Manny Ramirez

April 8th, 2011, a day that will live in infamy. It's the day Manny Ramirez officially decided to hang up the spikes. 

This is neither a time to complain about Manny's faults nor a time to debate just how much Manny's legacy has been affected—it's a time to appreciate the career of one of the most feared right-handed hitters to ever step foot into a major league batting box.

One the greatest right-handed hitters of all time retired on Friday afternoon.  Manny Ramirez goes riding off into the sunset after a career spent lighting up the scoreboard.

Mad Magazine should feature Manny Ramirez on their covers. He’s one of the original Boston Red Sox Idiots. And, now we have confirmation he is crazy as a Looney Toon.

Imagine having been banned once for 50 games for using a forbidden substance, and then to use the proverbial putative something again.

Imagine being so stupid that you are caught once more with hormones, steroids or the creeping crud inside you.

Get ready, folks, for the other pink sox to drop.

Remember back in 2004 and 2007 when practically everybody not working for Everybody's Sox Patriots Network (including many who only days ago were yet again spewing the "best team ever" Red Sox spin) were publicly broaching the issue of drug testing for Manny, his longtime roommate Papi and some of their other bloated Beantown buddies?

(Try Google Archive if your memory needs a jolt.)

It's just "Manny being Manny."

Over Manny Ramirez's 19 year career, this catchphrase embodied who he was, a free spirit that could not be tamed. Like his personality, his bat was also a force that could not be tamed in his prime.

With a .312 lifetime batting average and 555 home runs, Ramirez established himself as one of the greatest and most feared hitters during our time, being selected to the All-Star Game 12 times.

His numbers are indisputable, on paper Manny Ramirez is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Manny announced his retirement today, ending a career in which he hit .312 on 2,574 career hits. Manny hit 555 career home runs and drove in 1,831 runs. He also helped the Red Sox win two World Series championships in 2004 and 2007.

We're still waiting for the details to come out, but what we know may be enough.

Manny Ramirez, the greatest right-handed hitter of our generation, got caught. Drug policy violation. Having violated the performance-enhancing drug policy in 2009, he was set to be punished. Again.

So what did he do? He retired. He didn't stick around for the judgment. Can you blame him?

The career numbers are staggering.

.312 batting average (87^th all-time)

555 homeruns (14^th all-time)

1,831 RBI (18^th all-time)

2,574 hits (82^nd all-time)

547 doubles (24^th all-time)

1,544 runs (56^th all-time)

1,329 walks (36^th all-time)

4,826 total bases (26^th all-time)

.411 on-base percentage (32^nd all-time)

.585 slugging percentage (9^th all-time)

Manny Ramirez made his fair share of mistakes in the outfield and in the media. If only it had stopped there.

History will remember Manuel Aristides (Onelcida) Ramirez as follows:

"He wasn't the 'best' slugger of the Steroid/PED Era - but he was the last of them."

A-Rod's juicing days have been over for a few years. Although other marginal players struggling to get to or stay in the big show will continue to try and cheat the system, there are simply no "good" juicing dinosaurs left playing.

Now that Manny has evaded capture, that is.