SPORTSBEAT BY PETER JAKEY: All-Star game an instant classic for Detroit

All-Star game an instant classic for Detroit Not even the much-maligned Texas pitcher Kenny Rogers could spoil a glorious moment such as the 76th All-Star game, and all the pageantry that went along with it. It was Comerica Park?s first big moment since the new Tiger stadium opened in April 2000, since there haven?t been any playoff games or pennant races at the five-year-old park. Detroit shined in the national spotlight, and from my standpoint, in the comfort of my air-conditioned living room, the organization performed flawlessly. The stadium looked great, the tribute to the London bombings in the pre-game ceremonies was moving, and Tiger officials, who haven?t hosted an All-Star game in 34 years, had it down, as if they had been the host for the last three and a half decades.

It?s like the umpire that?s doing a great job. You don?t notice them until there is a close call. THAT?S MUCH the way I felt in watching the festivities on Tuesday. Every once in a while, I had to remind myself that not only was there an All-Star game being played, but it was being played in my home ballpark. There would be a shot of the giant scoreboard in leftfield with the words Tigers lit up at the top, which left me with a good feeling. It?s just too bad there weren?t more Tigers involved in the game. The lone Tiger was Ivan Rodriguez, a Detroit fan favorite for a year and a half, but one who was acquired as a free agent. Cheering for him just isn?t the same as the days when homegrown stars such as Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Al Kaline, and Jack Morris starred in the Midsummer Classic. Who knows, the All-Star roster may have to make room for the likes of Nook Logan, Chris Shelton, and a guy that probably should have pitched on his home mound in front of a packed stadium, Jeremy Bonderman. Many thought Bonderman would have gotten the nod if Rogers decided not to go to the game, but that didn?t happen. .

IN MY BOOK, Pudge needs to be around for a few more years, to the lead the Tigers to a playoff run. Rodriguez walked and struck out in his two plate appearances. He did make the finals of the home run derby on Monday, so that provided some interest. At the moment, Rodriguez is still the one Tiger who creates the most excitement when he?s standing at the plate, or crouched behind it, daring a runner to steal. Pudge provided one of the most exciting moments of the first half of the season for me when he deposited a walk-off homer into the rightfield stands in the 10th inning against Minnesota. The city of Detroit and the Tiger organization should be proud of the way things went. In a decade, when the images of Rogers roughing up a cameraman are long faded from our memories, history should remember the 76th All-Star game as another great moment in the history of the Tiger organization. .

ALL-STAR notebook: ?Fox received a couple of low grades for a couple of gaffes they had in the pre-game ceremonies. I could have cried when they cut off Ernie Harwell after being asked a question about Al Kaline. They did a short segment on Harwell, and how beloved the announcer is in Detroit, and then had him live on the field. Ernie started talking, and I guess he didn?t give a patented 20-second sound bite, because the lead announcer started talking over him and went to a short segment with Smokie Robinson. Strike two came when they missed the ceremonial first pitches. I was waiting to see who was going to throw out the first pitch. I didn?t know until I saw a picture on the Detroit Free Press website Wednesday morning. It was Tiger greats Willie Horton and Al Kaline. Fox didn?t show it, for whatever reason. .

?My favorite part of the All-Star game is the pregame ceremonies. All the preparation that goes into the program and there?s always a name that gets placed in front

of the wrong player, maybe because the players don?t stand where they are supposed to. Florida?s Dontrelle Willis had teammate Miguel Cabrera?s name in front of him. Houston reliever Brad Lidge tipped his hat and gave a nudge to his chin beard. What?s with that? Giant outfielder Moises Alou said ?Hi? to his Mom. Trammell, who coached first base, was the first American League representative to be introduced, and received not a thunderous 10-minute ovation, but a resounding cheer from the Comerica fans. Pudge received about the same response. Rogers was booed on cue, but so was Yankee reliever Marino Rivera. .

?DURING THE game, Lansing native John Smoltz was brought in to pitch for the National League. It was a good/bad moment. It was nice to see Smoltz out there, because he grew up a Tiger fan, but then it turned into a bad moment when AL MVP Miguel Tejada blasted a homer past the first section of seats in left and into the walking aisle. Yikes! Tough luck, John. Houston hurler Roger Clemens, a first ballot Hall of Famer who probably should be enshrined already, had the most flashbulbs go off when he ran onto the field. The only surprise in the American League?s ninth straight win was hearing Rogers receive a cheer when he was pitching. The AL was leading 7-0 when he gave up a moonshoot, and the shutout, to Andruw Jones. The cheers, of course, were sarcastic ones, but I would have never predicted he would have been cheered for anything. I just wasn?t thinking about that situation, but that?s the way baseball is: you never know what will happen.