Wake-up Call: Evan Longoria, Manny Ramirez, Warren Sapp
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First things first: Watching Evan Longoria Thursday was a kick. The Southland native is a key reason why the Tampa Bay Rays won their division and, to prove it, Longoria became only the second player in MLB history to hit a home run in his first two postseason at-bats. (Can you name the other player?) Longoria wasn’t drafted out of high school (St. John Bosco, the same Bellflower high school that Nomar Garciaparra attended) but went on to star at Long Beach State. I can still remember one of our assistant editors, Dan Loumena, rattling off Longoria’s stats a few years ago. Here is what The Times’ Ben Bolch and Eric Sondheimer wrote in June 2006:
Evan Longoria: Long Beach State, third baseman, junior: Considered the top position player in the draft, Longoria could go as high as No. 2 to the Colorado Rockies, who have established a pipeline to top 49ers players. Former Long Beach State coach Dave Snow is a consultant in Colorado’s scouting department and was influential in the Rockies making 49ers shortstop Troy Tulowitzki the seventh overall selection in last year’s draft. The 6-2, 213-pound Longoria could play second, third or short, and his hitting -- a .353 average with 11 homers and 43 runs batted for the 49ers -- could trigger a quick ascent to the major leagues.
On a related note: Chad Billingsley has pitched so well this season. And what a gem last night against the Cubs. Early last season I bought a Billingsley jersey on a whim. Few knew who he was at the time. I gave it to someone as a gift and, needless to say, that person really loves the jersey now.Billingsley told Times staff writer Dylan Hernandez before the game that he wanted to be sharp. Was he ever. And TJ Simers takes on the Cubs fans at Wrigley. Those poor souls, desperately wanting another chance at the World Series. And in case you missed Diane Pucin’s video confessions of being a Cubs fan who can’t stand to watch them anymore ... then later today we’ll post her Dad reminiscing about his beloved Cubs.
Look what I found: Well, maybe the Dodgers will re-sign Manny Ramirez. Early this morning I was surfing the Dodgers website and came across their 2009 season tickets page and there it was: a highlight video starring, yes, Manny Ramirez (among others). Play the video and you’ll see lots of Manny at the end, implying you will see lots of him next season. Seems they have to re-sign him now, if truth in advertising means anything to the Dodgers. Then again, maybe they don’t care.
Sapp speaks out: Former Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp spoke out this morning on Showtime’s ‘Inside the NFL’ and said the team, thanks to owner Al Davis, is so dysfunctional that he warns anybody who asks him about signing there to stay far away. ‘Nobody tells you how bad it is,’ he said.
Kings fans still care: The hot topic of conversation among Kings fans is will general manager Dean Lombardi get a deal done with center Patrick O’Sullivan? O’Sullivan, who became a restricted free agent just before training camp opened, broke out of the pack last season with 22 goals and 31 assists. Meanwhile, there is an interesting poll on Letsgokings.com on whether the team should claim veteran goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. And the result seems to indicate the fans know Khabibulin is well past his prime. Nearly 61% of the respondents said No. Still, Jason LaBarbera in goal ....
-- Debbie Goffa