Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

Cleaning out the drawers of a table we decided to junk, I found this unused sheet of the special issue postage stamps honoring classic ballparks. To be honest, I'd forgotten I had this (a bad symptom of being a packrat). I'd been to six of these legendary parks -- Tiger and Yankee Stadiums, The Polo Grounds, Fenway, old Comiskey Park and Wrigley Field. How about you? And, like me, did you buy these stamps -- and not use them??

This Citi Field picture from the center field seats at a Subway Series game last July tells quite a story: The fans in the front row are snapping away as Mariano Rivera enters in the 9th inning to nail down the victory. He's nearing the all-time record for saves, which he'd reach two-and-a-half months later. And we're not seeing traditional cameras, but camera-phones. Now, a big chunk of the crowd can focus on a legendary player and bring home their own souvenir, one that says, "I was there. I saw him. I captured a piece of history." Yes, it was a good Yankee season and a difficult one for the Mets. But look at the volume of Yankee fans, all in that front row, most wearing Yankee replica gear -- in the Mets' home park!

This summer at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies unveiled a statue of their beloved broadcaster Harry Kalas. It's located in Ashburn Alley, the concourse beyond the outfield fence that's named for his longtime on-partner Richie Ashburn. Standing seven feet high, the monument is near the entrance to Harry the K's, the restaurant at the base of the ballpark's towering scoreboard. Kalas, the voice of the Phillies for 38 years, as well as a prominent narrator for NFL Films, died in April 2009.

A report this weekend has the Athletics owners finalizing a plan for the long-beleaguered franchise to move to San Jose. Citing an outmoded stadium, seen here in 1993 before it was reconfigured to accommodate football when the Raiders returned to Oakland, the A's say the Coliseum won't ever enable them to be financially sound. And even in its original design, it was never baseball-centric. This round, multi-purpose bowl from the 1960s is out of touch with where stadium design has evolved. It's not retro, and lacks the profit-making amenities (superboxes, restaurants, endless variety of concessions) you find almost everywhere. Fans sit a long way from the action. Despite the best efforts of every owner since Charles O. Finley, the Coliseum -- which has had many sponsored names over the years -- is apparently not a viable home for a ballclub. The A's finished dead last in attendance this year. Read more about the latest plan to leave Oakland here .

Congratulations to Regis Philbin, who retired today after a terrific 28 year run on morning TV here in New York, and across the country. This lifelong (and very vocal) Yankee fan certainly lucked out on the day he threw out the first pitch before a game: September 19th, 2011, when Mariano Rivera made history with his 602nd career save. He gets a handshake and the ball back from Yankee catcher Russell Martin.

I got a look at Matt Kemp during Cactus League play back in March. While looking serious about preparing for the season, no one could have predicted what he'd achieve. His near-triple-crown season for the Dodgers have now paid off in an eight-year, $160-million contract extension. Despite the Dodgers' still uncertain ownership, it's clear they'll hold on to their best player for the rest of the decade.

The Phillies landed the first big free agent of the winter, agreeing to a 4-year $50-million deal with Jonathan Papelbon. We hope he likes the contour and feel of the mound he's working on -- these pictures were taken as he closed an inter-league game at Citizens Bank Park last June.

A real blast from the past: Cincinnati's long-gone Riverfront Stadium. (Below:) Manager Lou Piniella and coach Tony Perez lean on the batting cage, watching 2nd baseman Bill Doran take his cuts. Look how trends have swung away from what you see here -- the artificial turf, the round concrete "multi-purpose design," the limited amount of advertising space on the walls. 20 years later, Riverfront is gone, as are its "cousins," Busch, Three Rivers and Veterans Stadium.

In my "other life," I often ask the recording stars I interview if they're baseball fans. One of the strongest "yes" answers I've gotten came from Tom Johnston of The Doobie Brothers. Speaking with him before last night's show in Ridgefield, Connecticut, we talked plenty of rock and roll -- as well as his Bay Area ballclub -- and how being on stage kept him from watching them clinch their title in 2010 -- breaking a streak of never winning a World Series during their four decades at Candlestick. Keep on rockin', Tom!