Craig Biggio announced his retirement last night before the game:

After a 20-year career in which he stayed with one franchise, played multiple positions at an All-Star level and joined the elite 3,000 hit club, the Houston Astros infielder said Tuesday he will retire at the end of this season.

"There are a lot of guys that have the game taken away from them by injury," he said. "For me to be able to walk away now, on top, on my own accord, I'm very happy with that. I'm in a good place. I think I've done everything that I was supposed to do on a baseball field. I have nothing to be disappointed about."

He certainly punctuated his announcement with a bang:

Houston Astros second baseman Craig Biggio (7) waves to his wife after hitting a grand slam in the sixth inning. The Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4, July 24, 2007 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.

Photo: Bob Levey/Icon SMI

Just to show how players have grown, Biggio appears small to me, but he's the same height and weight as two other players with 3000 hits, Willie Mays and Carl Yastrzemski. (All are 5' 11" and weight between 180 and 185 pounds.) That's another thing that gets left out as a cause of the great offensive era we're in. That players are a lot bigger than the superstars of the previous generation.

Congratulations to Craig Biggio on a great career!