The first Detroit Tigers "Always Vote D" All-Star Vote party is at Bookies Tavern. The party will begin at 7PM on Wednesday, May 6th. We will have All-Star Ballots on-hand and some promotional items to give away as prizes. Bookies is Wi-Fi, so bring your laptop to vote online! That evening's Tigers game against the Chicago White Sox will be on the big HDTV screens.

Bookies is located at 2208 Cass Ave. in Detroit.

PR Departments, just like Boy Scouts, should always be prepared. At the end of last season, Gary Sheffield was closing in on 500 home runs. As he got closer to the milestone, we had preparations in place just in case he reached 500 during the final homestand of 2008. Eagle-eyed fans would have noticed a rolled-up banner hanging off the left-field scoreboard ready to be unfurled, and our promotions staff had a congratulatory video from the other active members of the 500HR club ready to go. The centerpiece of the celebration was a crystal trophy created as a gift for Gary from the Tigers to mark the occasion. Well, change happens quickly in baseball and Gary recently joined the 500 Home Run Club as a member of the New York Mets. Last week, Detroit Tigers Vice President, Baseball Legal Counsel presented Gary with his gift from the Tigers.

Words to live by! The campaign message for the Tigers "All-Star Game" is going to be all over tigers.com and Comerica Park. Be sure to vote at least 20 times so you can have the opportunity to meet a Tigers All-Star on the field before a game!

Brandon Inge postgame autograph signing, Sunday, May 17. The signing will take place 45 minutes after the conclusion of the game. Limited to only 300 signatures.

Autographs will be $40 each (for all items), with a portion of the proceeds going to the Detroit Tigers Foundation. You must have a ticket to the May 17, 2009 game to participate in the autograph signing. Autograph tickets may be purchased at the Authentics Memorabilia Kiosk near section 133 on the day of game only.

The MSU Alumni in the office are buzzing because they just found out that Spartans Head Coach Tom Izzo will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Tigers/Yankees game on Monday, April 27th. Tickets are still available for $5 (Skyline) and $10 (Mezzanine)!

We haven't updated the blog in a while because we're all planning for the big day on Friday. The bunting is in place, the seats have been cleaned, the concession stands are in place, and the new outfield wall signs are in place. The last of the snow was cleared off the field, exposing the red, white and blue Opening Day logo which was placed last week. The fountain in centerfield has a new look with General Motors, Ford and Chrsyler logos prominently displayed, and a message from the Club: The Detroit Tigers Support Our Autoworkers.

Today we had the first "Homestand Meeting" of the year. This is where representatives of every department of the Tigers front office, SportService (concessions) and Olympia Entertainment (parking) preview the upcoming homestand and discuss the activities. We will be doing a release about the Opening Day activities soon, but you will definitely want to be in your seat by 12:30. The pre-game events should not just make every Tigers fan proud, but should make everyone from this region of the country proud.