A great year in New York. Like the Yankees' Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella won his first of three MVP Awards. His team, the Dodgers, finished in a first place tie with the New York Giants, resulting in the most famous playoff game in baseball history. The Giants won the pennant after Bobby Thomson hit his famous "home run heard round the world".

         Both Campanella and Jackie Robinson were amazing, the two best players in the league. Both played for Brooklyn, as did Pee Wee Reese. Campanella was 29 years old; after starting his career in the Negro Leagues, he joined the Dodgers in 1948. Campy quickly established himself as the best-hitting catcher in the league, and was a great defensive player as well. In his prime, he was arguably the greatest catcher to ever play major league baseball.
        After his late start, Campanella played ten years in the big leagues. He was an All-Star eight times. By 1957, he was 35 years old, and his career was almost over. But it all ended prematurely; a car accident left Campanella paralyzed for the rest of his life. He still managed to stay around baseball, and played a large role in the development of young Dodgers like Mike Piazza. On May 7, 1959, a tribute for Campanella was held at the L.A. Coliseum; 93,103 fans attended, still the largest crowd ever for a major league baseball game.
        Alvin Dark played for the Giants, and had a terrific year. Dark played for 14 seasons; he was a fine player, a career .289 hitter who had more power than the average shortstop. Dark retired with over 2000 career hits, then became a manager. He led the Giants to the pennant in 1962; a dozen years later, in 1974, Dark took over the Oakland Athletics after Dick Williams resigned. Dark managed the Athletics to their third consecutive World Series victory.

        Monte Irvin was a Negro League star who didn't reach the majors until he was 30. He spent two years at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania before turning professional in 1937. He won two batting titles in the Negro Leagues, and also played in Cuba, Mexico and Puerto Rico; his career was interrupted for three years ('43-45) when he served with the Army Engineers in the Second World War. After he returned from Europe, he considered going back to school but instead chose to continue his baseball career.
        As baseball slowly moved towards integration, Irvin was considered one of the top candidates to break the colour barrier. Instead, the Dodgers chose Jackie Robinson; Irvin was signed by the Giants two years later, and spent the 1949 season playing for their farm team at Jersey City. In 1950, for reasons that only the Giants understand, he was cut in spring training and returned to Jersey City. Irvin let his bat voice his frustration by hitting .510 with 10 homers and 33 RBI before the Giants were forced to call him up.
        It was a crucial moment in franchise history. Irvin hit .299 with power the rest of the season, then this year had a monster season, leading the Giants to the pennant while finishing third in MVP voting. He also served as mentor for the Giants' 20-year-old rookie centre fielder, Willie Mays. An aggressive baserunner, he stole home five times during the season, and did it again in the first game of the World Series. Irvin was the Giants' star of the series, batting .458 in a losing cause against the Yankees.
        Already 32 years old, disaster struck in 1952 when Irvin broke his ankle sliding into third base, and missed the bulk of the season. He made a remarkable comeback in 1953, batting .329 with 97 RBI while wearing a brace on his leg. Age and injuries then began to wear him down; he hit .262 with 19 homers for the World Champions in 1954, and retired after the 1956 season. He later worked as a scout, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973. He also served on the Veterans' Committee, and as chairman of the Hall Of Fame's Special Committee on the Negro Leagues.
        Irvin had some pretty good teammates in the Giants' outfield. The left fielder was Bobby Thomson, who had his best year at the plate, capped by his famous homer. Thomson became immortalized by his home run; he was also a good player, had a 15-year career and mashed out 264 homers. Between Irvin and Thomson, the Giants had The Kid, Willie Mays, which is to say that that was some outfield.
        I think it's a very close call between Campanella and Robinson; both were extraordinary hitters and superior defensive players. I'll stay with the writers' pick, Campanella.