Tampa Bay Rays Reid Brignac Dating Playmate Model Lauren Anderson
Web Gem
It seems the Tampa Bay Rays are having their own case of the Bachelor going on. Third baseman Evan Longoria recently confirmed he’s dating former Playboy model Jamie Edmonson and now comes word that backup shortstop Reid Brignac is not to be outdone by the teams star.
Brignac confirmed that he is dating Playboy model Lauren Anderson. Not only are the two a couple but they are also expecting their first child, real soon. The couple expect the baby to be here by March 18, 2012.
The next question that needs to be asked is if another Ray player will have a Playboy model by his side by then. Looking at you David Price.
TALENT
Evan Longoria Confirms He’s Dating Playmate Jaime Edmondson
The Choppa Is Back So Is The Swag
Tampa Bay Rays slugger Evan Longoria has confirmed that he and Playboy model and former Miami Dolphins cheerleader Jaime Edmondson are dating. This photo of the two taken at Disney’s Animal Kingdom enjoying themselves circulated the internet and caused the two to come forward.
“Yes, we are dating,” Longoria said. “It’s been a secret for long enough; it’s not really been a secret, but nobody has asked about it. We are dating.”
Man Who Urinated On David Price’s Car Offers Apology
Should Just Borrow Evan Longoria's Chopper
Tampa Bay Rays lefthander David Price said Tuesday that the man who urinated on his car last week wants to apologize. Price said via Twitter account that the man has “reached out” to Price’s agent to arrange the apology.
“Very nice of him,” Price tweeted.
Price took to Twitter last week to describe his encounter with the man after leaving a Tampa restaurant. He said the man shoved him and threw punches after being spotted. Price added that he was too quick to get hit and didn’t try to retaliate.
“I’m not a fighter,” he tweeted.
Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player: Craig Kimbrel & Jeremy Hellickson
Craig Kimbrel & Jeremy Hellickson
Every Tuesday Sports Grind Entertainment presents you with the Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player of the Week. This week the recipient of this prestigious honor goes to Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel and Tampa Bay Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson who finished their first full seasons in the Major Leagues and were named the winners of this year’s Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Awards. Kimbrel, 23, won the National League’s award in a unanimous decision becoming the 10th NL player to win the award unanimously and the 17th overall. Hellickson joined teammate Evan Longoria to become the second player in Tampa Bay team history to be recognized as the American League’s top rookie.
Kimbrel, who set a Major League record for saves by a rookie with 46, was the favorite for the award. His saves total led the NL, and he finished with a 2.10 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 77 innings. Hellickson was a workhorse in a young Tampa Bay rotation that helped fuel the Rays to a late-season surge and into the playoffs via the AL Wild Card. He was 13-10 with a 2.95 ERA, ranking eighth in the league in ERA and striking out 117 hitters in 189 innings.
It is just the fourth time since each league began honoring a player in 1949 that two pitchers have earned the honor in the same season; the others being Joe Black and Harry Byrd in 1952, Butch Metzger and Pat Zachry (co-winners in the NL) and Mark Fidrych in 1976, and Fernando Valenzuela and Dave Righetti in 1981.
Congratulations Craig Kimbrel and Jeremy Hellickson you are this weeks Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player.
Thieves Claim They Stole Marijuana From David Price & Evan Longoria
Why Rob These Two
Two men who were arrested and charged with burglarizing the spring training rental home of the Tampa Bay Rays players Evan Longoria, David Price and Reid Brignac have told police that one of the containers they took had marijuana in it. The Sheriff’s Office released a statement saying no evidence has ever been found and no indication the residents of the home had any as they took photos of the ram shacked place. Major League Baseball though has plans to look into the burglars claims.
“We’ve decided, obviously the three of us as a group and the organization as a whole, to just let the police do their job and us to keep that to ourselves,” Longoria said. “We’re just not going to make any comment. … What’s been said is said and our only way to react to it is obviously not to go the wrong way and react negatively to it, just to not make a comment on it.”
The thieves are known to have taken about $60,000 of electronics, jewelry, cash and an AK-47 rifle legally registered to Longoria.
Tampa Bay Rays Evan Longoria Crazy Bare Handed Catch
Obliviously the video is a fake but if there is one third baseman in Major League Baseball that could possibly make you think twice about it then it’s the real McCoy for the Tampa Bay Rays Evan Longoria.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Raheem Morris Plays Guest Manager
What Do You Know About A Double Switch
Tampa Bay Buccaneer head coach Raheem Morris slipped on a Tampa Bay Rays uniform and played guest manager for day. Morris did everything from carrying the lineup card to home plate, posing for pictures with the umpire crew, signing autographs for fans, pulling his starting pitcher in the fourth inning, and boasted “I’m 1-0″ after beating the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 in 10 innings. However Morris took no part in Rays manager Joe Maddon’s invitation to step in the cage for some batting practice.
“It was all about Raheem,” said Maddon, who invited the Buccaneers coach and his staff to spend a day in spring training with the AL East champions. “I gave him the game ball. He did a great job with the pitching change. There was nice conversation during the course of the game. It was a fun day.”
Asked if the Rays might be capable of helping the Buccaneers, Morris said he detected the “swagger” of a linebacker in Evan Longoria and that he might be able to convert B.J. Upton into a productive cornerback if he could get him to tackle.
Morris and Maddon have become friends over the past couple of years. Maddon, who played quarterback in high school and college, said some day he’d like to attend a Buccaneers practice and maybe run the scout team offense. Morris said Maddon was welcome any time, jokingly adding that maybe the manager could sit on the shoulders of 6-foot-6 Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman to see over the defensive line.
Tampa Bay Rays Evan Longoria’s 1967 Camaro Stolen In Spring Training.
Have You Seen Me?
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria confirmed that he had a classic 1967 Camaro, valued at $75,000, stolen from a lot in Arizona where it was being refurbished. Longoria said he didn’t expect to get the car back.
“I’m sure that it’s long gone by now,” Longoria said. “I hope they find it but odds are if they do its not going to be in the same shape when it left. .. It sucks, but what can you do. If someone is going to take something, they’re going to take something. They broke through a gate and a security system to get them.”
Longoria had a 1967 black and white Camaro RS being upgraded by a company but the car and another were stolen over the weekend.
Gillette Rolls Out New Generation Of Sports Spokesmen
Gillette recently declined to extend Tiger Woods contract as part of a plan to phase out its global “Champions” marketing campaign. To fill the void Gillette rolled out its “Young Guns” campaign these weekend with NFL stars Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice along with MLB players Colorado Rockies Carlos Gonzalez, Tampa Bay Rays Evan Longoria, NASCAR drivers Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.
Mama Margie’s Major Meltdown: Tampa Bay Rays Fans
Tampa Bay Rays Fans
Every Thursday Sports Grind Entertainment will present you with the Mama Margie’s Major Meltdown. The recipient of this honor goes to Tampa Bay Rays fans for their awful attendance. The Rays are in the hunt for the best record in all of baseball as they have secured another trip to the playoffs, yet an average of 10,000-12,000 fans show up for their home games.
The dismal attendance record forced it’s franchise third baseman Evan Longoria and all star pitcher David Price to call out their fans and speak of the display as embarrassing. The Rays have struggled with attendance over the years in Tropicana Field, which sits 43,772, but the recent lack of fans prompted the organization to offer 20,000 free tickets. The promotion came after the Rays fans showed up for officially the fourth smallest crowd total of the season.
Tampa Bay Rays Reid Brignac Does The Dougie
The Tampa Bay Rays clinched a postseason berth last night and second baseman Reid Brignac decided to unleash the “Dougie” on his teammates.
I still stand in Evan Longoria and David Price’s corner for calling out their fans, it has been embarrassing to watch and not just this year either.
Tampa Bay Rays David Price & Evan Longoria Blast Fans For Poor Attendance
Bring Them To San Antonio
After the Tampa Bay Rays lost to the Baltimore Orioles 4-0 on Monday night, Rays star players Evan Longoria and David Price took shots at their own fans for the low attendance at the game. Longoria told the St. Petersburg Times that it’s “embarrassing” and “disheartening” to have only 12,446 in Tropicana Field for a game in which they could have clinched a playoff berth. The attendance on Monday night was the fourth-smallest crowd of the season in Tampa Bay.
“We go out there and play hard for 162 games and for the fans to show the kind of support they’re showing right now, you kind of wonder what else you have to do as a player,” Longoria said.
Price also blasted the fans for their low attendance on Twitter.
“Had a chance to clinch a post season spot tonight with about 10,000 fans in the stands….embarrassing,” Price tweeted. The star pitcher later apologized.
There’s no need to apologize David, it is disgusting and San Antonio wouldn’t treat you that way.
WTF: Eric Chavez Fan
Click To Enlarge For Some Hardcore
If you haven’t been paying attention to the Oakland Athletics this year then I must tell you the sky is blue and third baseman Eric Chavez is once again injured. See Chavez at one time in Major League Baseball was equivalent to Tampa Bays Rays Evan Longoria is now. By 23 he had his first Gold Glove then by 24 he had another and was in the mix for MVP talks and it would continue till he was 28.
That’s when it all changed for Chavez. A back injury added with a shoulder injury then both shoulders then back to the back and here we are four years later with only 154 games added to his baseball card. Apparently it doesn’t get any easier for Chavez as fans of his have taken to sponsor his page on Baseball-Reference.com, which is the baseball encyclopedia of stats, to blast him for 2001 and 2006 failures while comparing him to death and taxes. Chavez is in the process of deciding whether to try rehab one more time or retire but to this fan the sooner he rides off into the sunset the sooner the healing process can begin.
Having been to Oakland only once I wouldn’t be comfortable making this statement but after seeing someone tattoo Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden and now this, A’s fans are hardcore.
SGE Fantasy Baseball Preview: Third Base
Sleeper Pick
The wait for baseball season to start is almost over and with it heating up just 10 days away from Opening Day, it’s only fitting that we take a look at the hot corner. The third base position is a close resemblance to the catcher spot in that you will not find an abundance of power here outside of a selected few. In the hot corner if you weren’t lucky enough to draft an elite player, the middle of the pack will look bland and bleak. Don’t fret because the middle of the pack guys here can still be plugged in and do quite well for you all season long. It’s a toss up depending on your draft strategy on when you want to draft the third base position. If you want an elite third baseman, go early, but if your willing to settle for the mid pack guys you can afford to stack up elsewhere. Those at the top of the position are of course New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez, New York Mets David Wright and Tampa Bay Rays Evan Longoria but lets go deeper.
Breakout Player: Casey McGehee, Milwaukee Brewers
- McGehee has only a one-year to his resume and predicting what he will do with 162 games and 500 at bats is difficult. But looking at what his typical minor league season was similar to the 116 games he racked up in the major leagues, with a slightly less batting average. You should be able to see close to 20 home runs, 80 RBI’s and right around a .300 average in a position all to his own.
Sleeper Player: Brandon Wood, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
- Wood put up eye -popping power numbers in the minors and hasn’t had much of a chance to show case those skills in the majors on a consistent basis. This year Wood will have his first taste of significant playing opportunity to play time as he’ll be the starter at third. He’s 25 and skill suggest a breakout year that will more than likely not be one anyone’s radar come draft day. Don’t let his production by the All-Star when you start looking to see if Wood is available on the waiver wire because he won’t.
Risky Player: Larry (Chipper) Jones, Atlanta Braves
- Injuries are not only taking a toll on Jones physically but they are mentally too as he made the announcement that if he was to have another year production like last year it would be his last. It doesn’t help that Jones turns 38 in April. He’s been one of the best baseball best third basemen of all time but unfortunately time does eventually catch up to all and last year was a good indication. The 2009 season was his worst he’s ever experienced with a .264 average, only 18 home runs and another miserable year in Jones standards with 71 RBI’s.
Slipping Player: Mike Lowell, Boston Red Sox
- What better way to show your a risk for 162 game season than to when the team that trades for you has to return to sender because of you being damaged goods. That’s the case with Lowell when the Red Sox traded him to the Texas Rangers but was returned after doctors discovered a ligament tear in his thumb. That lead to thumb surgery and Boston acquiring free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre. Lowell tired toward the end of last season contributed to an ailing hip after surgery in 2008. He did hit above his career batting average but it was only in 119 games. Lowell just turned 36 in February as well.
Be sure to come back for the preview of outfield position.
2009 American League Gold Glove Winners
Est. 1869
Gold Glove winners have been handed out by Rawlings since 1957. The award is the greatest measure of fielding excellence and has been bestowed on some of the greatest defensive players the game has ever seen and this year is no exception. Winners are selected by Major League coaches and managers and may not vote for players from their own club and only vote for players in their own league.
This year, three of the nine American League players selected are first time award winners: Mark Buehrle, Evan Longoria, and Adam Jones. Congratulations to the 2009 AL recipients.
| Position | Name | Team | Award(s) Won |
| P | MARK BUEHRLE | WHITE SOX | 1 |
| C | JOE MAUER | TWINS | 2 |
| 1ST | MARK TEIXEIRA | YANKEES | 3 |
| 2ND | PLACIDO POLANCO | TIGERS | 2 |
| 3RD | EVAN LONGORIA | RAYS | 1 |
| SS | DEREK JETER | YANKEES | 4 |
| OF | ADAM JONES | ORIOLES | 1 |
| OF | ICHIRO SUZUKI | MARINERS | 9 |
| OF | TORII HUNTER | ANGELS | 9 |
