The Louisville Bats begin their 2009 campaign tonight against the Columbus Clippers at Louisville Slugger Field. The first pitch is 7:05 p.m. (And there's $1 beer on the Overlook Deck until 7 p.m.) The Bats will host the Clippers through the weekend with night games on Friday (7:05 p.m.) and Saturday (6:15 p.m.) and a 1:15 p.m. matinee on Sunday. And -- because it is minor league baseball after all -- there is a promotion for every home game this season. Tonight the first 5,000 fans through the gates get a free magnetic schedule. Tomorrow's game is Rally's Grand Slam Friday: buy an $18 Rally's Grand Slam ticket and get a Bats hat, program, wiener, soda and a token for a free Rallyburger. More importantly, there's $2 "craft" beer (whatever that is) from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on the Overlook Deck. The deal is presented by Michelob, so the beer can't be too good, but $2 beer outside on a Friday evening is always a good thing. Well, usually -- the weather forecast calls for thunder showers around that time. But the weather is supposed to be better on Saturday (free 2008 West Division Champs t-shirts to the first 2,000 fans) and Sunday (kids run the bases for free). Check out the rest of the Bats' schedule on their Web page. And to read a preview of the season, check out Michael Grant's Q&A in the Courier-Journal. (Photo: Flickr/micah.d)