Please, Manny Ramirez, don't make another comeback
So apparently Manny Ramirez wants to play baseball again.
We all remember Manny, right? He was a stud for the Boston Red Sox during their World Series runs in 2004 and 2007. He also did things like high-five fans in the middle of a play and disappear behind the outfield wall to take bathroom breaks.
This type of quirky, DGAF behavior sparked the phrase "Manny being Manny," which is exactly how you could describe his latest comeback attempt.
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Ramirez, now 44, hasn't seen major league action since 2011. The Dominican-American made a handful of comeback attempts since then, serving minor league stints with Oakland, Texas, Chicago and the EDA Rhinos of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.
So it's not that surprising, then, that Manny's gearing up for another go, his wife told TMZ.
But please, Manny, not again. Major League Baseball has had enough of this guy, and here's why.
Ramirez is pretty damn old
A 44-year-old baseball player isn't unheard of, but it's definitely getting into that "it's-probably-time-to-retire" realm. Shortstop Omar Vizquel was 45 when he retired in 2012. Julio Franco logged major league time at 49 years old in 2007.
Back in the day, it was much more common for guys to play into their 40s and even 50s. Satchel Paige pitched until he was 59. Charlie O'Leary played shortstop until he was 58.
Right now, the oldest active player is 42-year-old pitcher Bartolo Colon. But we're all convinced Colon is an indestructible cyborg sent to Major League Baseball for our GIF pleasure.
Ramirez, on the other hand, hit the disabled list a handful of times in 2010, his last full season in the bigs.
Save yourself the pain, Manny.
His career isn't wasn't all glory
Ramirez is also one of the sluggers still lingering from baseball's steroid era. MLB handed him a 50-game suspension in 2009 for using a banned women's fertility drug. After testing positive for a similar drug in 2011, Ramirez chose to retire instead of serve a 100-game suspension.
A 2009 New York Times report said Ramirez was on a list of approximately 100 MLB players who doped in 2003.
The league has worked to distance itself from an era overcast by performance enhancing drugs. Ramirez returning would only be a step in the wrong direction.
Baseball has moved on; Manny should too
Look at the 2016 World Series.
The Cubs infielders had an average age of 24. The Indians' José Ramírez (24) and Francisco Lindor (22) led Cleveland's offense. Kris Bryant (24) went on to win the National League MVP Award, with the Angels' Mike Trout (25) winning it in the American League.
Young guns are stealing the show, and reveal the changing face of Major League Baseball, one dominated by a new generation of superstars.
A 44-year-old doesn't fit that brand.
According to Ramirez's wife, he's already in talks with teams outside of the United States. For everyone's sake, let's hope he doesn't make his way back to MLB.
Manny Ramirez had a legendary career, filled with 12 All-Star Game appearances, nine Silver Slugger Awards and two World Series rings. He was one of the greatest right-handed hitters of the past 20 years.
Let's keep it at "was."
