st-half power surge made him one popular All-Star.

NEW YORK -- Chris Davis first-half power surge made him one popular All-Star. Baltimores first baseman with the cool nickname "Crush" slugged his way past Detroits Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera in the final week to claim the most fan votes in All-Star game balloting. Washington outfielder Bryce Harper used a final push to win a spot in the National Leagues starting lineup. Right-hander Max Scherzer was one of a major league-best six Tigers chosen for the All-Star game July 16 at Citi Field in New York. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina led the NL fan vote announced Saturday night. He is one of the Cardinals five All-Stars, tops in the NL. "I think any time you are getting that recognition, not only from your fan base but from everybody across the nation, I think it feels good to know that people are watching," said Davis, one of 30 first-time All-Stars. Mets young ace Matt Harvey and third baseman David Wright will represent the host team in the 84th All-Star game. Harvey, a first timer, received the most votes among NL pitchers in the player balloting, outpacing the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw. Baseballs latest phenom, Cuban defector Yasiel Puig, didnt make the NL team -- at least not yet. The Dodgers outfielder with just one breathless month in the big leagues is among five candidates for the final NL spot, with fans able to vote online through Thursday. "Hes done a tremendous job since hes been up here and created a lot of interest throughout baseball with what hes accomplished," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who will lead the NL squad for the second time in three years. "This gives him a chance to get voted on the club if the public thinks they want to see him there." The Blue Jays will have at least three representatives at Citi Field. Right-fielder Jose Bautista, first baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion and relief pitcher Brett Cecil were all named to the American League squad. In addition, two Toronto natives also made the cut. Joey Votto will represent the Cincinnati Reds for the fourth time in his career while Jesse Crain of the Chicago White Sox was named to the American League team. The league that wins the All-Star game gains home-field advantage in the World Series. The NL won the last three Midsummer Classics and World Series titles. Manager Bruce Bochy of the defending champion Giants will lead the NL squad for the second time in three years. "You actually enjoy the process," Bochy said. "It does force you to learn even more about players throughout the league, exactly where they are with the numbers." Davis finished with 8,272,243 fan votes to edge Cabrera, who had 8,013,874. Davis has 85 RBIs, matching his career high and only three fewer than Cabrera. But he has hit 33 homers, seventh best before the break in big league history -- he has a week to catch Barry Bonds 39. Davis is the second first-time All-Star to lead the voting, joining Seattle outfielder Ichiro Suzuki (2001). The 27-year-old Davis is one of three Orioles to be selected by fans, the first time that has happened since Cal Ripken Jr. was one of the picks in 1997. Shortstop J.J. Hardy and centre fielder Adam Jones will take the field with Davis. Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado was selected as a reserve. In the only close race for a starting role, the 20-year-old Harper trailed Justin Upton by several thousand votes, but he homered in his return from the disabled list this week and moved into the lead. Now Harper will become the youngest NL starter and fourth youngest overall to start in the game, according to the Nationals. Jerry Walker of the 1959 Orioles was several months younger. "Im really looking forward to it and being around the top guys in baseball," Harper said. Fellow rookie of the year Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels was voted to his first All-Star start, too. Puig is joined in the final NL five by shortstop Ian Desmond of Washington, first basemen Freddie Freeman of Atlanta, Adrian Gonzalez of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and outfielder Hunter Pence of San Francisco. The American Leagues five are all relievers: Detroits Joaquin Benoit, Torontos Steve Delabar, the Yankees David Robertson, Texas Tanner Scheppers, and Bostons Koji Uehara. New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera was one of the 68 players selected chosen by fans, managers and big leaguers. The 43-year-old career saves leader will hop across town as part of his retirement tour for a 13th All-Star appearance, second most by a pitcher behind Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, who made 17 teams. "The fact that I went through all the adversity and Im standing here talking about the All-Star game ... its a privilege," said Rivera, who has 29 saves this year after missing nearly all of last season with a torn knee ligament. While Yankees stars Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are working their way back from injuries and will be absent in Queens, Robinson Cano was selected to his fourth straight start at second base. Scherzer is the first pitcher to start a season 13-0 since Roger Clemens in 1986. "If they give me the ball that would be pretty special to me," Scherzer said of starting. "You look at how many other great pitchers who are in the game right now who are worthy of starting. If Im selected that would mean so much." Scherzer was joined from Detroit by first baseman Prince Fielder, shortstop Jhonny Peralta, and outfielder Torii Hunter. Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who will run the AL squad after leading Detroit to the World Series, picked his ace Justin Verlander for the team. "This is not a simple thing, but Im proud of it," Leyland said. "We worked hard on it. Were not going to be perfect. I put a lot of time and thought into it. I had a lot of help. Its still not going to make everybody happy. Theres going to be guys who should be All-Stars who are left off. That happens every year." Third base was a talent-laden position, and one player to be left off the AL roster was Oaklands Josh Donaldson. The Athletics only selection was 40-year-old pitcher Bartolo Colon. Colon is an All-Star for the first time since 2005, when he won the AL Cy Young Award with the Angels. At 11-3 with a 2.73 ERA, Colon is making his third All-Star team. This one comes, though, after he began the season finishing a 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. Tampa Bays Evan Longoria and Texas Adrian Beltre also were not chosen in the ALs crowded third base field. In the NL, where the preseason favourites are trailing their divisions, no players from the three first-place teams were selected by fans as starters. But the Central-leading Pittsburgh Pirates, with baseballs best record at 53-32, landed four players on the squad for the first time since 1981: closer Jason Grilli, left-hander Jeff Locke, third baseman Pedro Alvarez, and outfielder Andrew McCutchen. "There are so many guys in this room who are so deserving," Grilli said. "To have as many as guys represented, there could be a lot more. Thats the way it goes. It doesnt always happen the way you want it to." The AL starters: Davis, Cano, Hardy, Cabrera, Jones, Trout, Bautista, Twins catcher Joe and Red Sox DH David Ortiz. The NL starters: Molina, Wright, Harper, Votto and second baseman Brandon Phillps, Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran, Colorado outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. Kurt Warner Womens Jersey . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Pat Tillman Cardinals Jersey . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. http://www.thecardinalsshoponline.com/zach-allen-cardinals-jersey-wj/ . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. Adrian Wilson Womens Jersey . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. Zach Allen Jersey . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. INDIANAPOLIS -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. indicated Friday he is feeling a little better as he battles balance issues and nausea believed to be from concussions.Earnhardt, who has been working with doctors for the past 10 days, will miss his second consecutive race this weekend.Today is the 1st day in many that I sensed improvement, Earnhardt tweeted Friday morning. Seen small gains during my physical therapy as well. Light at the end of the tunnel.Earnhardt, 41, initially thought his symptoms were from a sinus infection or allergies. Having been in wrecks June 12 at Michigan and July 2 at Daytona -- as well as having missed two races in 2012 after suffering two concussions in a span of six weeks -- spurred Earnhardt to see a neurologist last week.The tweet from Earnhardt, who visited the shop Wednesday, was encouraging for team owner Rick Hendrick.I want him to be healthy and right when he gets in the car and the doctors are going to dictate that, Hendrick said. The news has been really good. The tweet this morning was really good. He looks good. Hes sharp.Im excited about getting him back, but Ive tried to leave him alone. ... He misses this. He misses his team. He came to see his team [Wednesday]. He saw the guys and it really lifted them.Earnhardt was replaced by one his Xfinity Series drivers, Alex Bowman, last week at New Hampshire and will be replaced by four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon this weekend at Indianapolis and next week at Pocono. There is no timetable for Earnhardts return.They can give me a lot of exercises that retrain my brain to handle what I need to handle -- its just going to take a lot of patience, Earnhardt said Monday on his The Dale Jr. Download podcast. I take my health and quality of life as a top priority. ... I am going to take this slow and strictly take the advice of my doctors.On the podcast, Earnhardt said his ImPACT test -- a test that measures cognitive function such as memoryy and reaction time -- matched a previously taken test that is used as a baseline to determine effects of a concussion.ddddddddddddEarnhardt is seeing doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program.Dr. Mark Lovell, who developed the ImPACT test and is the chief science officer of ImPACT applications, said it is encouraging that Earnhardts recent results have matched his baseline. Lovell is not treating Earnhardt.You can have other symptoms of concussion that are not specifically cognitive -- not related to memory -- [so] we dont just look at the cognitive scores, Lovell said. We look at, is their balance OK? Do they have headaches? Do they have other signs or symptoms that arent purely of the cognitive variety?Lovell said an athlete typically would undergo an exertion test to determine if the balance and nausea symptoms return. He said when he was treating athletes, he would want to see someone undergo the exertion test for a few days without symptoms.The brain undergoes a physiological change, Lovell said. So there are actual chemical changes that take place. You want that process to settle down before somebody goes back in to [avoid] risk of another injury.By doing the exertional exercises, youre basically stressing the system. Its kind of like a stress test for the brain ... to make sure they are OK before they go back in.Lovell added that there is no expected timetable for an athlete to recover.The brain is complicated, Lovell said. Its not like any other injury. Its complicated by the fact that it can look differently in different people. ... [It] is really important to recognize that there is no testing for a concussion, an MRI scan.What happens in brain with a concussion is generally more of a physiological reaction, a chemical reaction. ' ' '