Dirtbag Gets "Player of The Week" Award, but has to Share

Rays third baseman and resident stud Evan Longoria received the AL Co-Player of the Week Award for the week which ended Sept 6th.

During the 7 games included in the week Dirtbag led the league with a .467 batting average, he also recorded 5 doubles, 10 RBI, and 3 HR's. On top of that he boasted a slugging percentage of .933 over that span.

Evan had already received the award twice this season, 4/13 and 5/4.

He shares the award with Toronto outfielder Adam Lind.

Why Joe? Why?

If last night’s game were a movie, the scene titled “The Hamstring” would have been written perfectly.

First, there was the buildup. As the credits were rolling, they showed a newspaper clip saying that Evan Longoria was now leading the entire American League in all-star votes. Then the lineup card was released. Batting third, designated hitter, Evan Longoria.

Why is Longoria the designated hitter, Joe? Why

Next, there were lingering questions. Evan Longoria was the DH, not playing his usual 3B position (props to Joe for getting the lineup card correct). Why was he only batting and why was his potential gold glove not in the field? He just had a day off, and if he is healthy enough to swing a bat and run to first, why can’t he throw a ball?

Why is Longoria the designated hitter, Joe? Why?

Then, there was the answer and the foreshadowing. Zoom in on that strapping young lad Todd Kalas. He described that Longoria felt strange as the DH, that he was struggling to stay loose, and that he couldn’t wait to get back into the field. You can just hear in the background the stadium PA announcer say “Leading off the 6th inning, your designated hitter, Evan Longoria.”

Why is Longoria the designated hitter, Joe? Why?

Like clockwork, the climax happened. Longoria hits a ground ball to third baseman Mark Teahan. Like the hard-nosed player that he is, he is running hard towards first. The ball gets to first, pounding the mitt of Billy Butler. First Base Umpire Larry Vanover pumps his fist and yells “You’re out!” Then, two steps shy of first base, the run slows down to a trot, the grimace appears on his face, and the left hand quickly grabs the hamstring. The hearts of the audience collectively sink as that feeling sinks in. Everyone can see it plain as day, Evan Longoria is hurt.

Why WAS Longoria the designated hitter, Joe? Why?

In the wise words of Hamilton Porter, “YOU’RE KILLING ME SMALLS!” I always hated all of the extra days off because I believed that Maddon was not giving the Rays the best chance to win. I can understand giving Navarro a break for a day game after a night game, or why a bullpen pitcher should be unavailable if worked too hard, or taking a starting pitcher out of a game if his pitch count is too high, or even giving a position player a day off in the middle of a stretch of many games in a row. Giving a player get a break on the day before or after a scheduled day off drives me crazy. These are all young men in their 20’s, not their 40’s. The players have a rhythm they like to keep up. The more they play the looser they are. It’s not September of a season that is a lost cause; it’s June and the Rays are only 6 games out. The players want to be on the field. The players actually perform better when playing consistently. And now we can see that the players stay healthier by being on the field.

Why WAS Longoria the designated hitter, Joe? Why?

The regular starting players need to play and play often to be at the top of their game. The regular starting players need to play and play often to stay in a rhythm and stay healthy. The regular starting players need to play and play often to give the Rays the best possible chance to win. Anyone can figure that out, it’s not rocket science.

-The Rocket Scientist

Dirtbag Finishes Dead Last

Well, my namesake (Dirtbag) fell well short of winning the homerun derby, in fact he finished dead last.

Justin Morneau spoiled the night by beating the far superior Josh Hamilton.
Hamilton smashed a record breaking 28 homers into the far-reaches of Yankee Stadium in the first round, but ran out of steam in the championship round, only hitting 3 to Morneau's derby winning 5.

Hamilton, a former Devil Ray, exemplifies the rise-fall-rise from the ashes story, and I was happy to see him perform well, as all Rays fans should be, and quite frankly was miffed that he didn't win.

As far as Dirtbag is concerned, I think we may just see him give it another go in the years to come. I was pleased to see that he was having a good time and soaking it all in- you only get one first time, and I have a feeling that with his "hitters' hands" he may very well have one of those fancy Homerun Derby trophies on his mantle at some point in his career.
Time will tell.

Thank God for the All-Star break!

The Rays have done their best impression of the Devil Rays in the week leading up to the All-star break, dropping 7 in a row, including being swept by an Indians team that has underachieved all year.


Make sure you check out the Home Run Derby tonight, where my namesake (Dirtbag)will represent for the Rays! At the expense of sounding like a homer, Evan has the power to actually contend if he can avoid being star-struck by the likes of Lance Berkman and 60,000 lousy Yankees fans.

The Derby is on ESPN tonight at 8.

And tune into Fox on Tuesday at 8 for the All-star game, in which the Rays are represented by; Dirtbag, Kaz, and Navi.