In a place where baseball's future can seem murky at times, the sport's past is a straight baseline to the Babe – George Herman “Babe" Ruth.

A few days ago, the Phillies loaded up an equipment truck with, among other things, 2,400 baseballs and 1,200 bats for the 1,060-mile drive to Clearwater, Fla. Here’s something they didn’t need: a ...