Sports - AP

ST. LOUIS - Names change, not the result. Trying to predict the MVP of the All-Star game? Turn to the American League. From the Alomar brothers to Pedro Martinez to Cal Ripken Jr. to J.D. Drew, the junior circuit has provided most of the thrills over the past dozen years.

ISSOUDUN, France - Rinaldo Nocentini of Italy set off in the yellow jersey Tuesday, with Tour de France organizers banning rider earpieces for this stage and forcing cyclists to devise tactics without radio instructions from team cars.

ST. LOUIS - Prince Fielder's approach at the plate is perfect for the Home Run Derby.

WASHINGTON - So much for the plan to have Manny Acta's patient optimism lead the Washington Nationals out of the doldrums. The abysmal won-loss record became too much to stomach, costing him his job at the All-Star break and adding another layer of instability to the worst team in baseball.

RIO DE JANEIRO - Police investigating the death of former boxing champion Arturo Gatti are working on the assumption his wife strangled him with her purse strap while he drunkenly slept. The woman's lawyer, however, insists she is innocent and was too "fragile" to kill a boxer.

NEWARK, N.J. - Jacques Lemaire is returning for a second stint as coach of the New Jersey Devils.

ST. LOUIS - Tim Lincecum and Roy Halladay were selected Monday as the starting pitchers for the All-Star game.

BALTIMORE - Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason told a sports Web site on Monday he's retiring from the NFL.

CHICAGO - The corporate owner of the Chicago Cubs is considering having the baseball team file for bankruptcy protection as a legal step to hasten its long-awaited sale, according to two people with knowledge of the process.

LAS VEGAS - Los Angeles Clippers center Blake Griffin didn't wait long Monday night to show why he was the top pick in last month's NBA draft.