Tampa Rays' house burglarized during game

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla., March 28 (UPI) -- Property worth tens of thousands of dollars was stolen from three Tampa Bay Rays as they played a spring training game, they said.

Burglars struck a Port Charlotte, Fla., house rented by Evan Longoria, David Price and Reid Brignac Saturday, the players told the St. Petersburg Times. Electronics, jewelry and other items were stolen at midday while they were at the game at the nearby Charlotte Sports Park.

Charlotte County Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Krzysiak confirmed the crime but gave no details.

"Thank God nobody was there," Brignac said Sunday. "If we were there, it would have been a different story."

Longoria was glad "that everybody was okay and safe and nobody had to fight their way out of a home-invasion robbery."

Price was the first to return and found plants knocked over. He then saw that every drawer was open and called his teammates.

Among the items taken were a 60-inch flat screen TV, three iPads, two Xbox game systems, headphones, Price's laptop and several of his expensive watches. Price estimated his loss alone as exceeding $50,000.

The players said the sheriff's office told them of several promising leads in the case.