There's a chance that Manny Ramirez will see his first action of the spring today. Manny and the Dodgers engaged in a long waltz this winter, dancing in endless circles around each other until observers began to offer to put them out of their misery.

(meanwhile, although Ramirez is now back in the NL, the Red Sox don't seem ready to let it go quite yet. I guess there's nothing wrong with a good soap opera when there's nothing else on TV, though this one is pretty tame; until Ramirez and Papelbon are willing to drop their gloves and settle this like men I think the ratings will be disappointing)

As Manny's career enters its final stage, I think it's worth going back ten years to look at his 1999 season. Ramirez had 165 RBI last year; that's 13th on the all-time list, and the most by any player since 1938. Despite the massive amount of runs that have been scored over the past decade, it's still the best total of this generation.

All these RBI came as a result of:

1. Big, triple crown-like numbers, including a .333 batting average and 44 home runs. In the AL that season, he ranked 5th in batting average, 3rd in homers
2. Even bigger numbers with runners on base. Manny batted .377 and belted 26 homers with runners on, and hit .383 with runners in scoring position
3. A perfect spot in a perfect lineup; Manny hit fourth in the Indians' batting order, behind three guys who were constantly getting into scoring position

Of course, lots of guys have put up monster numbers over the past 15 years, from Frank Thomas to Albert Pujols to Todd Helton, and they didn't drive in nearly as many runs. Sammy Sosa in 2001 matched Manny's production in almost every department, hit an extra 20 home runs, and still "only" drove in 160 runs.

Baseball's RBI record is of course still held by the one-and-only Hack Wilson; the Hackman drove in 191 runs way back in 1930. Wilson hit .356 with 56 home runs; those homers with an NL record until 1998, although the batting average was only good for 10th in the league.

Most of the best RBI totals in baseball history come from the 1930's; it was a high-scoring era, though with only a few guys who could really hit a lot of home runs. While Hack's 56 homers led the way in 1930, only four other players hit 30; the big sluggers could drive in more runs because the little guys weren't clearing the bases as often as they do today.

Here were some of the Cubbies' best hitters:

I"m not sure exactly what order they normally batted in; either Stephenson or Hartnett or both likely batted in front of Wilson as well. They all had high on-base percentages, while English and Cuyler were constantly getting into scoring position with their doubles and triples (but not too many homers). Rogers Hornsby was kicking around as well early in the year, but broke his ankle in May.

The RBI record is nice, but the best thing about Hack Wilson was his ability to pose with a bat; the man was he good. If Hack played today... well, he would never get past high school, but if he did somehow get drafted and become a major league star, the cameras would absolutely love him. Sure, he wasn't handsome, nor athletic, nor... well, anything. But he could pose.

Turning back to Manny, here were the regular 1-4 hitters in the Indians' lineup in 1999:

Again, high on-base percentages at the top, plus lots of doubles and stolen bases (with a high success rate) but not too many home runs. Manny finished 4th in MVP voting, and a lot of people thought he was robbed; I have always thought that Robbie Alomar, with his bat and glove, was the better player, though Manny's clutch stats could make me think twice (plus Derek Jeter had his best season, and Pedro Martinez... it was a messed up vote that deserves its own essay)

Of course, it's possible to drive in a lot of runs even if the guy in front of you clears the bases a lot. Here are the Yankees' 3-4 hitters in 1927:

Gehrig drove in 175 runs even though the guy hitting in front of him hit 60 homers. I don't know what Lou hit with runners in scoring position that year - hopefully one day we'll find out.

Manny's 37 years old now, and he's continued to drive in runs since that big season. His next best total was 144 RBI in 2005, while last year he had 53 RBI in 53 games with the Dodgers. He has 1725 career RBI, good for #20 on the all-time list; he will almost certainly move up a few spots, and depending on health and motivation, has a chance to become the fourth player in history to drive in 2000 runs (the others being Henry Aaron, Babe Ruth and Cap Anson).