More to the ‘no news’ story on Rays CF Kevin Kiermaier and his Vaseline plan

CF Kevin Kiermaier was still shaking his head Wednesday over the over-reaction to his plan to put Vaseline on his body to battle the cold at Yankee Stadium.

"That was the most no news thing of all time," Kiermaier said. "I can't believe that it was a story. That's the way it goes when there's not a whole lot going on I guess."

Plus, he ended up not following through anyway.

"I totally forgot because I have never done it before," he said. "I (had) put my two long-sleeve undershirts on, and I'm like, 'I'm not taking these off.' "

Asked Tuesday afternoon how he planned to deal with the near-freezing temperatures and rain, Kiermaier said he had heard of several other players, including current teammate Carlos Gomez, who used Vaseline to create an extra layer that blocked the wind.

"So I think I'm going to layer up in some Vaseline, get a nice little lather going," Kiermaier said.

Kiermaier was stunned that his plan became a topic of major social media discussion, getting posted on a series of national websites — including Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports and USA Today, and branded a Twitter Moment — tweeting that it was "blown outta proportion."

Even without the Vaseline — and the accompanying jokes — Kiermaier said the conditions were more comfortable than he expected, though having wet feet was an issue.

"It really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," he said. "Layering up helped."