be able to get out of it.”
Rays manager Kevin Cash said Longoria would bring a great perspective, having grown from much-hyped young player to veteran leader and having had an inside view of the Rays’ transformation into a successful, analytical-based organization, with the ability to relate to players and staff.
“I think he’d be good at whatever he decided to do,” Cash said.
Neander is confident they eventually will work something out.
“Given what he’s meant as the greatest player in this franchise’s history, if he wants to be involved in our future, then we’ll be happy to figure out how to do it right,” Neander said. “It could be baseball, it could be business, it could be with fans, it could be on a new stadium. Who knows?
“But he’s uniquely positioned to positively impact our organization in a lot of different ways if he wants to. And, yeah, that door’s wide open.”
Longoria’s top moments
Obviously, Longoria’s No. 1 highlight from his career is the same as everyone else’s, his 12th-inning walkoff homer to cap a ferocious comeback in Game 162 of the 2011 season against the Yankees and send the Rays into the American League playoffs. He joined Bobby Thomson in hitting walkoff homers in the final regular season game to send their team into the postseason.
So, what is second on his list?
“It kind of goes back and forth,” he said.
One is catching the final out, a foul popup by Minnesota’s Joe Mauer on Sept. 20, 2008 at the Trop to secure the franchise’s first playoff berth after 10 years of losing records: “a pretty important moment in the history of the franchise.”
The other is the final out of the AL Championship Series against Boston a few weeks later, with Akinori Iwamura stepping on second base to clinch the Rays’ first trip to the World Series.
“There’s a fair amount of memories that stick out,” he said, “but I think those are the top two.”
Among others: homers in his first two postseason at-bats, hitting for the second cycle in franchise history, his three-run homer earlier in Game 162 to get the Rays within one run and his homer in Game 163 of 2013 to help earn a playoff spot.
Your thoughts
The news that Evan Longoria will retire as a Ray next month brought up lots of memories of his 10 seasons with the Rays. We’d like to know what our readers consider their favorite Longoria moment, memory or interaction. Send your replies (50 words or less) to [email protected], and we’ll run selected comments in advance of his June 7 ceremony.
Word from the boss
Here’s what Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg had to say about Longoria in the release announcing his retirement plans:
“Evan Longoria embodies what it means to be a Tampa Bay Ray. From the moment he stepped on the field, he brought excellence, leadership and a competitive spirit that shaped the identity of this franchise. He, more than anyone, helped transform the Devil Rays into the Rays, and we are honored to welcome him home as he retires in the uniform where it all began.”
• • •
Sign up for our Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on X and Facebook.
Continue reading...
