Fans show support for Piazza, but vote Bond out of starting lineup

Mike Piazza once again got the most votes in fan balloting for the NL All-Star team. Barry Bonds got the biggest surprise - he was left out of the starting lineup.

"I'm just really honored, and it really is exciting," Piazza said after final voting was released Tuesday.Piazza wasn't sure why he's so popular.

"I guess there are a lot of Italians out there," he said Tuesday after he became the National League's leading All-Star vote-getter for the second straight season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers catcher, the MVP of last year's All-Star game, received 2,626,213 votes, 888,127 behind the AL's leader, Seattle outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.

For the first time ever, the leading vote-getters in each league repeated their titles. Piazza will be appearing for the fifth consecutive year, his fourth straight as a starter.

"I'm really looking forward to this one just as much as any one I've ever been to," he said. "It never gets old for me."

Tony Gwynn, San Diego's seven-time NL batting champion, overtook Bonds in the final week of voting to win the third outfield spot by 44,417, the smallest victory margin of any NL starter.

He will be on the NL team for the ninth straight season, his 13th overall, but missed last year's game because of injury.

"I told Barry in San Francisco (last week), `I don't think I can catch you, man.' This is a shocker for me," said Gwynn, voted to the starting lineup for the 10th time.

Elected to the NL infield for the July 8 game at Cleveland were Houston first baseman Jeff Bagwell (1,494,752), Astros second baseman Craig Biggio (1,161,610), Cincinnati shortstop Barry Larkin (1,160,651) and San Diego third baseman Ken Caminiti (1,438,736).

Larkin, selected for the ninth time in 10 years, will miss his third All-Star game because of an injury. He strained his left calf June 16.

"I have flexibility. I just don't have the strength," Larkin said after taking batting practice Tuesday. "I can't hold my body weight on it."

Atlanta's Kenny Lofton (2,174,613) and Colorado's Larry Walker (1,732,886) were selected along with Gwynn (1,603,730) in the outfield.

Lofton, an AL starter the past three seasons when he was with Cleveland, is disabled because of a pulled left groin muscle, but is eligible to be activated Friday.