ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Evan Longoria sees opportunity in Derek Jeter spending more time in nearby Tampa after retirement. In fact, the Tampa Bay Rays third baseman would enjoy picking Jeter's mind about baseball, leadership and other topics.
"I feel like his insight and ideas and thoughts would be pretty useful to me," Longoria said of the New York Yankees shortstop on Tuesday. "So hopefully, we get a chance to talk about it, and I can ask him in person and get his thoughts on that."
Longoria wondered aloud if he could receive Jeter's phone number as media gathered at Tropicana Field. The connection, on the surface, makes sense: Longoria is viewed as a leader in the Rays clubhouse, and Jeter has stood as a Yankees leader for many of his seasons since making his debut with New York in 1995.
"I think it would be a great idea," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "You're talking about a guy who has been doing it for that many years in that particular market with that kind of success. If I was a player, I'd be doing the same thing."
The Rays honored Jeter on Tuesday during a ceremony before the second of the three-game series between the teams. They presented him with a 16-foot sea kayak that included Yankee pinstripes and their "NY" logo, a $16,000 check to his Turn 2 Foundation and a framed jersey of the late Don Zimmer, who served as a Rays senior adviser and, previously, a Yankees bench coach.
Perhaps with Jeter soon spending more time at his Tampa residence, he and Longoria can develop a connection. Longoria, who called Jeter "presidential," is interested.
"I think what he's done -- not just his baseball accomplishments but what he has meant to the game, the ambassador that he has been to this game I think is more important or equally as important as what he has accomplished on the field," Longoria said of Jeter. "So in that respect, I would model myself in that way and hope to just be part of the game that long."
LONG 1-0 GAME
If the Rays' 1-0 victory over the Yankees on Monday felt long, there's a reason.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the three-hour, 28-minute game Monday was the longest in major-league history for a nine-inning, 1-0 result. But Maddon isn't concerned about game length, and he considers focus on the topic to be a media-driven issue.
His suggestion: Increase interest among younger eyes with technological interaction between fans and players using tools like Skype.
"I'm not concerned," Maddon said of length of games.
"I really believe it's not (a) problem with youngsters not wanting to attend our games. I think that has nothing to do with it. I think it has more to do with becoming more interactive with today's youth and getting more youth involved, reaching out to them in different ways organizationally and as an industry. ... I think Skyping and getting kids to connect with players in an organization during the course of a school year primarily could really draw young people to an organization or a bunch of players. Even (if) one guy per week Skyped a classroom from each team, just think of the impact that would make."
COBB LOOKS TO CONTINUE MASTERY OF YANKEES
Right-hander Alex Cobb, who will start in the series finale against New York on Wednesday, flirted with history in his last appearance against the Yankees and will look to continue his momentum. Last Thursday, he had a no-hitter through 7 1/3 innings at Yankee Stadium before Chris Young doubled to right center field.
His outlook for the upcoming start is measured -- stay level.
"You can have your mind-set one of two ways: I just breezed through 7 1/3 innings, and it was pretty easy, and you can take a step back and let your guard down a little bit and just kind of go out and coast through those innings," Cobb said. "Or you can go out there and you can say, 'I just faced this team five days ago. They know what I've got. They saw all my pitches,' and try to do too much. So like everything, you're going to have to find a middle ground."
Cobb is 9-7 with a 2.75 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 24 starts this season.
WORTH NOTING
--- Longoria was named the Rays' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award on Tuesday. The honor recognizes a player who best represents the game through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement. Longoria is among the 30 club finalists. Fans can vote for the national winner starting Wednesday at ChevyBaseball.com. Voting ends Oct. 6.
"It means a tremendous amount, because I think what we try to do in this game is be a positive impact for young people and older fans alike and really just use our platform and the stage we're given on a nightly basis to try to provide a positive message," Longoria said. "Obviously, historically speaking, Roberto Clemente kind of exemplifies that."
--- Maddon had no issue with fans cheering Jeter during Tampa Bay's special presentation Tuesday. In New York's victory Aug. 16 at Tropicana Field, the manager was critical of fans who booed reliever Jake McGee after Jeter's go-ahead RBI single in the top of the ninth inning.
"I just don't want a full house booing the Rays," Maddon said.
--- Entering Tuesday, the Rays had recorded 21 shutouts this season. The figure is a club record and the best in the majors this year. No other American League team has produced as many in the designated-hitter era since 1973.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
