Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

The greatest relief pitcher of all time will be back in pinstripes in 2013. The Yankees announced this morning that Mariano Rivera has signed for next season. After a freak pre-game knee injury in May 2012, Rivera vowed to return. Now, that promise is on paper. While there's no guarantee he'll appear in the first spring training game, the Yankees are set to open Grapefruit League play on February 23rd against the Atlanta Braves.

From March 2010, Cliff Lee on the mound as the Mariners visit the Rangers in Surprise, Arizona,

Did you hold onto old scorecards or yearbooks? This fan, whom I met at an autograph show a couple of years ago, was quite proud of the Yankees who've autographed it -- I can spot such names as Bobby Richardson, Ralph Terry, Steve Hamilton, Jack Reed and manager Ralph Houk. Which others do you notice?

In organized baseball's nearly 150-year history, there are three men that tower above all others: Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and Marvin Miller. Yes, this diminutive man who never suited up, never wore a glove or swung a bat ranks in the Pantheon. This former Steelworkers Union attorney, recruited to lead a near-impotent Players Association by Jim Bunning, Robin Roberts and Harvey Kuenn, changed the game as much or more than Jackie or the Babe. Convincing the players that they were grossly undervalued and underpaid, he led a labor revolution that raised all the boats! Miller began the legal process that led to free agency, which opened the door to baseball the way we now know it While the owners may have resented (more likely plain hated) this determined man of law and principle, his leadership transformed the game's labor/management relationship and led to the mega-money deals that have infused the national pastime with riches never before imagined. I met Marvin in the wi...

My first visit to Camden Yards came in 1995. What stands out in this picture? Cal Ripken, the runner at 1st base -- always good to have a picture of a Hall of Famer in action. He'd just stroked a single. Mo Vaughn, playing 1st base for Boston. He's wearing uniform number 42. And both seem to be focused on the video replay in right field. Who's #2 for Baltimore? Bret Barbrie, entering the game as a pinch-runner for ironman Ripken, who's getting the rest of this 10-1 Orioles loss off.

One of my more unique baseball nights of 2012 was covering Andy Pettitte's "rehab" start in late April for the Yankees' AA farm club, the Trenton Thunder.

After an injury-riddled 2012 season lowlighted by seven weeks on the disabled list, Phillies ace Roy Halladay waits for a fresh and healthy start to the new year.

The New Britain Rock Cats mascot, from June 2012. Is it because of the San Diego Chicken that most sports team mascots resemble birds??

Yesterday on MLB Network's HOT STOVE morning program, at the end of a segment on the Milwaukee Brewers promotion of fan-designed uniforms, host Matt Vasgerian mentioned the worst logo in team history. This overlaid M and B, with bats on a diamond just didn't work visually or aesthetically. Ironically, it was the logo the Brewers used on my one and only visit to Milwaukee in 1994. The "souvenir cup" I held onto from County Stadium has long served my house as a pen holder. And odds are, it's one of the few remaining with that short-lived and unattractive logo.

From May 2008: Another "intersection" of Mets ballparks. Shea Stadium in its final season, with Citi Field rising in the parking lot. The backdrop of Shea's scoreboard stands in-between as seen from the Willets Point subway station,

Checking the calendar, I found a couple of Mets birthdays -- one of which gave me the excuse to post this poster-sized reproduction of the very first Mets Yearbook, that hangs framed in the corridor leading to the field entrance at Citi Field. Cake and candles go to Dwight Gooden, the last Met before R.A. Dickey to win the Cy Young Award. And it's worth remembering Harry Chiti , who caught 15 games for those "original" Mets and earned a major league first. On April 25th, 1962, Chiti was obtained from the Indians for a player-to-be-named later. He turned out to be THAT player. The Mets send him back to Cleveland on June 15th to complete the deal -- making him the first player ever to be traded for himself.

A wider-field view of R.A. Dickey in action against the Diamondbacks last May at Citi Field.

R.A. Dickey is the first knuckleballer ever win a Cy Young Award. The unconventional Mets ace pulled it off with a 20-victory season highlighted by consecutive one-hitters. He also led to National League with 230 strikeouts. Take a good look at the grip -- what really ought to be called a "fingertip ball" defies gravity and often logic. Dickey is not your typical athlete. Last winter, he published the insightful autobiography  Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball . He also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to benefit a charity for at-risk women in Mumbai. Combining a demeanor more akin to a college professor than a pro athlete with intense determination -- not sticking in the majors until he was 35 -- and woven around the game's trickiest pitch, Dickey wrote one of baseball's nicest stories in 2012.

Davey Johnson has won almost everywhere he's managed: his 1986 Mets won the World Series; his Cincinnati Reds twice finished atop the NL Central; he skippered the Orioles to their final divisional title of the 20th century. Though he didn't reach the post-season with the Dodgers, he still put together an impressive resume... which wasn't enough to get him back to the majors between 2000 and 2010. Reported friction with owners in Cincinnati and Baltimore didn't help. Johnson finally got "the call" from the Washington Nationals during 2011. Taking over a team brimming with good prospects (like his mid-'80s Mets), they ruled the NL East in 2012, holding off the Braves and leaving the aging 5-time defending champ Phillies in the dust. Despite a heartbreaking final-game loss to the Cardinals in the Division Series, Johnson was the logical winner for Manager of the Year -- pulling 23 of the 28 first-place votes. With a full season of cornerstone players Step...

Bryce Harper is the youngest position player ever to win National League Rookie of the Year honors. Playing most of the season at age 19, the Washington Nationals outfielder hit 270 with 22 home runs and 59 RBIs. Those 22 homers were the second most by a teenager -- only Tony Conigliaro of the 1964 Red Sox had more, 24. These pictures came from my July visit to Washington for the Nats - Mets series. Mike Trout of the Angels was the unanimous American League Rookie of the Year. The 21-year-old batted.326 with 30 home runs to become the youngest player to ever win the AL award. I caught him against the Yankees in mid-July.

Things never worked out for Jason Bay in New York. His three Mets seasons were a mix of puzzlingly poor performances and freakish injuries which sidelined him for extended periods. This came in contrast to the fine seasons with the Pirates and Red Sox that earned him a four-year big money contract as a winter 2010 free agent. Both sides have now moved on as the Mets announced late last week that they'd bought out the final year of Bay's deal.

From August 2011: a well-executed hit and run play by the Phillies. Shane Victorino takes off toward second base as Placido Polanco hits the grounder toward the right side of the infield.  Notice that the Mets second baseman is playing close to the bag, opening a big gap which Polanco takes advantage of. It squirts through, advancing Victorino and giving the Phillies runners on 1st and 2nd.

Turning 39 today, Johnny Damon enjoyed a very productive career with the Royals, A's and especially the Red Sox and Yankees. Sporting a combination of speed, extra-base power and a keen eye at the plate, he earned World Series rings with Boston in 2004 and the Yankees five years later. And reporters loved him -- Johnny was always a good quote machine for the papers and SportsCenter. One thing more: Damon's also clearly the best major leaguer ever born on November 5th. According to baseball-reference.com , there really are just three standouts from this date on the calendar -- Javy Lopez and Lloyd Moseby being the others.