Believe it or not, we actually have some updates about Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija's "sad" Daytona past. And if they are to believed...well, they're pretty boring. Hey, that's just how (some) investigative journalism gets done.
The first comes from reader "Dusty Bottoms," who breathlessly emails with unconfirmed evidence that Samardzija may have, at one time, dated a pretty girl:
Can't prove this at all, but I have lived in Dirtona for almost two years now, and I am a regular Cubs game attendee (opening night this Friday!!). Pretty much as soon as I got here, the girl on the right in the picture below was pointed out to me as the girl that dated Samardzija when he pitched for the Daytona Cubs. She was a bartender at Redtails, a place on Beach St. right across from the stadium. No good stories. Sorry. I hope "The Shark" is no indication of Jeff's late night activities while here because the Shark Lounge is a strip club I would not set foot in, as a cab driver early in my time here told me to "be sure to take a gallon of bleach in there with ya."
Remember, these girls DON'T work at Shark Lounge. They may not even live in Daytona. And neither one is involved in the following story about Jeff's, uh ... "fastball." (This conversation took place between a tipster and his "friend in Chicago.") Is it sad enough to warrant an ad on Baseball-Reference? Even guys trying to pick up chicks in "Dirtona" need a role model.
Oh, and if that's not solid/entertaining enough you can try to sift though the anonymous internet posters claiming to be his current girlfriend on this message board. The truth is out there, maybe.