"Tuesday's trip to Arizona will mark Roy Halladay's eighth time at the All-Star game, and while the experience doesn't hold quite the same level of excitement as it did the first time, it's still an honor he relishes.

When he went for the first time as a 25-year-old in 2002, it was a bit overwhelming playing alongside so many players he'd admired. Now, he's one of the veterans the younger players are anxious to meet, and it's Halladay's kids who provide the bulk of the enthusiasm.

"I look forward to it, especially having older kids now and being able to take them," Halladay said. "I think the older you get and the older they get, that's one of the biggest perks of going, being able to take your kids, let them soak it all up."

This season marks the fourth straight that Halladay has gone to the All-Star game, and he got the starting nod for the American League team in 2009.

That's an honor that could come his way again this season -- if he wants it.

Halladay leads the National League in innings pitched and pitches thrown, making that extra day of work at the All-Star game a potentially unnecessary bit of stress on an arm that already has endured a heavy first-half workload.

"It's a break in the season, and it's a time to regroup yourself," Halladay said. "You don't want to kind of walk all over that and come out of there feeling like you need a break.""