Champion Rays get day’s rest

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — They dropped their gloves, tossed their caps, ran in from the outfield and flung themselves into a pile near the pitcher’s mound as if this were the start of the 100-meter butterfly.

The Tampa Bay Rays, exuberant and champagne-soaked on Sunday night, now have to leave the partying behind and concentrate on baseball.

Manager Joe Maddon gave his newly crowned A.L. champions the day off Monday to allow them to recuperate from their fourth celebration in the past month and begin to turn their attention to the Philadelphia Phillies and Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday.

“This is a good day for recovery. Time to get the emotional drain out, take a day off and let it all sink in,” said Matt Garza, who pitched the Rays past Boston in Game 7 of the A.L. Championship Series on Sunday night. “Tomorrow we’ll come back and get to work.”

Rookie left-hander David Price, who got the last four outs of the ALCS, spent part of the day at Legends Field in nearby Tampa, where he introduced Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Price said, adding he got about four hours of sleep. “It took a while to wind down.”

The young Rays celebrated at home after clinching the first postseason berth in franchise history and on the road after winning the A.L. East title and eliminating the White Sox in the first round of the playoffs.

Maddon said it might be more difficult to get ready for Game 1 if Tampa Bay were opening on the road.

“It’s just getting your rest in a different bed again. Getting tickets together, making sure your family’s OK, all these other things are factors,” Maddon said. “I’ve been thinking about that more than the pitching rotation, to be honest with you.”