Manny Ramirez, 48, Brings His Bat to the Sydney Blue Sox

[Déjà Bru]

And why not? If he still wants to play, and he's in good shape, and they want him, why not?

One fly in the ointment, though: "Since his big-league career abruptly and effectively ended with a second positive test for performance-enhancing drugs in 2011, Ramirez has played in the minors, his native Dominican Republic, Taiwan and Japan."

As is the case with all of those organizations, one hesitates to insult them by assuming they have lower standards or just don't care at all. Maybe, though, he will not feel the need to indulge without the major money at stake anymore and presumably playing because, in his words, it “isn’t just a game, it’s life!”

Also, “I see my role as trying to help the young players,” Ramirez said through a team spokesman. “Teaching them my experience that I got from M.L.B. I’m just happy to help anyway I can.”

Australian baseball will certainly benefit. And, amusingly, "for Ramirez, who briefly played for the Chicago White Sox toward the end of his major league career, it completes a Dr. Seuss-like run through teams named for the color of their socks."

Red Sox, White Sox, Blue Sox?

[ohiodevil]

Love it! Julio Franco played til he was like 70.

Manny being Manny down under

[CBeisbol]

Manny is awesome and baseball is better with him in it

[Westheim]

Wait, the logo I've been using for the Nashville Blue Sox in my league for years is a real one?

Also - oh, to be a bored millionaire! =)

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Also - oh, to be a bored millionaire! =)

I was just thinking about this the other day. Imagine you are 39 and really all you have done your entire life is play a sport well.

Now you are retired. Hopefully you have made a good amount of money, enough to live on for the rest of your life if you are smart (a big "if").

Now what? What do you do for the next 30 or 40 years? Golf?

So be careful what you wish for. Me, I think I prefer my life, thank you.

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

I was just thinking about this the other day. Imagine you are 39 and really all you have done your entire life is play a sport well.

Now you are retired. Hopefully you have made a good amount of money, enough to live on for the rest of your life if you are smart (a big "if").

Now what? What do you do for the next 30 or 40 years? Golf?

So be careful what you wish for. Me, I think I prefer my life, thank you.

Pretty sad that people have been so brainwashed by society that they can't even think of what they would do with their lives besides work.

We should set it up so those people work and the rest of us can enjoy our lives in whatever way we see fit.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by CBeisbol

Pretty sad that people have been so brainwashed by society that they can't even think of what they would do with their lives besides work.

We should set it up so those people work and the rest of us can enjoy our lives in whatever way we see fit.

True, but for the vast majority of us, our occupations shape our lives in large measure. People need to have a feeling of being needed and productive, and work provides that. Witness how many people retire in their golden years yet feel the urge to return to work, even if part-time and not really needing the additional income.

Family and friends are important throughout our lives but they cannot fulfill this need for everyone, and not for all the time that somebody suddenly retired in their 40s would have on their hands. That is why I would not want to be in that position, even if I had the money, knowing that the most exciting things that I had ever done and experienced were behind me.

Sure, some of us would get that excitement volunteering for a food bank, say. But I am guessing that those types of people are somewhat rare. Put it like this: I wouldn't want to be discovering whether I am that type of person only after I took my cleats off for the last time.

[Déjà Bru]

"A sense of purpose," I left out of that post. Many of us can find that outside of work. Most of us, though, do get that from working at a job. I know I did; I am retired now, and it has not been a problem doing without work for that purpose. I don't know, however, if I could have adapted as well as I have now, 30 years ago.

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

True, but for the vast majority of us, our occupations shape our lives in large measure. People need to have a feeling of being needed and productive, and work provides that.

Absolutely
I was just coming back to edit my post to add that we do need some goal or purpose. Work is largely at the bottom of my personal to do list, but before I realized that having some other purpose was important, I sometimes just found myself lost and depressed.

But, there are a lot nobler purposes than work.

Witness how many people retire in their golden years yet feel the urge to return to work, even if part-time and not really needing the additional income.

Sure
That's the sad part. They've never had the...time...to discover who they really are besides workers

Family and friends are important throughout our lives but they cannot fulfill this need for everyone, and not for all the time that somebody suddenly retired in their 40s would have on their hands. That is why I would not want to be in that position, even if I had the money, knowing that the most exciting things that I had ever done and experienced were behind me.

Why on earth would that be true?

I mean, being a superstar athlete and winning a championship are, surely, exciting, but there's literally a whole world out there waiting.

I will concede that for someone who has experienced those highs, it may be difficult to find something to replace it. But, someone who, say started and sold a business...

Sure, some of us would get that excitement volunteering for a food bank, say. But I am guessing that those types of people are somewhat rare. Put it like this: I wouldn't want to be discovering whether I am that type of person only after I took my cleats off for the last time.

As someone who constantly reinvents themselves, I can't agree with that.
I can't imagine how boring a life where I'm not constantly discovering who I am would be.

But, back to the beginning. It's sad that people don't have the chance to start discovering who they are before they retire because they are too busy working.

Also noting that it may be somewhat different for athletes who have to devote so much time to their crafts

[CBeisbol]

I'll also add, this is why something like Universal Basic Income is important

Having some security to fall back on would allow more people to take chances both professionally and personally
People could start that business, get that education, etc if they knew failing wouldn't mean losing everything
People could find out who they really are if they didn't have to spend almost every minute just surviving.

Self-actualization shouldn't only be for the rich

[Déjà Bru]

You have a healthy attitude about life, CB. Do your best to hang onto it.

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

You have a healthy attitude about life, CB. Do your best to hang onto it.

It's more than hanging on. It's fighting like a [something that fights really hard for something],

[kenyan_cheena]

Manny played in two games, then covid hit Sydney again.

[kenyan_cheena]

https://theabl.com.au/news/boral-big...ecember-17-19/

[Déjà Bru]

Apparently, the league provides for full-length games on video; this is the link for the Blue Sox:

https://sydneybluesox.com.au/videos

And it's not just exhibition games. It looks like they replay regular games and perhaps show at least some of them live(?) here:

https://theabl.com.au/videos/



I may be tuning in . . .