Eva Longoria Parker Makes A Friend Of Near-Namesake 9/25/08

Eva Longoria Parker has struck up an unusual long-distance friendship with a baseball star - because he almost shares her name.

The actress sent Tampa Bay Rays star Evan Longoria a bottle of champagne after his successes on the baseball field turned him into a regular on U.S. sports news shows.

The sporty Longoria returned the favor by sending the Desperate Housewives star a Rays shirt.

The actress, who is married to basketball star Tony Parker, says, "It's good to see that he's doing the name proud."

The two Longorias have yet to meet, but Evan states, "I might try to get tickets to one of her movie premieres."