KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Much has changed since the All-Stars last pulled into town in 1973. Then again, it seems like much of baseball has been turned upside down since the final out of the crazy World Series last October. Five no-hitters, including two perfect games. A four-home run night by Josh Hamilton. Pittsburgh and Washington together in first place for the first time. Philadelphia in the cellar. Cliff Lee winless until his 14th start. "Seeing whats going on here, its fun to be a part of it," A.J. Burnett said after improving to 10-2 as the Pirates routed the San Francisco Giants and Tim Lincecum 13-2 Sunday. If the season ended now, the first year of expanded playoffs would open with Baltimore at the Los Angeles Angels for the one-game AL wild card, with the winner hosting the Yankees in the division series opener. The Chicago White Sox would host two-time AL champ Texas in the other best-of-5 series -- which for one year only starts at the team with the lesser regular-season record. In the NL, Cincinnati would host Atlanta for the wild card, with the winner hosting the Nationals -- a franchise whose only post-season appearance was as the Montreal Expos in 1981. The Pirates, out of the post-season since Francisco Cabreras two-out, two-run hit for Atlanta in 1992, would host the post-Frank McCourt Los Angeles Dodgers. "Everybody feels good, and theyre looking for the break," Washington manager Davey Johnson said. "Theyve battled hard. Weve had a lot of close games. Its a good time for a break." The Angels Mike Trout, one of a record five rookies making the trip to Kauffman Stadium for Tuesday nights game, leads the AL with a .341 average. After spending the start of the season in the minors, hes the first player with 10 homers and 20 steals at the break without having any in April, according to STATS LLC. "A game-changer, offensively, defensively," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "The kid has got a lot of talent, a ton. Usually when you see a guy that fast, you dont anticipate him hitting the ball that hard. What hes doing at 20, its really pretty amazing." And at 20, Trouts not even the All-Star baby. That would be 19-year-old Bryce Harper, the youngest position player in All-Star history and the third-youngest ever behind Bob Feller in 1938 and Dwight Gooden in 1984. Harper made his big league debut on April 28, the same night Trout played his first game this season. Combining with staff ace Stephen Strasburg for a capital dynamic duo, Harper is hitting .282 with eight homers and 25 RBIs in 63 games. No wonder the team put up a banner reading "NATITUDE PARK." "I can hardly pronounce the dang word," Johnson said with a smile. Alongside the newbies are plenty of familiar faces. Hamilton, who hit four homers for Texas at Baltimore on May 8, and Torontos Jose Bautista will both be there after hitting 27 homers apiece in the first half. Despite being slowed by back spasms and an intestinal virus, Hamilton leads the AL with 75 RBIs. Pittsburghs Andrew McCutchen leads with the NL with a .362 average, while Milwaukees Ryan Braun is tops with 24 homers after successfully overturning a 50-game suspension for a positive drug test last October. In his first season with St. Louis, Carlos Beltran has a league-high 65 RBIs. But for many, the mound has provided the biggest surprises. Phil Humber of the Chicago White Sox started it with a perfect game at Seattle on April 21, and the Angels Jered Weaver pitched a no-hitter against Minnesota on May 2. Then Johan Santana threw the first no-hitter in the Mets 51-season history on June 1, accomplishing the feat against St. Louis in the franchises 8,020th game. Seven days later in Seattle, a record-tying six pitchers combined for a no-hitter against the Dodgers, and on June 13 San Franciscos Matt Cain pitched a perfect game against Houston. R.A. Dickey followed his off-season climb of Mount Kilimanjaro to rise to the top of NL pitchers, going 12-1 to move into position for an All-Star start. The 37-year-old could become only the second knuckleballer to earn the honour, the first since Dutch Leonard for the AL in 1943, according to STATS. He even studies baseballs past. He had a biography of Stan Musial in his locker earlier this season. "Nerdy? I would say more eccentric would be the right word," teammate David Wright said. "Hes extremely intelligent. Hes cultured probably well beyond any of us. I think it fits in great with the knuckleball. It goes hand and hand." In the AL, Weaver is 10-1 with a major league-best 1.96 ERA. Tampa Bays David Price and the Rangers Matt Harrison are tied for wins at 11-4. And while the Rangers Ron Washington will be in the AL dugout for the second straight season, following a 5-1 loss last year in Phoenix, Tony La Russa will be running the NL. The retired manager of the World Series champion Cardinals will be the fourth inactive skipper in All-Star history, the first since the ALs Bob Lemon after he was fired by George Steinbrenner in 1979. "I think its one of the best experiences you can have," La Russa said. "As soon as I was asked, I said yes before the question was finished." The 2012 All-Star Festivities begin with the home run derby Monday night and the All-Star Game on Tuesday. Talk baseball and get game updates with TSN.cas Game Night blog during both midseason events. jerseys from china . -- The Green Bay Packers have agreed to a contract extension with starting right guard Josh Sitton that will keep him with the team through 2016. cheap nfl jerseys . Scott Cullen looks at the Devils OT win and the Kings taking a commanding lead over the Blues. KOVALCHUK IGNITES DEVILSAlexei Ponikarovsky picked a good time to score his first goal of the playoffs, netting the winner in overtime as the New Jersey Devils edged the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3, taking a 2-1 series lead. http://www.jerseyscheapnfl.us.com/ . -- Darren Mattocks scored in the 43rd minute to lift the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday night. jerseys cheap nfl . Lotz made 65 saves but he was beat by Cole Ullys penalty shot in overtime that lifted the Kamloops Blazers to a 4-3 victory in Western Hockey League play Wednesday. Cheap Washington Nationals Jerseys ., was alone atop the leaderboard at 9-under-par 204 on Saturday at the 107th Canadian mens amateur championship. LOS ANGELES -- Rookies Devin Mesoraco and Todd Frazier each drove in three runs and the Cincinnati Reds came back after Zack Cozart was beaned to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-2 Monday night. Cozart sustained a concussion after being hit in the helmet by a pitch from Chad Billingsley in the fifth inning. The rookie shortstop held his head with both hands while lying on his stomach for several anxious moments before walking off under his own power. Homer Bailey and the NL Central leaders sent the Dodgers to their 12th loss in 14 games. Cincinnati played with All-Star first baseman Joey Votto, who has inflammation in his left knee, and third baseman Scott Rolen, who was scratched after leaving Sundays game at San Francisco because of back spasms. Bailey (6-6) allowed two runs and five hits in eight innings, striking out seven and walking one. Billingsley (4-8) lost his fourth straight start, giving up three runs and six hits in six innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. The right-hander is 0-4 with a 4.70 ERA in his last eight outings at Dodger Stadium Billingsley took a 2-0 lead into the fifth and retired his first two batters before hitting Cozart. Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt came out to settle down Billingsley after the scary incident, and he retired the slumping Drew Stubbs for the third out. But the first three Reds batters in the sixth got hits. Brandon Phillips doubled and scored Cincinnatis first run on Fraziers broken-bat single. With two outs, Mesoraco delivered a two-run double down the left-field line to put the Reds ahead 3-2. Cincinnati tacked on two more in the eighth against Todd Coffey with Fraziers RBI triple and Mesoracos run-scoring single. Jerry Hairston Jr. sent a drive into the DDodgers bullpen in left field in the first inning -- only the second home run by Los Angeles in its last 18 games.dddddddddddd Luis Cruz, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday, made it 2-0 in the second with a sacrifice fly. Cruz started at shortstop and was 0 for 2 in his Dodgers debut after stints with Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. He signed with Los Angeles as a free agent in November. Dodgers shortstop and leadoff hitter Dee Gordon, whose two throwing errors in back-to-back plays led to a pair of unearned runs in the Dodgers 8-3 win over the New York Mets on Sunday night, was on the bench. He leads the majors with 28 stolen bases, but is batting only .228. NOTES: Dodgers CF Matt Kemp, who hasnt played since May 30 because of a recurring hamstring problem, will begin a minor league rehab assignment with Class A Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday, hoping to return to the Dodgers lineup on July 13. He also is planning on competing in the All-Star home run derby. ... Reds RHP Mat Latos was picked Monday as the NL player of the week by virtue of his two complete-game victories over Milwaukee and San Francisco. ... Bailey has won his last four decisions on the road and lost his last three decisions at home. His next scheduled start is at San Diego on Saturday. ... LHP Ted Lilly, who has been sidelined since May 24 because of shoulder inflammation, was transferred to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Cruz on the 40-man roster. RHP Shawn Tolleson was optioned to Albuquerque. ... LHP Lenix Osuna, the 16-year-old son of former Dodgers reliever Antonio Osuna, was signed by the organization on Monday in his native Mexico. ... Stubbs was 0 for 5 with three strikeouts and is hitless in his last 20 at-bats. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '