Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

There are plenty of players who'll feel pressure to produce in 2012. Carlos Beltran might be among the most scrutinized, as he joins the Cardinals, where he will help to fill the void in the lineup after Albert Pujols left for the Angels. He's been a Royal, an Astro, a Met and Giant -- but is still waiting to play in his first World Series.

From the BAT Dinner: Cecil Fielder was in New York the day his son Prince signed his mammoth contract with the Tigers. Slugging certainly runs in the family. Entering 2012, they rank second among father-son duos with an aggregate 549 home runs -- 233 fewer than the Griffeys.

From the BAT Dinner: the '62 Mets had plenty to set them apart -- such as having two pitchers with the same first and last names on the team at the same time!  Bob "Lefty" Miller, a one-time Tigers "bonus baby," was traded by the Reds to the Mets on May 7th, 1962 (along with Cliff Cook) in exchange for Don Zimmer. While he appeared in just 17 games for New York, his fame went beyond baseball. Bob and his righthanded namesake teammate appeared on a memorable episode of TV's To Tell the Truth -- when, thanks to their names, they were both the "correct" contestant. And the third man who tried to stump the celebrity panel was ANOTHER Bob Miller from baseball. He'd pitched for the Phillies for most of the 1950s (but never got the chance to join the other two Bobs on Casey Stengel's team).

From the 2012 BAT Dinner: Solly Hemus was a member of Casey Stengel's coaching staff on the Original 1962 New York Mets. An infielder who spent most of his career with the Cardinals, Hemus also coached for the team in '63. But his greatest contribution to the organization may well have come three years later: he was Tom Seaver's minor league manager at Jacksonville in 1966. The next year, Seaver graduated to the majors, winning NL Rookie of the Year honors as his first step toward Cooperstown.

I saw Gary Carter play dozens of times in his 19-year career. But I only have two pictures of him. One, near the end of his career, was of him stretching before a 1991 game at Dodger Stadium. Until I magnified this, I wasn't even sure he was in it. Once I saw the man wearing number-8, I cropped and zoomed in to focus on Gary. The other came with him out of uniform. Before a 2007 Spring Training game, he was honored for having managed the St. Lucie Mets to the previous year's Florida State League title. It says much about his love of the game that this Hall of Fame player loved working with young players, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with those just beginning their professional journey.

At the BAT Dinner, Wally Backman was one of several 1986 Mets who spoke respectfully and with great sensitivity about Gary Carter. The most memorable quote, "Gary wasn't just a teammate, he was like a brother to a lot of us. A great human being. I don't know if anybody ever said anything bad about Gary." Three weeks after this event, Carter lost his battle with brain cancer at just 57.

From the BAT Dinner: Ralph Kiner was on hand to sign autographs and share some of his wealth of baseball stories. Fittingly, his table was given the backdrop copied from the set of his iconic post-game TV show.

From the BAT Dinner: he was the youngest of the 1962 Mets, playing in the Polo Grounds just three months after graduating from James Monroe High School in the Bronx. Kranepool went onto play in 18 seasons. Amazingly, he was a teammate of both Gil Hodges and Jesse Orosco -- combined, their three major league careers spanned 1943 to 2003!

From the BAT Dinner: Sandy Koufax, Al Leiter and (standing) Tom Seaver combined for 638 career victories. Rather impressive when they came together at the autograph table. (And believe me, trying to angle the camera between lots and lots of outstretched arms to capture this was not easy!)

From the BAT dinner: teammates on the Mets 1973 pennant winners, George "Stork" Theodore and Jerry Koosman.

Back in 2009, I was at Citi Field the evening the recently drafted Hakeem Nicks threw the first pitch before a Mets game. Tonight, Nicks showed why he deserved being a 1st round selection. He was a key cog, catching 10 Eli Manning passes in the Giants 21 - 17 Super Bowl XLVI victory over the Patriots. http://mikemccann.blogspot.com/2009/06/misty-and-foggy.html Sometimes, you're just lucky to be in the right place. Congratulations to the G-Men!

What description would you attach to the former Mets and Braves 2nd baseman? Smooth, savvy, sound (as in fundamentals)... Do you remember his unique choked-up batting grip? This two-time gold glove winner was among the recent guests at the BAT dinner.

Choo Choo Coleman appeared at BAT event's salute to the 1962 Mets. Hardly the quote machine that teammates Bob Miller, Rod Kanehl or Richie Ashburn were, Coleman has rarely been seen in New York since his big league career ended in 1966. Perhaps his small stature (just 5'8) and distinctive nickname made him a kind of symbol for the most inept ballclub of the second half of the 20th century. But he deserves better. It was nice to get a chance to meet him -- and for him to receive the warm greeting of fans who recall his days at the Polo Grounds.