Hard und Software » Maple Leaf forward Jerry DAmigo during a collision n

NEW YORK -- The trade that put Jeff Samardzija on a post-season contender cost him a chance to pitch in his first All-Star game. A day after Samardzija was dealt from the Chicago Cubs to Oakland, a big league-high six Athletics were picked Sunday for the game at Target Field in Minnesota on July 15. That doesnt include Samardzija, selected as a National League All-Star. Major League Baseball said he is ineligible to play because of the league switch. The 29-year-old right-hander, who was 2-7 with a 2.83 ERA and 103 strikeouts for the Cubs, won his American League debut Sunday when he allowed one run in seven innings for a 4-2 victory over Toronto. He will be introduced with the NL players before the All-Star game; still to be decided is whether he wears a Cubs or As uniform -- or a generic NL jersey. "I wont get to pitch, which is a bummer, but thats all right," Samardzija said. "Ill just go through whatever ceremonies they have and just jump over to the AL dugout with an NL jersey on and have some fun with the six other dudes we have over there, which is exciting." Oakland, with the best record in the majors, has its most All-Stars since 1975: left-handers Sean Doolittle and Scott Kazmir; catcher Derek Norris; first baseman Brandon Moss; third baseman Josh Donaldson; and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. "Its really cool," As manager Bob Melvin said. "We were hoping for something like this." Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, playing his 20th and final season, was chosen for his 14th All-Star team and will start for the ninth time. He gets reunited with Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano, his former double-play partner in New York. Mariano Rivera, the retiring Yankees reliever, was the centre of attention at last years All-Star game when the Mets hosted in Citi Field. Jeter could be in the spotlight this year. "All-Star game was in New York last year. Its a little bit different," Jeter said. "I dont go into it with any expectations. Just trying to enjoy myself and have fun with whoever is here." Among the big names bypassed entirely were slugger David Ortiz and closer Koji Uehara from World Series champion Boston, San Francisco catcher Buster Posey, and Dodgers pitcher Josh Beckett. "I had a chance to talk with David, and he felt the four days of rest might be more advantageous to him," said Boston skipper John Farrell, the AL manager. "He was a pro about it. He spoke his mind and had a lot of input in the decisions." Also elected by fans to start for the AL were Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera, Donaldson, and outfielders Jose Bautista of Toronto, Adam Jones of Baltimore and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. Baltimores Matt Wieters, sidelined by season-ending elbow surgery on June 17, was elected to start at catcher and will be replaced by Kansas Citys Salvador Perez. Orioles bopper Nelson Cruz, tied for the major league home run lead with 27, was voted in by fans at designated hitter after serving a 50-game suspension last year for violating baseballs drug agreement. The big year could lead to a large contract for Cruz, who left Texas for an $8 million, one-year deal with Baltimore. "Its always a blessing when you make the All-Star game," Cruz said. "Im happy because I know I made the right decision." Elected to the NL starting lineup were Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley, Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, Milwaukee third baseman Aramis Ramirez and St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina along with outfielders Carlos Gomez of Milwaukee, Andrew McCutchen of Pittsburgh and Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka and Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, a pair of rookies off to superlative starts, were among 26 first-time All-Stars and 24 foreign-born players. Tanaka and setup man Dellin Betances are the first Yankees rookie pitchers to be picked as All-Stars since Spec Shea in 1947. Surprise selections included Pittsburgh utilityman Josh Harrison and left-hander Tony Watson, and St. Louis reliever Pat Neshek, who is from Minnesota and began his career with the hometown Twins. "I shook head my head for a while. I couldnt believe it," Neshek said, his voice cracking with emotion. "Its awesome to be rewarded like that and to get the chance to play against the best." Milwaukee closer Francisco Rodriguez made his fifth All-Star team, his first since 2009. Bautista, at 5.68 million, received the most votes for the second time in four years. Tulowitzki topped the NL at 5.35 million. Other players omitted despite strong credentials were Cincinnati pitcher Alfredo Simon, Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager and San Diego closer Huston Street, who had converted 23 consecutive save chances before allowing a tying home run in the ninth Saturday. Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun and Toronto outfielder Melky Cabrera, who like Cruz served lengthy drug-related suspensions, also were left out. The candidates in online voting for the final AL spot are all pitchers: Houstons Dallas Keuchel, Clevelands Corey Kluber, Los Angeles Garrett Richards, Detroits Rick Porcello and Chicagos Chris Sale. Vying for the NL spot are Miami third baseman Casey McGehee, Colorado first baseman Justin Morneau, Washington third baseman Anthony Rendon, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Atlanta outfielder Justin Upton. ------ AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen and AP freelance writers Mike Cranston, Brian Hall, Michael Wagaman and Jeff Melnick contributed to this report. Nike Air Max Groothandel .C. - NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick headlines this years electees into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Nike Air Max 720 Heren Sale . The Toronto Argonauts running back hurt his left ankle during the teams practice Friday afternoon at Rogers Centre. http://www.airmaxkopennederland.com/uitverkoop-air-max-1.html . Obasi chested the ball past one defender, prodded it past another and then rounded the keeper before scoring from a tight angle in the 16th minute. Seconds after the restart, Obasi set up Klaas Jan Huntelaar for the Dutchmans 11th goal from 13 games this season. Nike Air Max 90 Aanbieding . Los Angeles announced its new deal for Kupchak late in the fourth quarter of a 145-130 loss to the Houston Rockets. Kupchak had one year left on his current contract. Nike Air Max 2020 Goedkoop . The Marlies surrendered two power-play goals and failed to score on six man-advantage opportunities en route to a 4-1 defeat in American Hockey League action on Saturday.PITTSBURGH -- The steady stream of bold-faced names heading to injured reserve shows no signs of abating for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Thankfully for the Penguins, neither is Sidney Crosby. Crosbys 19th goal of the season broke a tie with just over 6 minutes remaining and Pittsburgh edged the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Monday night for their fourth straight victory. Chris Conner and Brandon Sutter also scored for the Penguins, who were playing without a number of regulars, including forward Evgeni Malkin. "We keep finding ways," Crosby said. "A lot has to do with the way the (new guys) are playing." Pittsburgh took the ice with a handful of players who have spent the majority of the season at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League and only one defenceman -- Matt Niskanen -- with more than one year of NHL experience. It hardly mattered on a night the Penguins kept the speedy Maple Leafs in check. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 25 shots for Pittsburgh to improve to 27-3 in his past 30 home starts. Pittsburgh has won four straight and nine of 10. "Its a pretty unique situation," Niskanen said. "One rookie and five young guys playing. ... These guys have been coming up and playing with confidence and doing a good job. Thats exciting for the organization." Morgan Rielly scored the first goal of his career for the Maple Leafs. Jonathan Bernier made 28 saves, but couldnt stop Toronto from losing for the fourth time in its past five games. "We just werent sharp," Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said. The Penguins have a firm grip on the top of the Metropolitan Division despite a series of injuries to high-profile players. Kris Letang joined fellow defenceman Brooks Orpik (concussion), Paul Martin (broken leg) and Rob Scuderi (broken ankle) on the IR Monday with an upper-body injury of his own, forcing coach Dan Bylsma to get creative with his pairings. Rookie Philip Samuelsson, whose father Ulf won a pair of Stanley Cups with the Penguins in the early 1990s, made his NHL debut against the Maple Leafs. The younger Samuelsson received a quick lesson from his teammates on the level of expectation from Brian Dumoulin, playing in just the second game of his career. Dumoulin helped give the Penguins a quick 1-0 lead, collectiing the puck near the point then firing it on net, allowing Conner to jab it by Bernier for his third goal of the season 39 seconds into the game.dddddddddddd The tally seemed to embolden Pittsburgh, which controlled play for long stretches in the first period, keeping Bernier busy while the defence did a fine job of neutralizing Torontos speedy counterattack. The Maple Leafs tied it 6:03 into the second as Rielly, the fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft, skated through the Pittsburgh zone and beat Fleury over the goaltenders right shoulder for the highly regarded defencemans first career goal. The power-play score ended the Penguins streak of 18 consecutive penalty kills, though the score had less to do with any kind of breakdown and more to do with Riellys wicked wrist shot. Toronto kept the pressure on well into the third period, but Pittsburgh regained control after killing off an illegal check to the head penalty on Robert Bortuzzo, who levelled Maple Leaf forward Jerry DAmigo during a collision near centre ice. The 6-foot-4 defenceman, who has struggled to crack the lineup, shook off the penalty and even picked up his first point of the season on Crosbys winner. The Maple Leafs won the draw deep in their zone but Bortuzzo knocked down the clearing attempt then fed the puck up the wall to Pascal Dupuis, who slipped a quick pass to Crosby between the circles. "There was a lot of room there," Crosby said. "(Dupuis) made a great pass on my tape and I found the back of the net. Sutters short-handed empty-net goal with 3 seconds left sealed it and the Penguins remained hot while the Maple Leafs couldnt back up a promising 7-3 romp over defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago on Saturday night. "We were a little inconsistent, but we did do some good things," Torontos Dion Phaneuf said. "Weve got to capitalize on the power play and do some things better." NOTES: Toronto finished 1 of 5 on the power play. ... The Penguins are 13-1 when leading after the first period. ... Pittsburgh has won eight straight games at Consol Energy Center. ... The Maple Leafs begin a three-game homestand on Tuesday against Florida. ... Pittsburgh forward Jason Megna left with a lower body injury and did not return. He is not expected to play Wednesday when the Penguins face the Rangers in New York. ' ' '