ST. PETERSBURG — Some Rays, and their spouses, have been known for more than baseball. Some celebrities have shown up to watch the Rays play. Here are 20 of those connections:
• The Rays were featured prominently in the 2002 Disney movie The Rookie, which chronicled the unlikely journey of Jim Morris from high school coach and teacher to big-league pitcher, debuting at age 35 in 1999.
• There was no maybe about it as pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen in July 2013 threw arguably one of the worst first pitches in Tropicana Field — and maybe baseball — history.
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• A YouTube video of former Rays star Evan Longoria appearing to make a barehanded catch of a line drive that was headed toward an unsuspecting TV reporter went viral, with more than 10 million hits. It turned out to be staged, filmed after Longoria had shot a commercial for Gillette. He also was featured in a popular TV commercial in which he was looking for his New Era cap.
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• Singer/dancer Paula Abdul strutted out to throw a June 2015 first pitch to reliever Steve Geltz, then kissed him on the cheek. Geltz went on a straight up hot streak, retiring 32 straight batters.
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• Former Rays INF/OF Ben Zobrist had a role in the 2013 feature-length film Ring the Bell as well as a short film, Snake. That still left him the less-talented member of the family. His wife, Julianna, is a Christian pop singer who has released three albums and performs regularly.
• Ex-Lightning (and current Senators) coach Guy Boucher delivered one of the most creative first pitches in September 2012, shooting the ball from the mound with a hockey stick right over the plate.
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• Then-Sun Sports Rays reporter Kelly Nash received national attention for her April 2013 Instagram selfie taken atop Fenway Park’s Green Monster, when a ball nearly hit her in the head.
• In an awkward moment, senior adviser Don Zimmer was introduced to and asked to pose with the once-popular Geico caveman.
• Ex-manager Joe Maddon tried to start a Friend O’ Rays program, “adopting” athletes, coaches and celebrities to join the team. Arguably his biggest catch was his childhood idol, Hall of Fame QB Joe Namath, who attended a spring game and wore Rays blue.
• The late-night talk shows have had their fun with the Rays over the years, especially David Letterman, who dropped them into a number of his Top 10 lists. Among the funnier:
Top 10 Good Things About Being the Mother of Someone Famous, No. 5 from Derek Jeter’s mom, Dot: “Sometimes when they’re playing the Devil Rays, Derek lets me come in for a few innings.”
• Former Rays pitcher Dave Eiland had a small role and also was a body double for Kevin Costner in the 1999 film For Love of the Game.
• Before marrying Evan Longoria, Jaime Edmondson was a model featured in Playboy, a Miami Dolphins cheerleader and twice a contestant on The Amazing Race.
• For the November 2007 unveiling of the new uniforms and shortened team name, Costner, the star of several baseball movies, provided the musical entertainment.
• The Rays’ most prominent fan is an ESPN basketball analyst who makes frequent Trop trips from his Sarasota-area home. But Dick Vitale is also known for hanging out with visiting players and criticizing Rays management, this spring calling for principal owner Stuart Sternberg to sell the team.
• Three of the biggest names confirmed at Rays games are actor/comedian Chris Rock, former supermodel Cheryl Tiegs and author Stephen King.
• Probably the biggest name among fans of visiting teams at the Trop is supermodel Kate Upton, now married to former Tigers/current Astros ace Justin Verlander.
• Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney stopped at the Trop for a 2011 game and raved about how cool it was because of the dome.
• Postgame concerts were once a big draw, and the Rays have brought in some pretty big names over the years, albeit some before or after their popularity peaked. Among them: Miranda Lambert, Joan Jett, Goo Goo Dolls, Hall and Oates, DJs Calvin Harris and Steve Aoki, rappers Ludacris and Nelly, and legends such as Earth, Wind and Fire. Avril Lavigne caused a stir when she cursed her way through a 2011 show.
• Actor Susan Sarandon, the sister of late Tampa Bay Times outdoors writer Terry Tomalin, has attended several Rays games in St. Petersburg and New York, and hosted manager Joe Maddon, coaches and staff at her bar, Spin.
• Shannon Magrane, daughter of former Rays TV analyst Joe, made it to the top 11 on American Idol in 2012.
Contact Marc Topkin at [email protected] Follow @TBTimes_Rays
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