The Legend of Manny Ramirez.

Like Cher (or Lou and Eddie), Manny needs only one name. He's not known by the name he wears on his jersey: he's not a Jeter or a Soriano, he's not a Beckett or a Sheffield. He doesn't go by a nickname: he's not an A-Rod or a K-Rod or a Big Papi. He's just Manny. Manny as Manny isn't just in the northeast, either-throughout baseball, a ballplayer being referred to as Manny is our Manny. (Ichiro does go by his given name but that's more probably due to a cultural misunderstanding and the fact that he wears it on his back-leading non-Japanese speaking Americans to believe that it's his family name.)

Names like Alex or Derek or Jason or Jorge don't carry any special significance. If you were to talk about Derek's poor defense or Alex striking out, it wouldn't be clear who you were talking about. (If you were to further expound on the topic and describe the ball that just got past the glove of the diving Derek-Which is really hard to say. Try it.-and rolled into the outfield or how Alex struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning, the game, and the ninth-inning rally, then it becomes a little more clear who you're talking about.)

But Manny? "Manny's headed back but he's not going to make it as the ball drops in for a basehit." That's our Manny. "Manny draws a walk with the bases loaded to walk in a run." That's our Manny. And to channel my inner Don Orsillo: "Manny hits one to deep left. High. Far. Gone!" That's our Manny. Any other Manuels in baseball just have to find something else to be called-Manny is taken.

Part of it, and maybe a large part of it, is due to his personality. His sometimes lackadaisical play in left field leads some to believe that he doesn't try. His appearance (the baggy uniform and the long dreads) leads some to declare that he doesn't respect the game-whatever that means. The fact that he doesn't usually flip out after he strikes out leads some to say that he doesn't care. None of it is true. Manny does work hard. Manny does care. And Manny (I cringe inwardly as I write this) may have a better grasp of reality than a lot of baseball fans.

Baseball is a game. Games are supposed to be fun. Ergo, he is going to do his damnedest to have a good time out there. And so, yeah, you get the sometimes air-headed defense, the demands to be traded, an hours long blooper reel, and a self-centered (though, seemingly, not self-involved) left-fielder who operates best on his own schedule and in his own little world. But you also get 501 career homeruns (not including the 24 he's hit in the post-season), 2 World Series Championships, a career batting average of .312, and a career OPS+ of 154. It's a trade-off and probably a pretty fair one at that. Say what you will about Manny Ramirez (and a lot has been said) but the man can be counted on to hit the ball well.

So congratulations to Manny on his achievement; onward and upward and all that. And may Manny never stop being Manny.