When is the Right Time

For Elly Antonio De La Cruz Babe Ruth?

Elly Antonio De La Cruz Willie Mays

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The most recent home run of Elly Antonio De La Cruz Babe Ruth sailed out of Louisville Slugger Field and across the Ohio River into Indiana, where it landed in the passenger seat of a semi delivering basketball hoops to driveways in Milan. Larry Bird happened to be in town.

Bird found the baseball in a (nothing but) net and handed it to the driver of the truck who, as luck would have it, was the 2nd cousin twice-removed of Sammy Sosa and also very good friends with Pedro Martinez.

The long-hauler stopped at the UPS store in Milan and sent the ball 1st class to the town of Sabana Grande de Boya, Dominican Republic, which happens to be the birthplace of Elly Antonio De La Cruz Barry Bonds.

It’s expected to arrive today. Manny Ramirez will pick it up. He idolizes Elly Antonio De La Cruz Hank Aaron. It’s the least ManRam could do.

The distance between Milan, IN and Sabana Grande de Boya is 1,670 miles, about the same distance as Elly’s homer on Tuesday night.

This is getting crazy. Everywhere De La Cruz goes, myth happens. If you’re not listening, you’re myth-ing out. He is 21 years and 140 days old and before he turns 22, he will be the brightest comet in the Cincinnati sky. He has 33 RBI in Louisville, in 33 games. He has 11 homers, most of which came with jet wings attached.

He’s the Reds top prospect. He’s ESPN’s No. 1 guy overall. Baseball America rates him 3rd, Baseball Prospectus calls him “the most dynamic player in the minors.’’

He can run, he has a big arm, lately he’s cutting way down on his Ks, he changes clothes in phone booths. Speeding bullets won’t race him. The Reds have seen no one with his buzz since Jay Bruce dropped in, in May 2008.

This is an organization that traditionally overvalues its prospects. Not this time.

It’s interesting and maybe slightly educational that De La Cruz and Bruce are on similar career flight paths. Bruce was 21 and 57 days when he debuted in Cincinnati. De La Cruz is 21 and 140 now. Bruce spent 3-plus years in the Reds system, De La Cruz is in Year 4.

Bruce was Baseball America’s #1 prospect entering the ‘08 season.

In his first seven games in The Show, Bruce went 15-for-27, scored 12 runs, knocked in 7 and hit 3 homers and generally performed like he was in a Cooperstown-hurry to greatness. What might De La Cruz do, and when might he do it?

The year before Jay Bruce arrived, Homer Bailey was dancing just outside the footlights. Fans non-stop clamored for his promotion. Like Bruce and De La Cruz, Bailey spent 3-plus seasons getting seasoned.

The Club’s GM at the time, Wayne Krivsky, urged patience. “The worst thing to do to a kid is call him up before he’s ready, then have to send him back down because of poor performance,’’ was Krivsky’s highly legit reason for ignoring the siren call and delaying Bailey’s big-screen debut.

Nurturing potential stardom can be a breeze when the potential star is Ken Griffey Jr. There are players who make their call-up moment an easy decision. There aren’t many Juniors, though. When to promote a comet to a permanent place in your sky is a behavioral science.

What’s the player’s makeup? He’s done nothing but be phee-nomenal since he was shorter than Roberto Clemente’s bat. What happens if he starts his big-league career, say, 2-for-20 with12 strikeouts? It’s not nearly the crapshoot the draft is. But it’s definitely a fingers-crossed call.

The ironic thing is, the Reds don’t desperately need De La Cruz now. When his predicted promotion sparks talk of trading your best current player, you start to think things might be a little off kilter.

Please let’s not wake up in July and see Jonathan India in pinstripes, so Elly can play the infield.

He’s not playing anywhere but shortstop this year, so he’s probably not going to debut in left field. When he arrives, he’ll be the SS. Which will cause disruption.

It is the proverbial good problem, and everyone does want to see this kid, this Elly Antonio De La Cruz Vlad Guerrero Sr.

In hindsight: Bruce was ready. He became a three-time All Star, won two Silver Sluggers and should be a Reds HOFer when he becomes eligible in 2026.

Bailey was not. His ERA in his first four starts was 6.41. He started the following year (‘08) in Louisville. After he returned to Cincinnati, Bailey went 0-6 and 7.93. Homer didn’t come into his own until 2012, when he went 13-10 and was a mainstay on a staff that helped the Reds win the division.

De La Cruz’s future awaits, as unknowable as it is inevitable.

Now, then. . .

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BECAUSE TV IS MY LIFE. . . I have been known to grieve the departures of shows I especially adored. Friday Night Lights was the best example, but Sons Of Anarchy left a hole, as did Breaking Bad. Losing a show is like losing a fam member, yeah?

Most shows, even those I like and watch closely, don’t attain grief status. They go on too long and become caricatures of themselves (You) or they jump the shark or the writers are simply unable to maintain brilliance past 4-5 seasons. Others simply crash and burn. (See: Yellowstone.)

Which gets me to Succession, which ended a 4-year run on Sunday. The writing was brilliant, better than the acting, which was stellar. It was the only show I ever watched where I hated every character.

Succession ended the only way it could. (SPOILER ALERT.) With the three Roy siblings losing out on what each wanted most, or at least claimed to want most: To run Daddy Logan’s empire.

The finale was brilliant, but also predictable. If you’d been a student of Succession, you could have guessed the outcome. All 3 — Roman, Shiv, Kendall — were complete a—holes and deserved their fates.

Sister Shiv spent four seasons losing in the end, like Charlie Brown with the football.

Brother Ken simply wasn’t slick enough to outslick the loathesome Matsson.

Other brother Roman couldn’t stay out of his own way. He was a shrink’s life’s work. Also a fast-talking loser.

Other other brother Con was a piece of furniture.

Daddy Logan, in his prime, would’ve eaten Matsson’s lunch. But when that battle rose, he was too old for the fight.

Very good show, not quite great. I’d binge it if you haven’t seen it.

TUNE O’ THE DAY. . . It’s amazing the things we remember, and the things we don’t. I can’t find my car keys, or the glasses that are literally perched atop my head. I can, however, recall that I danced to this tune in 6th-grade with my very first sweetheart and certified crush, Karen Frey. In the class picture, she’s the one in the front row, wearing the white high-top Chucks.

Verrrrry cool.