Jesus. Manny.

Manny Ramirez is an astounding baseball player.

I'm a Yankees baseball fan, and for good reason. I went to games for 10 straight years and sat behind the Yankees dugout in the first row. I traveled to New York with my father and we'd hang out in that beast of a city and watch the Yankees dominate the game. It was infinitely better than anything you could have experienced in Chicago at Wrigley or Comiskey.

I hated Manny Ramirez when he became a Boston Red Sock. He hit four home runs a game, he had way too much fun when he played the game and he was a terrible outfielder. You could have put an 83-year old amputee out there who would have been just as effective. The dude used to play the outfield with a water bottle shoved into his back pocket. Every now and then he'd play The Green Monster like a master and throw someone out at second. Or he'd cut off a throw from the center fielder to the third basemen for no apparent reason.

For some odd reason though, I always had a little thing for Manny. I guess I wished more players would be like him. Having fun isn't a bad thing. That's what made him and David Ortiz a perfect match.

Past transgressions aside, Manny now plays for the Dodgers. Last night, he hit a home run 67,000 feet out of Minute Maid Park in Houston. I was recently at that park and that train track is easily 120-150 feet up in the air. Maybe even 175 feet. And it's back about 25 rows from the first row of the stands. He hit it out and over the Citgo sign. Jesus Christ.

Manny is 36 and has played 15 years. He has 531 career home runs, averaging 36 a year over the last 5 years. Barry Bonds played 22 years in the majors and hit 762 home runs.

It's highly unlikely but if Manny played 5 more years (including this year) and averaged 35 home runs a year, he'd hit 175 more. That'd put him at 706 and second all-time. Could he play longer? Sure. The dude just hits. He enjoys playing all over so I bet he'd hate to DH full-time in the AL but he could. He wants to go to the Indians and finish his career there and I bet he could hit full-time until he's 45 and still hit at least 20 home runs a year. He's that damn good.

I've never been happier to be a Manny Ramirez fan. I'm just thankful he's not a Red Sock anymore. Kudos to the best pure hitter we've seen in the last 15 years.