Brandon Inge was so certain he wouldn’t be picked for the American League All-Star team that he rented a cottage on Lake Michigan and made plans to spend three days on vacation with his wife and their two sons next week. Now it appears Inge may have to eat his deposit and fly to St. Louis instead.
        Entering the final 24 hours of fans’ Internet balloting for the 33rd and last spot on the AL squad, Inge has moved into first place, ahead of Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers, with more than 34 million votes cast.
        Initially, Inge, who was overlooked in the original voting by the fans and his fellow players, thought the last-chance vote was no big deal. “I figured, either I would make it or I wouldn’t,” he said.
        However, the election has taken on a life of its own.
        “The last few days have been kind of a whirlwind,” Inge admitted Wednesday. “I had no idea it would be like this.”
        In the on-deck circle during the games, waiting for his next turn at bat, Inge can hear the fans.
        “They holler stuff, like ‘Hey, we voted for you!’ or ‘If you don’t get a hit, I’m not voting for you,’ ” Inge said.
        From the Tigers’ dugout on Tuesday night, Jim Leyland spotted a woman holding up a sign that read: “I Voted For Brandon 500 Times Today.”
        There is no limit to how many times a person can vote.
        The Tigers public relations department has joined forces with the Philadelphia Phillies in a joint effort to get both Inge and the Phillies’ Shane Victorino elected. The two teams are urging businesses in Michigan and Pennsylvania to allow their employees time to log on and vote for Inge and Victorino. Their campaign slogan is “Vote Bran-Torino.”
        In addition, the Tigers say fans who vote for Inge at least 100 times on www.tigers.com will be eligible to win a fantasy package including two box seats, free parking, dinner for two in the Champions Club, a batting practice jersey, and the chance to deliver the game ball to the pitcher’s mound prior to the Aug. 4 game at Comerica Park against Baltimore.  
        Balloting will end at 4 p.m. on Thursday and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter.