Manny Calls it Quits

It is really quite a shame. "Manny being Manny" is now a thing of the past. Caught for the second time taking performance-enhancing drugs, Ramirez chose to retire rather than fight the 100-game suspension he would have received as a result of being a second-time offender. Not only does this discovery further taint his legacy, but it also puts his future Hall of Fame status up in the air.

Us fans all know Manny as the guy who took a cell phone call in the Green Monster during a game at Fenway, or the jokester who ran on the field with an American flag when he became an American citizen. He dreads became iconic in the baseball world, as did his indifferent defensive approach and happy-go-lucky attitude. And boy, could he tear the cover off of a baseball.

One of the greatest right-handed hitters the game has ever seen, Manny's stats rival baseball's all-time greats. Registering 2,574 hits, 555 homers, a .585 career slugging percentage, and a .996 OPS, Manny would have been regarded as a legend, had it not been for the PEDs. After all, the above stat line was only also accomplished by the one and only Babe Ruth, and the also tainted Barry Bonds. Sure, Manny's stats are real, they happened, but they will be forever marked with an asterisk in the eyes of the fans and Hall of Fame voters. Just like, courtesy of Marc Ecko, Barry Bonds' 756th home run ball has one branded into it.

All of Manny's escapades always seem to have a bitter end: the fallout in Boston, the one-pitch ejection in his final game as a Dodger, and now this. Manny will be missed in baseball by many for sure, and rightfully so. One can only wonder, however, if Manny would have been such a stat machine if not for the PEDs.