Saturday, July 11th.

112 years ago today, 19-year-old George Herman Ruth made his major-league debut for the Boston Red Sox against the Cleveland Naps.

The Naps?

Geez.

Ruth pitched seven innings, allowed three runs, and got the win in a 4-3 Red Sox victory.

Not bad for a skinny teenage left-hander.

Then again, he didn’t stay skinny for long.

His pitching career eventually became a footnote.

Some footnote.

Ruth won 94 games, posted a 2.28 ERA, and struck out 488 batters.

Not too shabby.

For the Babe?

It was the warm-up act.

The kid from Baltimore became the most feared slugger baseball had ever seen.

Babe Ruth.

The Bambino.

The Sultan of Swat.

Most of us never saw him play.

But we all know the legend.

The swing. The swagger. The appetite.

A beer. A hot dog. A ball sailing into the afternoon.

Happy anniversary, Babe.

The MLB All-Star Game is next week.

Home Run Derby. Futures Game. Red carpet. The whole production.

Does it still matter?

My first All-Star memory came in 1971, when Reggie Jackson stepped in against Dock Ellis at Tiger Stadium.

Watch video

He clubbed a pitch that looked like it might never come down.

It was amazing.

That felt like an All-Star Game.

One swing I’ll never forget.

Today, All-Star games have lost a lot of their shine.

The NFL gave up on the Pro Bowl as a real football game. The NBA keeps searching for a format fans will care about. The NHL has gone looking for international competition.

MLB has tinkered.

Some of it has worked.

Last year’s swing-off was ridiculous.

And awesome.

A tie game decided by a mini home run derby?

Genius.

Better than another tie.

Looking at you, Bud Selig. 👀

And this year, MLB got one thing right.

The uniforms.

No more silly beer league All-Star costumes.

The players are back in their own team uniforms.

Freddie Freeman in Dodger Blue.

And so on.

That’s what the All-Star Game should look like.

Here's the strange part.

Baseball actually has momentum.

TV ratings are up. Attendance is healthy. Fans are paying attention again.

At the exact moment the sport is finding its footing again, there’s a labor fight brewing.

The current collective bargaining agreement expires in December.

And words like “lockout” are being thrown around.

But for now?

Enjoy the stars.

Enjoy the uniforms.

Enjoy the Home Run Derby.

Enjoy the swing-off if we get lucky again.

Because baseball finally has some juice.

Now it just has to avoid spilling it all over the floor.

We all knew this day was coming.

Seven major league umpires have accepted buyouts.

Does it feel like the beginning of something bigger?

Maybe they were already planning to retire.

Maybe the timing is just a coincidence.

Or maybe it was time for these umps to hit the road.

Since the ABS challenge system arrived, it’s been a rough go for plate umpires.

Every disputed ball or strike ends up on the stadium scoreboard, social media, and ESPN.

Not because today's umpires suddenly forgot how to call balls and strikes.

But the technology has changed how their work is judged.

The first wave of buyouts is rarely just about the people who leave.

It's about where the industry is headed.

Years ago, I watched the same thing happen in the TV news business.

Buyouts weren't just about reducing payroll.

They were a signal.

The business was changing.

The future doesn't arrive all at once.

It shows up one buyout at a time.

Time for a new bat? My friends at JustBats have wood, BBCOR, USSSA, and USA bats — every need, every budget. If it swings, they've got it.

Let’s end the week on a quote.

Bryce Rainer, the Tigers’ No. 2 prospect, is on fire.

This week, he went 5-for-5 for High-A West Michigan.

Six RBIs.

Two doubles.

A homer.

Every ball off the bat at 109 mph or harder.

The secret to his success?

His answer was perfect.

“I drink a lot of milk.”

Damn, Bryce.

That’s an endorsement deal waiting to happen.

Take that, Statcast.

“I drink a lot of milk.”

Kinda reminds me of those old Wheaties commercials from the ‘70s:

Remember?

Have you had your Wheaties today?

Or the Indy 500 winner getting handed a bottle of milk.

Bryce Rainer might need his own dairy sponsor.

Somebody get this kid a carton, a cereal box, and an agent.

That’s baseball for ya.

One minute we’re talking exit velocity, shoulder surgery, and prospect rankings.

The next minute?

“I drink a lot of milk.”

Pouring me a glass now.

See you next Saturday.