Evan Longoria
Posted by Steve L. on June 27th, 2010 · Comments (40)
I’ve always felt that Evan Longoria was the new Derek Jeter. But, today, Longoria took it to another level. I would trade A-Rod for Evan in a heartbeat. And, I’m not just saying that because of the age, health and salary difference.
Yes, but if A-Rod had gotten in a teammate’s face like Longoria did to B.J. Upton, Alex would be portrayed as the bad guy by the media in all of it.
77yankees wrote:
So true.
Longoria is a good player…..but Arod is one of the all time greats….let’s see if Longoria can keep it going at a high level for 15+ years, then we can talk.
Yea yea..Longoria is a good guy. I just love seeing the discourse running through that team. Hopefully this will infect the team and they’ll slip even further into their customary 3rd place slot.
I remember when Buster Olney said that this Rays team reminded him of the ’98 Yankees. I don’t seem to remember the Yanks being in 3rd place in June of ’98.
Let’s hope Buster didn’t mean they were like the 1978 Yankees.
77yankees wrote:
Last time A-Rod got into a teammate’s face was when he was kissing himself in the mirror…and, he did get some heat for that. So, I guess you’re right.
@ Steve Lombardi:
Actually, the last time I remember a dugout encounter with A-rod, he was giving Jeter a super wedgie (I wish I still had this video) and had the creepiest face on ever. Anyone else catch that? That was wierddd
Corey Italiano wrote:
I’ve never heard of this, when was it?
@ 77yankees:
I have no problem with Longoria calling out Upton. But, he should have done it out of camera range. What good does it do to air your dirty laundry for everybody else to see?
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Getting in Cano’s face during spring training seems to be working out pretty well this year so far.
Getting in a teammates face in the dugout during a game shows immaturity and frustration, not leadership.
@ throwstrikes: I know Carlos Zambrano was more outrageous than Longoria, but the principle is the same – why did he get in trouble for showing up a teammate publicly, and why is Longoria being praised for it?
throwstrikes wrote:
ever hear of things happening “in the heat of the battle”?
YankCrank wrote:
It was last year…I think during the playoffs. I saw it live, it was very, very strange.
lisaswan wrote:
Simple. Zambrano had no case. Lee didn’t dog it. He was just pissed about his own pitching stats…probably. Whereas, Upton DOGGED it, BIG time, and Longoria, and everyone else, saw it.
throwstrikes wrote:
Remind me of when that happended this spring and why? I don’t recall it.
I put a pic up of it thats in the spam, found the video. It’s a poor quality video, so it’s hard to gauge the high level of creepiness…still creepy though
http://vodpod.com/watch/2372325-arod-grabs-jeters-ass
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Sure, but that doesn’t make it any less immature and done out of frustration.
Leadership is about being able to keep your emotions in check in times of frustration and steering the situation to the best result.
@ Steve Lombardi:
That is true. But I still think a player confronting another player is best done privately, precisely because the possibility of a reaction like what happened with Upton.
lisaswan wrote:
To be fair, it was something said in passing, and Upton went after Longoria. The cameras just happened to pick it up.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
I guess a comparable incident would be a couple of years ago when Manny and Youk squared off in the dugout.
Anyone remember Langston ripping into Rex Hudler during the 1995 AL West playoff?
@ Corey Italiano:
It was just for leverage afer a big hit, lol.
I remember David Wells used to roll his eyes and make faces when a Yankee made an error behind him, and that Derek Jeter confronted him, saying that the team didn’t do that to him when he pitched badly. But I seem to remember that he confronted him privately. Is that everybody else’s recollection?
Steve
There were 2 columns this spring talking about A-Rod “mentoring” Cano.
I remembered one was by Joel Sherman and found it-
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/yankees/driving_it_home_T1TycVPEgqKeA00zpiuQHM
In the other article it said A-Rod lectured Cano that he was closer to 30 than 20 and with the talent he had he should be in the MVP conversation every year and not just content to play with guys who are. Cano this year has alluded to the conversation a few times in interviews about wanting to be an MVP candidate and not just playing with them.
Perfect world, sure, you pull a Jake Taylor and drive over to Roger Dorn’s house and serve warning.
But, again, sometimes in he heat of battle, you forget the cameras are on and you just get in a guy’s face – because you want to nip it in the bud, on the spot, to make sure it can’t happen again, in that game, rather than just let it go for a time when there’s no steam behind it.
lisaswan wrote:
Wow, I actually don’t remember that at all! For all of Jeter’s supposed leadership traits, I really can’t remember a single anecdote or article that has referenced Jeter confronting a teammate — politely or otherwise — about his behavior or effort. I don’t say this to mock Jeter, merely to say that I’m (pleasantly) surprised to hear you say that he once did that to Wells. I always thought the confrontational stuff was left to Jeter’s bodyguard Posada to handle.
@ throwstrikes: Mentoring and getting in someone’s grill are not the same thing, are they?
Steve Lombardi wrote:
It depends. We don’t know the tone of the conversation nor the intent of it.
@ MJ Recanati:
Michael Kay talks about that story a lot…lisaswans memory is spot on.
Corey Italiano wrote:
Wasn’t doubting her, just never heard it before.
@ Steve Lombardi:
Not if you prefer confrontation over results but aren’t changing results what you are trying to achieve?
Some people may not react well to their “grill” being gotten into. Seems Longoria found out Upton may be one of those people.
They were playing the D-backs, so Longoria was probably mad that the Rays got the shaft when it comes to talented Upton brothers after he got to see Justin in person.
Corey Italiano wrote:
I was thinking about that this weekend after you said something similar from last week’s game when Justin obliterated us (vs. AJ Burnett, I think).
BJ Upton looked like the real deal in 2007 and 2008 but has been MIA since. Between injuries, slumps, a lack of confidence from his manager and his own immaturity/inability to cope with issues, his career is heading for another city fast. I neither like nor dislike BJ…it just makes me shake my head and think about how both he and Tampa are blowing what could’ve been (and still could be) a good career.
@ MJ Recanati:
Makes me wonder if Justin’s outstanding 2009 campaign got into his head.
@ MJ Recanati:
Buster Olney talked about it today in his blog. Here’s a link to a story about it:
http://www.nyat.net/2010/06/derek-jeter-showed-his-captain-skills.html
Still not sure where Jeter confronted Wells, though.
Winning teams have to be able to police themselves to a degree. A manager can only do so much, especially when a player is making 10x his salary.
We’ve seen teams do it and be successful. The Yankees of the late 70s – Lou Piniella used to tell his teammates to STFU on many an occasion. And if you remember, it was either ’99 or 2000, when Tino & David Cone scolded Posada for criticizing the home plate ump (I think it was Greg Kosc if I remember) who left the game on a 100 degree day.
It’s probably better if it’s done in private, but some situations are unavoidable, and who knows what Longoria said to Upton – maybe he was out of line with his comments or perhaps Upton just overreacted.
77yankees wrote:
Probably a little bit of both…
@ lisaswan:
Wow, I truly had no idea. It’s literally the first time I’m ever hearing about it and also literally the first time I’m hearing about Jeter exhibiting demonstrative, proactive leadership. I’m pleasantly surprised.