Putting the Game Face: Detroit gets ready for the national spotlight

All the All-Star Game festivities are upon us, with the Midsummer Classic set for Tuesday. Everything gets under way Sunday with the Futures Game and the Legends and Celebrity Softball Game, followed by the Home Run Derby on Monday.

Dee-troit is ready to roll. What do we mean? Read on:

SANITIZING DOWNTOWN: Cleanup brigades armed with brooms, brushes, shovels and all sorts of motorized vehicles have made downtown as spiffy as it has been in years. How serious is the makeover?

Painters suspended on a scaffold touched up small areas on the backside of the Milner Hotel a couple of blocks southeast of Comerica Park. The hotel’s wall was hidden for decades by the recently razed Madison-Lenox Hotel.

WATER SAFETY: You’d think Comerica Park had its own version of McCovey Cove in San Francisco, what with all the activity in the Detroit River. Dive teams have been making sure the seawall is secure and the Coast Guard brought in patrol boats from all over. Some of them even have machine guns fore and aft, just in case Canada tries to invade while we’re watching the game.

SECURITY SWEEPS: The National Guard is sweeping for traces of chemicals and radiation at various venues through Tuesday. What exactly does that mean? Eight Guardsmen trudge through Cobo Center with handheld devices capable of detecting nuclear or chemical threats.

MORE SCANNING: All trucks entering Comerica Park first have to go through a scanning device at the John R/I-75 service drive overpass. Customs officials say nothing suspicious has been detected so far, but several illegal immigrants trying to enter with a vendor were detained.

DETROIT’S FINEST: City police officials won’t say how many officers will be downtown, but at least two choppers will be in the air during events. Why? They want to watch the crowds from above.

WET PAINT: OK, it’ll be dry by now. Some parts of Comerica got a touch-up paint-wise (even though the park’s only five years old). Banners were hung and the concrete was chemically treated to look like new. The most prominent change fans will see inside is the 500-seat media area in right field.

BALLPARK FARE: Based on prior years, concessionaires expect to sell enough hot dogs (40,000), kosher dogs (15,000), Italian sausages (7,500) and other sausages over the three days to (figuratively) build an 8-foot high wall along the infield.

FINE DINING: The grub in suite and club levels gets an upgrade; high rollers can dine on a buffet featuring pumpkin seed-coated lamb racks, butter-poached prawns and Hawaiian beef tenderloin.

CLOSED: The nearby (and very busy) 36th District Court will close at noon Monday, not reopening until Wednesday. Except for criminal arraignments, that is.

GETTING THERE: We’re getting a road-construction reprieve on I-96 and there will be three lanes open each way on I-94 between Telegraph and Wyoming. For roadwork details and the best routes, check the Michigan Department of Transportation’s guide at www.michigan.gov/mdot.

PEOPLE MOVER: The People Mover’s hours are being extended (8 a.m.-1 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m.-3 a.m. Monday and Tuesday).