The Detroit Tigers made the World Series in 2006 after a 19-year absence from the playoffs, and that brought the baseball world’s attention back onto Detroit after it had been largely ignored for a long time. Yet the year before that, Detroit got back onto the baseball map when it hosted the 76th MLB All-Star Game.
It was an important time for Detroit sports, as the city would also host the Super Bowl several months later. Indeed, the city was in the national spotlight in several ways back then. As for the All-Star Game, it was an opportunity for the city to show off its relatively new stadium, Comerica Park.