	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS v RAYS

October 5, 2010

Evan Longoria

TAMPA, FLORIDA: Workout Day

Q. How is your leg?
EVAN LONGORIA: It's good. The obvious question. It's -- you know, it's as good as it's going to be, probably 85, 90 percent. I think, you know, holding back that last series was the best thing for it. In the last four days, it's probably progressed the most.
I'm excited to be back. Like I've said before, I've been trying to push to play the last three games of that series in Kansas City, but I think it ended up being the best thing to not play because I felt really good the last couple days.

Q. Baseball players are creatures of habit. Talk about at-bats and timing and issues like that. As little time off as you've had, is that enough that it's a concern?
EVAN LONGORIA: No. I mean, in 2009, I had a little bit of a hamstring injury that I think sidelined me for six or seven days. You know, I was able to come back pretty strong from that without much of a hiccup. I got to take five live at-bats yesterday off one of our pitchers and felt just as comfortable as I felt when I left.
I mean, obviously things change when the intensity gets bumped up a little bit, but I don't think that that's going to be a problem. I think that I'm going to feel as comfortable as I felt before I went on the -- I got hurt.

Q. From your perspective, how does the 2008 experience make a difference this time around?
EVAN LONGORIA: I think the key word in your question is "experience." This is pretty much the same team with the exception of a few people. It'll be pretty much the same lineup that we put out there in 2008 in the playoffs. You know, that extra year of playing in the post-season, you know, I think you could kind of tell in the celebration winning the AL East, it was kind of -- you don't want to say old hat, because obviously, like, you look at a team like the Yankees, they've made the post-season 15 out of 16 years. That's old hat. But for us to be there two out of three years, it feels a little bit more like we belong in the post-season this year. You know, that confidence goes a long way in an environment like the post-season.

Q. You talked about feeling like you belong this year. Just the differences compared to last year and the disappointment of kind of -- and it's not under-achieving, but you guys probably felt like you could have done better, and making it back, just your thoughts along those lines?
EVAN LONGORIA: Yeah, I mean, like you said, it's not -- I said it in 2009 at the end of the year. I mean, we looked back on the year, and had we not had 2008, I mean, 2009 would have been a huge success. But again, you know, you put the same roster out there and you have the same team, you're expected to do the same things.
And so I think 2009, we really kind of took it for granted that we were going to be in the same position that we were at the end of the year in 2008, and this year I think we really applied ourselves to our full potential and ended up back where we felt we belong.

Q. Can you talk about Ron Porterfield and the work you guys did to get ready?
EVAN LONGORIA: Oh, man, our training staff is among the best in baseball. I think they definitely do a great job keeping us on the field when we're healthy and when things do come up they're there 24 hours a day to attend to whatever you need.
So you know, we've done a lot of treatment, and as much extra stuff to try to strengthen the quad. So all that stuff has really benefitted me, the extra push-pull stuff on the field and every kind of treatment that they could done, they've really done to help me.

Q. You mentioned 2008, same lineup this time around and that it feels like you belong. There are changes that happen in the makeup of every baseball team and it seems like the Rays may be on the verge of having some change in their makeup going into next year. Is there a sense that while this group is together and getting a second chance at it that that's a component of wanting to get it done this year?
EVAN LONGORIA: I would say that that's partially true. I mean, I don't think that anybody in that clubhouse has any thoughts other than what's going on right now. I don't think anybody is looking to the future as far as who's going to be here and who's not and worried about getting it done because we might not be able to do it next year or the year after or whatever. You know, I think everybody is really just happy to be back in the post-season and just excited to get it back underway.
I think the more you try to look forward and think about what could be next year, you're slighting yourself. So again, I think the post-season experience in itself is something to really relish and enjoy, and I think that's just what everybody is trying to do right now.

Q. You guys have battled Cliff Lee three times in year, you've beaten him three times this year. Is there a formula, or is it just a simple fact of being patient and getting hits when they're there?
EVAN LONGORIA: Yeah, I mean, I think Cliff, he's 0 and 3 against us, but he probably has given up -- except for the last outing, it really seems like it's a constant battle with him. We know that for the most part when he goes on the mound, it's going to be seven or eight innings, you're going to get three or four at-bats against him, and they're not going to be easy and the hits aren't going to be easy to come by.
I thought for the first two outings that we faced him, we did a -- well, our starting pitcher did a great job keeping us in the game and giving us a chance to win, and then late in the game we came through with a hit and were able to go ahead.
The last outing was a little bit higher scoring, I think, but at the same time, our pitching staff did a good job of keeping us in the game, and we were able to get the big hit late again. But he's no easy task, and I think also he's proven that he can pitch in the post-season.
So it's going to be fun. I mean, facing guys like him, No. 1 guys, makes for a very exciting game. So tomorrow should be a pretty fun match-up to watch.

Q. Your thoughts on the rule changes regarding the catwalks.
EVAN LONGORIA: I think it's probably much needed, especially after we saw what happened when we played Minnesota and ended up losing that game, you know, because of the catwalk. I don't know what -- I guess that's about all they could do is just kind of make it a redo. I don't know what else you could do. You can't really give the batter a strike if the ball is hit in play and you can't really rule it an out. I mean, I think that's the best thing that could happen.
I think they did it just because you really don't want to see a playoff game decided by some kind of silly play like that. I mean, I guess it's going to be beneficial -- hopefully no balls hit it, but if it does happen, hopefully it's beneficial for the team that it happens to.

Q. You couldn't have had a better start to your post-season in '08, homering the first two at-bats. Can you draw on your experiences as you go into this post-season?
EVAN LONGORIA: Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think like you said, to homer in my first two at-bats as a rookie in the post-season, I don't know if it's going to get any better than that this year, and you're right, it probably won't get any worse if I don't get a hit. Not getting one hit in the World Series is not the greatest series.
Yeah, I mean, I definitely, looking back on that, took a lot of different things out of that. Like I said before, just the experience of being in the post-season as a whole is something that I can take into this post-season. But success and failure are definitely -- you can learn something from both, and riding your high horse, hitting two home runs is a good thing, but not getting one hit in the World Series is very humbling, also.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297