ST. LOUIS — Kirk Nieuwenhuis spent the All-Star break escaping baseball for a few days in Newport Beach, Calif., relaxing on the beach with his wife, Bethany, and their German shepherd, Barkley, named after Charles Barkley.
Just lying around, playing fetch with Barkley and watching him chase the ball into the water was all the entertainment Nieuwenhuis needed.
They stayed at the apartment Nieuwenhuis got in May when the Mets traded him to the Angels — just one of the perks of living a nomadic lifestyle as a career backup.
For years, the Mets shuffled him between the majors and minors.