📰 The bar where Babe Ruth actually drank

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The bottle-cap bar stools and mahogany bar are the same that patrons swiveled and leaned on when the joint opened in 1919. The shuffleboard game is straight out of 1936.

But Hotz Café – a family institution that spans generations – also boasts tales of whiskey and wonder that will live on much longer in Cleveland lore.

One of the city’s oldest bars, it hosted major leaguers who were major drinkers going back to the 1920s – from Ty Cobb to Lou Gehrig to Rocky Colavito.

"The old ballplayers came in to drink and play card games” says John Hotz, the third-generation owner whose wife, Sheila, runs day-to-day operations.

One night, after a game at League Park, Babe Ruth bought rounds for the house.

“Thirteen dollars and sixty-five cents,” says Hotz.

That’s not to say he actually paid.

“He paid by check because no one would cash them,” says Hotz. “Plus, he signed it ‘The Babe’ – which wasn’t even his real name.”

Another Yankee legend, Lou Gehrig, was a cheapskate.

"He didn’t tip the kid shining shoes in the bar even a nickel,” says Hotz.

Ty Cobb, the greatest hitter and meanest player in baseball, never spilled blood or a drink at Hotz.

“It was a quiet place where guys drank and played cards,” says Hotz. “Grandpa didn’t put up with anything.”

Neither did Andrew, the second-generation Hotz who was in charge when Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and a camera crew came in during the filming of ‘The Deer Hunter’ – which was shot in Tremont, in 1977.

“My dad was a bookie and didn’t want them filming scenes in his bar,” says Hotz. “He tossed ‘em out.”

Those were different times.

But Hotz is still going – a Cleveland legend that serves spirits and stories 107 years later.

For almost a century, Clevelanders with chattering teeth and frigid bones have ventured here to admire their understated beauty, and await their arrival as a sign that, indeed, spring has spring.

Finally, there is tangible evidence.

The cherry blossoms around Wade Lagoon in University Circle have started to bloom – one branch and tree at a time.

The process, which begins with buds in mid-March before creating pink-and-white spectacles, is one of Cleveland’s most reliable and beloved early signs that winter has finally yielded to the changing seasons.

The display lasts 4-10 days, extended by cool, calm conditions and shortened by warmth or wind.

It’s made Wade Lagoon a popular destination this time of year since the cherry blossoms were first planted, in 1928. Follow the progress here.

Gas prices surged more than 36% in the last month due to the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. But that’s the tip of an iceberg we’re fast approaching.

How the war impacts Northeastern Ohio:

Tighter money: Inflation fears resulting from the war have dimmed hopes that the Federal Reserve cuts rates – which impacts home/car loans, credit cards.

Housing: The 30-year fixed mortgage hit its highest level since September, 6.4%. The jump will now cost a homebuyer $115 more a month for a $400,000 home with 20% down on a 30-year fixed mortgage.

Industry: Our manufacturing economy is centered around chemicals, plastics and rubber fabricated metals. Both the products and their production are tied to the price of oil. Sherwin-Williams stock declined 12% because it relies so heavily on petrochemical-derived raw materials

Food: The Strait of Hormuz handles 20-30% of global fertilizer exports, which have shot up 20-40% in price. It hits the famers of Ohio (a top 10 agricultural state) could increase food prices 1.5% above expectations – which have already followed four years of stubbornly-high inflation.

Monday

Skatch Anderssen Orchestra: The 17-piece big band aficionados bring the music of Basie, Ellington, Buddy and Woody back to live at Brothers Lounge. 8 p.m. Info.

Tuesday

“Manet & Morisot”:  The just-opened exhibition focuses on the creative exchange between Édouard Manet —often called the father of modern painting— and Berthe Morisot, the only woman among the founding members of the Impressionist movement. It’s the centerpiece of the museum's 2026 lineup and runs through July 5. Info.

👉 View Listing on Zillow

You’d think the meteor crashed into downtown, or that filming for a ‘Superman’ sequel had started.

Three weeks after it swallowed a car, the infamous Cleveland Sink Hole has consumed much of the intersection of St. Clair and West Third – and it seems to be getting bigger.

Not so, says the Cleveland Division of Water.

The void is the same. It just looks bigger because repairs to remove and clear away parts of the roadway and pavement and resulted in exposed pipes, wires and infrastructure.

Which makes it look a lot more, um, cinematic.

No time on a reopening; repairs could take several weeks.

Plumes of smoke fill downtown after the Theatrical Grill catches fire in 1960.

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58 °F 🌡️ 48 °F | 🌧️ (Rain Showers / Breezy) | 75% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 18 mph (≈ 16 knots)

62 °F 🌡️ 32 °F | 🌧️➡️🌨️ (Rain to Night Snow / Falling Temps) | 90% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 22 mph (≈ 19 knots)

36 °F 🌡️ 26 °F | 🌨️ (Lake Effect Snow / Winter Chill) | 65% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 20 mph (≈ 17 knots)

_{Please note that weather conditions can change rapidly. For the most up-to-date information, consider checking a reliable local weather service.}

Away vs. Jazz, 9:00 PM March 30 (Monday)

Away vs. Lakers, 10:30 PM March 31 (Tuesday)

Away vs. Warriors, 10:00 PM April 2 (Thursday)

Home vs. Pacers, 6:00 PM April 5 (Sunday)

Away vs. Dodgers, 10:10 PM March 30 (Monday)

Away vs. Dodgers, 10:10 PM March 31 (Tuesday)

Away vs. Dodgers, 8:20 PM April 1 (Wednesday)

Home vs. Cubs, 4:10 PM April 3 (Friday)

Home vs. Cubs, 7:15 PM April 4 (Saturday)

Home vs. Cubs, 1:40 PM April 5 (Sunday)

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