When blue is in fashion.

If you have paid any sort of attention to Heidi Klum in the last ten years, you know that "one day you are in, and the next you are out." Granted, the supermodel is touting her famous phrase describing fashion and its designers and purveyors, but the tag line still makes so much sense to the world of sports.

I was just reading a horrendously sad article about Los Angeles' once beloved outfielder and slugger, Manny Ramirez. The 41-year old returned from China this year to attempt playing baseball in America again, only to sign a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers. Unfortunately for Manny, he's only batting .250 (compared to a season-finishing .396 in 2008) with just three home runs and nine RBIs this season (compared to 37 and 121, respectively, in 2008), and shows little hope of playing in the majors again.

I remember the day Manny came to LA. It was July 31st, 2008. It was a little overcast, and really hot. My friend and I were walking up to the stadium and just sweating like hogs. For the first time I can clearly remember, there were big lit up signs on the roads leading up to Dodgers Stadium. They said, "GAME SOLD OUT." I couldn't tell you the last time that had happened.

The crowd was electric. There were lights flashing everywhere from Dodger fans new and old taking photos as Manny made his way to home plate for his first at-bat. Everyone chanted MANNY, MANNY in unison. The Dodgers didn't win that game, but it didn't matter. The fever for Manny Ramirez spread like wildfire. Signs went up all over town with the new #99 player plastered about. Elysian Park was suddenly dubbed Mannywood. The entire team stepped up and started playing like never before.

That was one the best seasons of baseball that I watched with the Dodgers. I'll never forget it. I'll always thank Manny for that season, in some way.

There's no need to discuss the demise of Manny in the MLB. It's all too common anymore, anyway.

But it makes me think: how many more Mannys will the Dodgers have? The MLB? And how many will go down as legends that we know and love forever? How many will retain a legacy untarnished? And how many will end up as a 41-year old playing terrible ball in the minor leagues while the rest of us joke about it on the internet?

As I watch the Puig-Mania already start to tease at a backlash as his insane hitting streak starts to fizzle, I want to remember that we love this game, and this game isn't about a player. It's about a team and a community. Take the good with the good, and take the bad as a team. I want to watch my favorite team succeed over and over again. Who doesn't?

But I don't want to disregard those who have come in and out like a flash of lightning when they contributed so much to our game at some point. And sometimes those contributions were not even on the field. So, no matter what happens next for any of these guys, they still created such special and memorable moments for us on the field. I know that I will cherish many of those moments forever, and I look forward to many more.