All-Star Casualty List Grows

Just call it the All-Scar game.

The amazing list of All-Star casualties grew even longer Sunday, with Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, Cal Ripken, Mike Piazza and Greg Maddux becoming the latest to pull out because of injuries.

Mark McGwire, Pedro Martinez, Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez previously were scratched from Tuesday night's game at Turner Field.

"We were looking at who we could've had if everybody was healthy and it looked like it could've been one of the best All-Star lineups of all-time," said Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones, a starter. "It's disappointing."

With Cleveland second baseman Roberto Alomar also hurting he was hit by a pitch below the right elbow Sunday, although he will start there's an injured All-Star at every position.

"They've been bugging me for a lineup the last few days," said NL manager Bobby Cox of the Braves, "but I just don't know who I can provide right now."

Cox and AL manager Joe Torre were able to patch together lineups on Monday, headed by starting pitchers David Wells of Toronto and Randy Johnson of Arizona.

The AL lineup will lead off with Alomar, followed by Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams of the Yankees, Jason Giambi of Oakland, Carl Everett of Boston, Ivan Rodriguez of Texas, Jermaine Dye of Kansas City and Travis Fryman of Cleveland. Jeter, Everett and Fryman are replacements for injured starters.

The NL is even more wounded, with four substitute starters. Leading off for the NL will be Barry Larkin of Cincinnati, followed by Jones, Gary Sheffield of Los Angeles or Vladimir Guerrero of Montreal, Sammy Sosa of the Cubs, Jeff Kent of San Francisco, Andres Galarraga of Atlanta, Jim Edmonds of St. Louis and Jason Kendall of Pittsburgh.

Sheffield, Guerrero, Galarraga, Edmonds and Kendall all would be filling in for starters sidelined by injuries.

Cox once thought he'd have McGwire, Bonds and Griffey, the top three home run hitters in the league, plus Piazza in a power-packed order.

No longer. Now, the names of the no-shows are starting to overshadow the actual participants.

The New York Mets announced Sunday night that Piazza was out. The catcher sustained a concussion Saturday night when hit in the helmet by Roger Clemens' fastball, and did not play in the series finale against the Yankees.

"I'm a little groggy," said Piazza, who will stay home and rest during the break. "I have a headache, obviously."

Cincinnati pitcher Danny Graves, Arizona outfielder Steve Finley, Baltimore shortstop Mike Bordick and Toronto third baseman Tony Batista are among the replacements coming to play.

Injuries around All-Star time are common. Tony Gwynn and Jose Canseco missed last year at Fenway Park and, when the game was previously held in Atlanta in 1972, five players originally picked were absent: Luis Aparicio, Amos Otis, Freddie Patek, Gary Nolan and Joe Coleman.

Griffey will be absent because of a sore right knee. Ejected Sunday for arguing a called third strike against Cleveland, the Cincinnati outfielder will take part in the home run derby Monday in Atlanta, defending the crown he won last summer.

"I guess they feel I don't need to aggravate it any more," he said. "I'll do the home run competition and then rest for two days."

Sosa, Guerrero and Jones will join Junior on the NL side for the derby, taking on Carlos Delgado, Rodriguez, Everett and either Edgar Martinez or Troy Glaus.

Ripken's record streak of 16 straight All-Star starts will come to an end. The Baltimore third baseman is on the disabled list because of a back injury, but baseball rules would have allowed him to take part Tuesday night.

Bonds missed his eighth straight start Sunday with a hairline fracture on the tip of his right thumb. The San Francisco outfielder will make the trip to Turner Field.

"I'm going to honor the fans because they voted me in," Bonds said. "After that, I'll wave good-bye. It's better than sitting at home and doing nothing anyway."

Maddux, one of five Braves on the NL roster, was scratched from his start Sunday at Boston because of a sore right shoulder, having been hit by a ball during batting practice Saturday.

McGwire leads the majors with 30 home runs, but is out of the St. Louis lineup because of knee tendinitis.

Rodriguez was knocked out of the game by a concussion. The Seattle shortstop tried to break up a double play Friday night and took a knee to the head from Los Angeles shortstop Alex Cora.

The concussion will keep Rodriguez out for a week. He also twisted his right knee in the collision, and there was a chance he has torn cartilage.

"It's a little more bit more swollen today, but it feels a lot better," he said Sunday.

Martinez, whose 1.44 ERA is the best in the majors, is out of the Boston rotation with an injured muscle in his side. He is expected to be in uniform in Atlanta, however.

Ramirez, elected to start in the AL outfield, has been on the disabled list for Cleveland since May 30 with a hamstring injury.

©2000 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed