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Ready For His ENCORE!!!

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By MARTIN FENNELLY

mfennelly@tampatrib.com

Published: February 21, 2009

PORT CHARLOTTE - It happened this offseason, while Evan Longoria played in his very first splashy golf tournament. He was invited to the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. He shot it up and made the scene. When you're 23, no matter what you've accomplished, there's a lot of kid in you.

"I met Bo Jackson. I met Bo at the Bob Hope Classic," Longoria said. "He played in front of me for two days straight. He's funny. Bo knows. It was pretty cool. I introduced myself, I said 'Hello, Mr. Jackson.' He called me Mr. Longoria back. I thought it was pretty cool that he knew who I was."

The curtain is going up on Mr. Longoria all over again. You couldn't have crammed more highlights into the premiere, outside of a few more October hits and a World Series trophy.

But there's no real way to rain on the American League Rookie of the Year. Longoria was a revelation. It went beyond the home runs, including a rookie-record six in the postseason. It went beyond the RBIs or the uncanny third base glove. It went to a presence, a confidence without cockiness, never too high, never too low - Even Longoria. Underneath it all, a certain It factor.

It's a different kind of spring. There are no worries about sticking with the big club or making a first fortune. There is no anything other than getting ready, getting better.

"I definitely have a more relaxed feel coming into spring this year," Longoria said.

Sometimes, he feels like last season ended 19 minutes ago. When it ended, he returned to California to decompress. "I made it a point just to go home and not answer my phone for a month," Longoria said.

True, he's still Longo, freshly minted celebrity. Back in Tampa Bay, he hit some Super Bowl parties. But he's still the other Longo, too. He skipped the big game.

"I had a great time watching the Super Bowl at the Hooters across the street from my house," Longoria said.

Here's Evan Longoria, aiming for the sky, but as grounded as ever.

"I definitely think I can repeat what I did last year, if not better," he said. "I like to set realistic goals for myself, not outrageous ones. If I had 15 more years like I had last year, I'd be very, very happy with that ... 27 home runs, you know, whatever, those are pretty solid numbers, but I definitely think with a lot of hard work I can be a better player than I was last year, and hopefully continue to raise the bar every year."

He just had his four wisdom teeth pulled, but he has plenty of wisdom left, more than most young players his age. Longoria has definite thoughts about stardom and how he'd handle it. He thinks about Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, whose stature is unmatched, and not just because he plays next to I Was Young and Stupid. Longoria won't compare himself to Jeter, but he admires him.

"There's such a following for Derek Jeter. He's kind of the All-American baseball player. He's the standard for everybody in our era," Longoria said.

"I think the reason I'd love to mold myself after him is that he's kept his nose clean, and what he says is always right on point. I don't know if that's the way he was raised, or that's the way I was raised. He stays out of the controversy; he says the right things. That's one of the things I'd like to do in my career, have the same kind of aura about me. Keep your nose clean and you're going to be all right."

Jeter's star glows brighter because of his postseasons. Longoria's rookie October was doing the very same thing. Then came the World Series. Longoria got one hit in 20 at-bats.

"I was living a dream pretty much in the playoffs," he said. "It wasn't like I was so high that I thought I was untouchable, but it definitely brought me back into reality quickly of how this game can humble you in a heartbeat.

"You go from doing so, so well to just the bottom - that was the bottom of the bottom. ... I had one hit the whole Series. It definitely shows you this game can knock you on your butt."

Longoria wants to be a certain kind of player with a certain kind of career.

"Twenty years from now, I'd want my legacy to be, 'Hey, he was a great guy, he played the game right, he kept his nose clean,'" he said.

He thought again about Jeter, who makes his home in Tampa. Longoria bumped into him at the malls a few times this offseason.

Mr. Jeter?
Evan Longoria laughed.

"I can call him Derek now."

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