Lift off! After much of the baseball world decided in spring training that it was time for Mark McGwire to break Roger Maris' home run record, he actually went out and did it. And he didn't just break it; he destroyed it! I mean, 70 home runs? He also had a fine batting average, set an NL record for walks in a season, drove in and scored a whole boat-load of runs, and became the ambassador of baseball's popular resurgence. An epic season, if there ever was one.
        Yet for all his trouble, McGwire didn't even win the MVP Award. Sammy Sosa of the Cubs hit .308, led the league in RBI and runs scored, and led the Cubs to the playoffs (a feat if there ever was one). Oh, and he also hit 66 home runs of his own.

         In case you missed it, Greg Vaughn hit 50 homers, too. And Andres Galarraga had the best year of his life, proving he could hit away from Colorado. And young Vlad Guerrero had your typical Hank Aaron season. And teammates Moises Alou and Jeff Bagwell led the Astros to the playoffs. And Barry Bonds was Barry Bonds.
     But getting back to the big boys... it's hard to imagine that things could have worked out better for baseball and its fans. To have a legendary record broken by McGwire, he of the massive biceps and monstrous tape-measure homers, would have been thrilling enough.
        But to have McGwire joined by smiling, effervescent Sammy Sosa (who no one expected to be there) was an added bonus. And Sosa also provided something special on all the magazine covers and television reports — a contrast in skin colour. The integration of baseball in 1947 is still the game's greatest legacy; watching these two guys break the record together was more than just a little special. And a year later, they did it all over again!
         Of course, there's still the question of who the MVP should be. I'm picking McGwire. I know all the arguments for Sosa — he produced more runs, he led his team to the playoffs, he played under greater pressure, he was better defensively and on the basepaths. And I have to admit, when a guy hits .308 with 66 home runs, it's tough to argue against him. I'm not going to badmouth this vote.
        But McGwire was the best player in the league. His OPS was 200 points higher than Sosa's, and that's not something you can ignore. Sure, Sosa helped an underwhelming Cubs team into the playoffs — but the Cardinals finished only six games behind the Cubs. And the Cardinals lost all five of their starting pitchers during the season, and also had the worst bullpen in the league. Simply put, McGwire helped his team win more games than any other player. And did I mention that he hit 70 home runs?
        Craig Biggio may have had his best season. In the 1990's, Biggio emerged as one of baseball's greatest second basemen, and he appears headed for the Hall Of Fame. This is unexpected; Biggio began his career with Houston in 1998, as a catcher. He was a catcher who could run but couldn't throw out runners; after a few seasons at that position, the Astros decided to try him at second base.
        Biggio responded to the move with a string of MVP-calibre seaosns. Twice he has led the league in runs scored, and three more times in doubles. In 1997 he was hit by 34 pitches, and he has been hit 197 times in his career. Biggio ended the 1990's with four straight season's of 160+ games played, which I think may be a record for a second baseman. At this writing, Biggio has over 2100 career hits, and is still going strong.
        This year, Biggio gets my vote behind McGwire and Sosa; not only was he great, but he helped the Astros into the playoffs. Then I'll choose Barry Bonds, for helping the Giants into a tie with the Cubs, and for just being Barry Bonds.