Opposing pitchers know Evan Longoria carries a pretty big stick. He also carries a mean set of drumsticks, even keeping a drum kit hidden deep inside Tropicana Field. So it's no surprise the band Tantric tried to recruit Longoria to sit in on drums when they take the stage Friday for a free postgame concert. It would be a good fit. Tantric may not be a household name, but they're a huge hit at the Trop. Their spooky alt-rock tune Down and Out is the song fans hear every time Longoria comes to the plate. As such, it's probably the only song at Tropicana Field more popular than Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Just the intro, a squeally, menacing electric violin riff, is enough to send Rays fans into a frenzy. "We got really lucky that he chose our song," Tantric violinist Marcus Ratzenboeck said this week. "It definitely gives us some notoriety. ... It's become a staple for him and for us, too." Tantric rose to fame thanks to Breakdown, a top 10 hit in 2001. But personal differences tore the band apart. When vocalist Hugo Ferreira formed a new Tantric, Ratzenboeck was one of the first musicians he brought on board. The two composed Down and Out around an electric violin riff Ratzenboeck did in Ferreira's home studio, and it became the lead single from their 2008 comeback album The End Begins. In a lucky coincidence, 2008 also happened to be Longoria's rookie year. A month and a half into his rookie season, the third baseman plucked Down and Out from his iPod, and it's been his walk-up song ever since. "When I first came up to the Rays, they threw on Tupac, California Love," Longoria told OperationSports.com. "I'm a big Tupac fan, but I think they just did it because I'm from Cali. But I love the way (Down and Out) sounds when I come up to the plate. The guys down in the bullpen told me I can't change it, because when it comes on, they're all down there pretending like they're playing the violin." Longoria wasn't the first athlete to pick a Tantric song as his entrance music; MMA fighters, wrestlers and even some baseball players have also done it. "It's just got a badass vibe that they like," Ratzenboeck said. "It seems to be one of those unique songs that seems to motivate people." Longoria's connection to the song suddenly gave Tantric a new claim to fame. It even led to Down and Out being included in the video game Major League Baseball 2K10. Longoria is the game's cover boy. Last spring, Ratzenboeck, a Rays fan who grew up in Sarasota, was invited to the Trop to perform the national anthem and a live rendition of Down and Out for Longoria's first at-bat. "He grounded out, so I don't know if we'll do it this year," he said. If Longoria ever gets in a slump and decides to ditch Tantric, Ratzenboeck said he wouldn't be hurt. "It's been a couple of years that he's used it. If he wants to switch, that's his prerogative," Ratzenboeck said. "Maybe he'll pick another one of our songs." - cridlin@tampabay.com * * *Radio Rays Evan Longoria isn't the only Ray with a theme song. Every Rays player has music picked out for when they come to the plate, even pitchers. Some, like Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton, have more than one song. Match the Rays player with his current walk-up song: 1. John Jaso 2. Hank Blalock 3. Reid Brignac 4. Jason Bartlett 5. Kelly Shoppach 6. Ben Zobrist 7. Grant Balfour 8. Wade Davis 9. David Price 10. Lance Cormier A. Sky's The Limit, Lil Wayne B. One, Metallica C. Hillbilly Deluxe, Brooks and Dunn D. She's Country, Jason Aldean E. Hotel Room Service, Pitbull F. Sweet Home Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd G. Sweet Child O' Mine, Guns N' Roses H. Whole Lotta Love, Led Zeppelin I. The Tree, Julianna Zobrist J. HaHa (Slow Down) Fat Joe feat. Young Jeezy Answers: 1. H.; 2. G.; 3. A.; 4. E.; 5. D.; 6. I.; 7. B.; 8. C.; 9. J.; 10. F. * * *Tantric The band performs a free show after the Rays vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Friday at Tropicana Field. First pitch is 7:10 p.m. The first 10,000 women through the gates get a free Rays T-shirt. For details, see rays.mlb.com.