PITTSBURGH — The All-Star game returns to Pittsburgh for the second time since 1994, mostly to showcase a beautiful ballpark that is one of the best in the game.

Or maybe it's because the last All-Star game staged in the Steel City might have been one of the most competitive and compelling of the 76 played until now.

The National League hopes 5-year-old PNC Park is as kind to it as Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium were. A city that was home to some of baseball's biggest names — Honus Wagner and Roberto Clemente among them — never has been home to an AL All-Star victory.

No doubt the NL will welcome playing on friendly turf after going 0-8-1 in All-Star games since its last victory, 6-0 in 1996 in Philadelphia.

A recap of past All-Star games in Pittsburgh, where the NL is 4-0 — the kind of record the 2006 Pirates only wish they could match:

<B>NL 8, AL 7 (10 innings)</B>Imagine, an All-Star game that goes extra innings and both teams have enough players to finish it. And what a finish. The NL led 4-1 and 5-4, but trailed 7-5 in the ninth before Fred McGriff hit a memorable two-run homer off Lee Smith to tie it. In the 10th, Tony Gwynn slid under catcher Ivan Rodriguez's glove to score the winning run on Moises Alou's double off Jason Bere.Gwynn's slide was arguably the most meaningful play at the plate in an All-Star game since Pete Rose's collision with Ray Fosse in 1970. And McGriff's homer was the most significant late-game shot since Johnny Callison's 1964 homer for the NL."With the way our guys were jumping up and down, you would have thought we'd have won the World Series or something," Braves outfielder David Justice said. "I'm happy for the National League ... a lot of guys have waited a long time for this."Baseball would wait a long time until another such eventful game was played. A strike shut the game down a month later, subsequently resulting in a cancellation of the rest of the season, the World Series and, nearly nine months later, most of the April 1995 schedule.By the way, Rodriguez will be back in Pittsburgh as the AL's starting catcher Tuesday. And the NL third base coach who gambled by waving Gwynn home? Tigers manager Jim Leyland, the Pirates' manager in 1994, will watch from the grandstands in his adopted hometown.

<B>NL 7, AL 2</B>Freddy Sanchez of the Pirates, chosen for the 2006 game after receiving a ton of write-in votes, hopes to make as much of an impact as Steve Garvey did in 1974. The Dodgers' first baseman was chosen as the game's MVP after becoming the first player to make the All-Star lineup as a write-in candidate.This was before the day of All-Star home run derbies and celebrity games; the pregame workout on Monday was held before a few fans who wandered into then 4-year-old Three Rivers Stadium.Much like the NL of today, the AL was trying to figure out some way, any way to win. AL president Lee MacPhail (yes, the leagues had their own separate bosses in the day) urged AL manager Dick Williams of Oakland to use his best players and go all out to win.But it didn't help. In fact, the AL had only two victories from 1963-85.By the way, the 1974 NL winning pitcher? The Pirates' Ken Brett, lesser-known brother of George.

<B>NL 5, AL 4</B>This was the first of two All-Star games that year, an experiment that lasted only four seasons through 1962. Willie Mays' triple keyed a two-run eighth as the NL rallied after trailing 4-3. The AL would come back to win the second All-Star game 5-3 at LA's Memorial Coliseum, where the Dodgers hosted the first West Coast World Series a few months later against the White Sox.Few All-Star games have had so many big names: Mays, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Al Kaline, Harmon Killebrew, Warren Spahn, Early Wynn, Jim Bunning, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Stan Musial, Ernie Banks, Eddie Mathews, Don Drysdale.

<B>NL 7, AL 1</B>It wouldn't be fair to call this a no-star game, but many of the marquee names (Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, Williams) were off fighting in World War II. Among the few well-known players was Mel Ott, who would enjoy the last of his 13 seasons of 25 or more homers that year.Remember Orval (Not Lefty) Grove? Oris Hockett? Bob Muncrief? Stan Spence? Thurman Tucker? Augie Galan? Al Javery? Red Munger? Connie Ryan? All were All-Stars — remarkably, Javery was picked despite being 10-19 that year for the Boston Braves. He would win only two more games in the majors after that season.The Cubs' Phil Cavarretta reached base five times on a triple, single and three walks, and teammate Bill "Swish" Nicholson had a pinch-hit double during a four-run fifth inning.Bob Elliott of the Pirates started at third base. The Pirates wouldn't have another player chosen as an All-Star starter in Pittsburgh until outfielder Jason Bay was voted into this year's NL lineup.