Sports

Absent from the endless discussions about how to improve baseball's All-Star game was the one that would solve all the problems immediately.

PHOENIX Heath Bell sprinted in from the bullpen and slid across the infield grass, tearing up the turf just short of the mound. It was that type of night: The National League never stopped moving.

MOENCHENGLADBACH, Germany U.S. coach Pia Sundhage gave her players about a day to revel in their epic victory over Brazil and the lovefest it sparked back home.

PHOENIX Scoring in the first half of the season dropped to its lowest level in 19 years and the major league batting average shrunk to its smallest midseason figure since 1985, confirmation that the Steroids Era has ended and that a new Age of the Pitcher is taking hold.

Penn State added a linebacker to its Class of 2012 Sunday when Nyeem Wartman of Archbald chose the Nittany Lions.

UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State senior wide receiver Derek Moye has been named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List for the coming season.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. A 6-year-old golfer sank a hole in one on a course in central Illinois and calmly walked back to her cart.

UNIVERSITY PARK — Justin Bencsko hobbled around Medlar Field at Lubrano Park last year with a bandage around his right wrist.

BELLEFONTE — Bellefonte rallied for four runs in the seventh inning but they weren’t nearly enough as the Bandits ended their American Legion baseball season with a 12-7 loss to Mifflin County in the loser’s bracket finals of the CPL playoffs on Monday.

PHOENIX — Robinson Cano outslugged Adrian Gonzalez to win the All-Star Home Run Derby that turned into a Yankees-Red Sox showdown, even through his Boston rival made the biggest splash at Chase Field.

PHILIPSBURG — Dylan Crunick’s home run in Game 2 of the District 5 Little League championship series was just a hint about what he and his Bellefonte teammates were about to do in the final game against Philipsburg.

DRESDEN, Germany — An hour after the game, Abby Wambach was still at a loss for words.

CLARENCE — Brian Kochik smashed a three-run homer and Justin Taylor survived a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning as Clarence topped Philipsburg 7-6 in Game 2 to sweep a Centre County Baseball League doubleheader on Sunday.

PHOENIX Philadelphia's Roy Halladay will start for the National League in Tuesday night's All-Star game against the Los Angeles Angels' Jered Weaver.

UNIVERSITY PARK — Kirk Singer received much of the adulation for producing a clutch hit, a rarity during the State College Spikes’ sluggish start.

BROWNWOOD, Texas Shannon Stone loved joking around with his pals. He loved giving nicknames to his colleagues. And he loved being a fireman, the job he'd wanted since he was a kid.

CINCINNATI — Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones was arrested Sunday in Cincinnati on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct while intoxicated and resisting arrest, adding to the list of off-the-field troubles that have marred his career.

PITTSBURGH — Paul Maholm and his Pirates teammates aren’t looking at the National League Central standings or checking the out-of-town scores.

TORONTO — It took a lot of skill and a little luck for Dario Franchitti to avoid multiple collisions, difficult restarts and a challenge by a tenacious rival to win his third title on the 25th anniversary of the Honda Indy Toronto.

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies ended the first half of the season with another strong outing from a starting pitcher, and a surprising outburst by their inconsistent offense.