ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The All-Star break is about making the most of a pause from the grind. As the Tampa Bay Rays' non-All-Stars show, the rest comes in many forms.
Attention will turn to Major League Baseball's brightest stars on Tuesday night at Target Field, but many other Rays players will focus on more laid-back life events. Whether it's hanging with family, enjoying the escape from travel or even buying a dog, players have diverse plans for how they'll spend the upcoming days before the season's second half begins Friday against the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis.
Here's a look at some of the responses from the clubhouse when players were asked how they'll enjoy their break.
Outfielder Kevin Kiermaier
"I'm going home. I'm going spearfishing. That's what I'm doing. I'm going back to Indiana to my grandpa's lake a couple times. I'm going to do fishing and just get my mind off of everything. So I'm excited for four days off. It's much needed. You're allowed to spear carp, gar and dogfish. They can all get pretty big. My biggest one is probably a 38-inch dogfish."
Right-hander Alex Cobb
Alex Cobb
"I really just enjoy not traveling. As much traveling as we do, I just like sitting around and hanging out. I try to let my body rest, but not get out of rhythm of the course of the season. It's kind of hard just to take time and just not even pick up a baseball or do anything and get right back into it. So I'll probably try to stay a little bit sharp and throw catch and definitely maybe throw a bullpen or two, maybe see if we can throw to some hitters -- I don't know. But outside of leaving St. Pete, I'm probably going to stay put. I'll probably not work out. I probably won't do much cardio work and stuff like that. I really let my body rest for a while."
Reliever Joel Peralta
"I'm going to the Dominican. I'm going home. My dad's birthday is during the break, so we're going to celebrate that. My family is going to get together for that so that's the main reason. ... I don't know exactly how many people are going to be there. But it's a birthday party, so I'm expecting a lot. Just going there and trying to enjoy a couple days with the family."
Reliever Kirby Yates
Kirby Yates
"I might be getting a dog. ... I'm going to check it out and possibly pick it up on Tuesday. I've always wanted one. It just kind of happened, I guess. It's a mini-English bulldog. So hopefully, everything goes well, and we can get it. We'll see. But other than that, I'm just staying here. I'm probably just going to hang out. ... It's good just to get a few days off to where you don't have to worry about coming to the field. You can refresh yourself. When you go back, you can be ready to get back on track and be ready to work."
Outfielder Wil Myers
"I'm going up (to North Carolina) to see the family and see my girlfriend. So I'm excited about that. ... There's never a bad time to get a break because we're able to relax and recover. So I don't think there's ever a bad time for a break."
Outfielder Brandon Guyer
"The in-laws have a beach house (in Ocean City, Maryland). So we all just kind of stay at the beach house, go to the beach, and just relax. They have a boat, so we're going out fishing. Nice to get away. Nice to get away a little bit and relax and recoup. I think I'm pretty good (at fishing). I'm definitely not the greatest. ... I just enjoy it, relaxing. It's always good to be out there with family and friends and just chill out."
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
