A LOOK BACK The good and bad, the wild and wacky of baseball's first half

Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis has impressed.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Bobby Cox was breezing out of town, and the Atlanta manager didn't mind leaving behind a bunch of his players.
Cox was headed for a three-day break. A half-dozen Braves were going crosstown for the All-Star game.
"The first part of the season has been terrific," Cox said Sunday night after the Braves boosted baseball's best record to 61-32 with a 7-2 win over Chicago at Wrigley Field.
All across the majors, there's been a lot to cheer so far. And along with those highlights, a fair amount of low points, too.
While fans have gotten to see plenty of history -- Roger Clemens earning his 300th win, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro hitting their 500th home runs, six Houston pitchers combining on the first no-hitter against the Yankees since 1958 -- no one has been as fun to watch as Dontrelle Willis.
Places to go
The Florida phenom known for his unusual windup high-kicked his way out at Olympic Stadium right after beating Montreal on Sunday.
At 9-1 with a 2.08 ERA, the 21-year-old lefty had a place to be -- his first All-Star game.
"Dontrelle is a great pitcher," said his catcher, 10-time All-Star Ivan Rodriguez. "He got his ninth win of the first half and that's why he's in Chicago."
Seeing a rookie who was in Double-A only two months ago climb so fast has been among the most surprising stories this year. So was the fast start by the Kansas City Royals.
And so was the emergence of journeyman Esteban Loaiza. He's already matched his career high with 11 wins for the White Sox and is a good bet to start at his home park against San Francisco's Jason Schmidt in the showcase Tuesday night.
"I never thought I would make it," Loaiza said.
Clemens, Sosa and Palmeiro will be absent, however. Sosa, the most popular player in Chicago and perhaps in the majors, didn't win a starting spot in fan voting and his fellow ballplayers didn't pick him, either.
Chances are, a corked bat cost him. Slammin' Sammy was suspended for seven games after getting caught -- since returning June 18, he's gone wild in hitting 12 home runs.
The episode was among many things fans probably never thought they'd see.
The unusual
An umpire attacked at U.S. Cellular Field, site of the All-Star game. A camera -- part of the Questec system that many umpires and pitchers dislike -- clubbed by Curt Schilling. Then, that Italian sausage toppled by Randall Simon's two-handed chop.
Plus a slew of brawls. There was another one Sunday after All-Star Albert Pujols of St. Louis was hit in the shoulder by the first pitch from San Diego's Adam Eaton.
A day earlier, Pujols lingered at the plate after hitting a winning home run in the 11th inning. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa wasn't thrilled by Pujols' preening.
"They do it all over," La Russa said. "It's not a good thing, but that's what those highlights are about."
Pujols and every other slugger is chasing Barry Bonds, as usual. The San Francisco star leads the majors with 30 home runs but as of now, he does not intend to take part in the All-Star home run derby.
At least he'll play in the game -- with home-field advantage in the World Series going to the league that wins, NL manager Dusty Baker will once again enjoy writing Bonds' name on his lineup card.
Players in pinstripes
The New York Yankees, meanwhile, are sending four players to the game. Japanese star Hideki Matsui was elected in his rookie season, though none of the Yankees' pitchers made it -- then again, only about one-third of the Yankees participated in player voting for All-Star spots.
With owner George Steinbrenner sniping at manager Joe Torre and shortstop Derek Jeter, it's been an odd year for the banged-up Yankees. Even so, New York holds a two-game lead over Boston in the AL East, marking the seventh straight year it has led at the break.
"If we left spring training and you told me we were going to be 21 games over .500 I'd be very satisfied, not knowing all the pot holes we had to work our way through," Torre said.
While the World Series champion Anaheim Angels struggled, the Royals surged. Not much was expected from Kansas City, especially with an opening-day payroll that was the second-lowest in the majors to Tampa Bay.
Instead, manager Tony Pena's team got off to a fast start. Now, with Jose Lima going 5-0 since being signed from the independent Atlantic League, the Royals lead the AL Central by seven games.
"This might surprise some people, but it doesn't surprise me," Pena said. "Everyone believes in themselves and knows what they have to do to win ballgames."