Dan Uggla is on pace to set some more team records, he already holds several.

The details are a little fuzzy, which is understandable, since Dan Uggla was 12 when it happened. He can't recollect the count, for example, or the name of the opposing pitcher. All he remembers is this about his first honest-to-goodness, over-the-fence home run:

''Left field. Mount Pleasant, Tennessee,'' he said.

Woo Hoo, I beat Danny in an offensive category.  My first honest-to-goodness over the fence home run happened when I was 11.  So if I use some fuzzy math and multiply some meaningless numbers, I think I can project myself into the Hall of Fame.

Anyway, back to the story at hand.

With the season nearing its halfway point, Uggla leads the majors with 23 home runs.

That puts him on pace to hit 49.

No Marlin has ever led the National League or the majors in homers.

No Marlin has ever hit more than the 42 Gary Sheffield put out in 1996.

No second baseman in big-league history has hit more than 43, the number Davey Johnson cranked out for the Atlanta Braves in 1973.

''He's the MVP right now,'' said outfielder Luis Gonzalez, the Marlins' resident sage.

The Astro faithful may argue that Berkman should be the mid-season MVP, but what do they know.  I'm onboard with the Danny vote.

In April, Uggla hit .255 with four home runs. Nothing special. In May, he hit .347 with 12 home runs. This month, he is hitting .287 with seven homers.

To many observers, Uggla has carried the Marlins offensively, turning them into one of the biggest surprise stories in the majors.

Historically May and June have been Danny's best months at the plate.  If he doesn't wear down in the heat of the summer, he could be on to something.

And yet Uggla is only fourth in All-Star voting among NL second basemen. The Phillies' Chase Utley -- Uggla's friendly archrival -- is way ahead.

''I think you've got to give him serious consideration,'' Gonzalez said of Uggla's MVP chances.

``He's leading the league in extra-base hits. Of course, Utley's getting a lot of hype because he's leading the National League in voting for All-Stars. But you've got to consider where we're playing, too.''

Vote for Danny and Hanley while you're at it.

GameFish speaks to the park situation.

Uggla is starting to receive national attention, though.

He is featured on the cover of USA Today's Sports Weekly this week, and Sports Illustrated had him posing for photos over the weekend inside the visitors' dugout in Oakland. In that series,

Now, it's all starting to make sense. FishStripes is featured in the blogging baseball part of USA Today's Sports Weekly in the same issue.  You betcha, we're riding on Danny's coattails.  And I can't think of a better way to travel.