Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

The Washington Nationals young age Steven Strasburg is one baseball's rising stars. But with reports surfacing that he's now being treated for forearm tightness, questions will undoubtedly arise about the way the team treats him. Is he being babied, his workload restricted to lower the odds of future injury? In 2012, his first full year after Tommy John surgery, his innings were limited and he was shut down by the team in September -- never appearing in the playoffs, where Washington, unable to use him, lost to the Cardinals. Are injuries inevitable? Are they the result of overwork? And are the Nationals right or wrong in thinking they can prevent them -- especially with word of another problem.

With the Mets starting lefthander Jon Niese on Sunday, Ryan Howard began the game on the bench. Over the last few seasons -- and especially since returning from that torn achilles tendon, southpaws have been like Krytonite to the big 1st baseman. So Kevin Frandsen started in his place. But when the Phils threatened againt Niese -- and Mets skipper Terry Collins replaced him with righty Scott Atchison, it was time to take Howard out of mothballs. This was the swing on his booming double that put the Phils ahead to stay, as they completed a series sweep in New York.

The Yankees keep winning, while losing important players. Last night, Francisco Cervelli who'd become their primary catcher, was hit by a foul tip on the fifth pitch of the game. He's gone for six weeks with a broken hand. Starting pitcher Ivan Nova, after struggling through the first two innings, left two batters into the 3rd inning with elbow pain. After handing the ball to Joe Girardi, Nova leaves with trainer Steve Donahue.

The impressive Korean import Hyun-jin Ryu kept the Mets batters off-stride in Thursday's 3-2 Dodgers victory at Citi Field. Sitting along the first base line, we noticed the sign in the picture at the lower right. For fans of our age, I wondered if someone was trying to channel the spirit of the late Shea "Sign Man" Karl Ehrhardt. Once I downloaded and cropped the picture, I realized it was not so much an homage to Ehrhardt, as a salute to Korean pop sensation Psy. The sunglass-wearing singer whose "Gangnam Style" video became a worldwide sensation just released his latest single, titled "Gentleman." Now, take a look at the woman behind the sign -- and the woman in the red sweatshirt to its right. What are they wearing?? Psy-style specs. And giving a ballpark shout-out as the pitcher from Korea was making the Mets dance to his tune. 

Jordany Valespin grabbed the headlines last night at Citi Field. Hitting with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning, he took LA's Josh Wall over the wall. That was the Mets' first walk-off grand slam since Kevin McReynolds in 1991. Final score: Mets 7 - Dodgers 3.

Here's a split-second play from June 2012: Trenton's Rob Lyerly slides in just ahead of the throw to score against New Britain. Notice how the ball is snug inside the catcher's mitt.

Oswaldo Arcia was the most impressive minor league prospect I saw in 2012. I caught him a couple of times with the Twins' double-A club in New Britain where he showed a smooth and powerful swing (with 10 homers and a .328 average over 69 games). Tonight, I noticed that he'd belted his first major league homer for the Twins -- and I wasn't surprised.. Knowing the way that organization builds from within, I suspect we'll see a lot more of the Venezuelan native this year as Minnesota rebuilds.

Yankee teammates Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams claimed a baseball "Famous First" on April 23rd, 2000. At the SkyDome in Toronto: Posada and Williams each hit home runs left and right-handed in New York's 10-7 win over the Blue Jays. It's the first time ever that a pair of switch hitters accomplished that in the same game for the same team. From the game recap on baseball-reference.com , there were more parallels. Both men homered in the 1st and 4th innings. And both also singled, giving them three hits (and nine total bases) on the day. Arguably the second and third-best switch hitters in Yankee history (there was this guy from Oklahoma named Mantle...), Williams and Posada both fall in the Hall of "Very Good." Not quite Cooperstown-calibre players, they're long-term legends who played their entire careers in the Bronx and one day deserve to have their numbers retired.

Mets GM Sandy Alderson is likely taking mental notes while watching his team during batting practice before Friday night's home game. What does he detect in outfielder Mike Baxter's swing? Or has something else caught his watchful eye? Maybe it's something the previous batter did, or someone running in the outfield or doing some sprints. A lot goes through a general manager's mind when your team has plenty of room for improvement.

Looking for something different to post, I found this picture taken before a Phillies/Reds game at Riverfront Stadium in the summer of 1992. That's Jeff Grotewald with the bat; I can't tell who's the fielder. And, yes, it's artificial turf. Almost extinct today, it was still a staple of National League ball in the early 1990s, especially in multi-purpose stadiums such as the one in Cincinnati.

From July 2012: the Nats host the Mets before a packed house at Nationals Park.

From August 2012: Phillies slugger Ryan Howard twists out of the way as Mets lefty Jon Niese delivers one high and very inside.

Has any one figure changed baseball and American society as much as Jackie Robinson? On the day we honor the man who broke baseball's color line, here's a look at the display honoring him at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

With the movie 42  opening today in theaters, here's Jackie Robinson's Dodgers home uniform from 1956 on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Talk about bridging  generations, it was the final season of his playing career -- and the first when the Dodgers wore this now-iconic design with the red numerals below the team script.

If I ask, "Who hit the first home run in Atlanta Braves history," you'd likely think first of Hank Aaron, Maybe fellow Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews. Or hard-hitting Felipe Alou. They were all in manager Bobby Bragan's lineup -- and you be wrong. That "famous first" belongs to Joe Torre -- actually, the catcher belted a pair of solo homers, in the 5th and 13th innings, for the only Braves' runs of the night. Willie Stargell proved to be the difference-maker, with a two-run homer in the top of the 13th off Tony Cloninger that put Pittsburgh ahead to stay in a 3 - 2 win over the Braves. The box score and details are on baseball-reference,com . Torre's first homer was the first for the Braves in Atlanta as well as the first ever at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, which over the next 30 years built a reputation as "the launching pad."

On April 11th, 1912, the New York Highlanders wore pinstriped uniforms for the first time. The ballclub became the Yankees a year later. Babe Ruth arrived in New York seven years after that. And they didn't move to the Bronx until 1923. But the stylish accent that's become one their visual trademarks -- and modeled so well since 1995 by Derek Jeter -- was first seen on this date in 1912.

Most of the time, I'll focus on the batter with that perfect swing who drives the ball into the stands. But what about the fans? I love the reaction here, both down the left field line and in the outfield seats as the ball completes its flight for a Mets home run last summer at Citi Field.

I shot the last half of Friday's Mets/Marlins game from the photographer's box just to the left of the Mets dugout. It gave me the chance to capture some portraits that convey the emotion of the players as they get ready for an at-bat or just come off the field. Mets 2nd baseman Daniel Murphy getting ready for his turn -- which turned out be a three-run homer that brought his team closer in the 7th inning. What would you call his expression -- intensity, determination, studious??

I didn't see Giancarlo Stanton with the Marlins back in March, as he was playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. So with Miami visiting the Mets at Citi Field Friday night, I wanted to take a good long look at one of baseball's brightest young stars. Stanton made headlines over the winter by sharply criticizing Miami's owner Jeffrey Loria after he purged the club of the high-priced talent he imported just a year earlier -- in a failed attempt to build a winning team as its pricey new domed stadium opened. His big moment came in the top of the 9th inning when he smacked a line-drive double to left field. Stanton took third base on a throw home that nailed Placido Polanco and later scored on Justin Ruggiano's single -- an insurance run that helped Miami hold on for a 7 - 5 win on what turned into a bitterly cold night. (Click on either of the smaller pictures on the right to enlarge them.)

On a frosty early April night, two veteran lefthanders grabbed the baseball spotlight. Andy Pettitte (above) and Cliff Lee (right) dominated their opponents -- and helped their teams win for the first time in '13. How clutch were those performances?  No team ever wants to start a season 0 & 3! The majors' oldest starting pitcher, the 40-year-old Pettitte held the Red Sox in check, allowing just a run and scattering eight hits over eight innings (Mariano Rivera capped this Sunshine Boys night for New York -- the 43 year old earning the save, the 69th time Mo has saved a Pettitte victory). Lee was even more impressive, shutting out the Braves on two hits over eight. He and closer Jonathan Pappelbon even made history -- the Phils' victory ended a record run of victories by Atlanta, who had won the last 23 games started by Kris Medlen.

The Braves had big plans when they united the Upton Brothers this year, signing BJ as a free agent from Tampa Bay and trading for Justin from Arizona. So far, things have worked out well for the younger of the siblings. Justin has homered in each of the Braves first two games -- off Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay -- as Atlanta jumped off to a 2 - 0 start.

A fter a good training camp, the well-traveled Byrd won the starting right fielder's job with the Mets. A .278 batter over 10-plus major league seasons, he's got the Phillies, Nationals, Rangers (where his numbers peaked in 2009), Cubs, and Red Sox on the back of his baseball card -- along with the scarlet letter of a PED suspension in 2012. Given a chance to redeem himself, he not only earned a roster spot, but a starting job with the Mets, where he bats fifth, between power hitters Ike Davis and Lucas Duda. Here are Byrd's career numbers courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

While the unexpected breakthroughs of Jackie Bradley Junior and Scott Rice are nice stories as the new season begins, a couple of familiar faces we'd seen in Florida didn't make the opening day rosters. Chone Figgins (above) a productive speedster with the Angels who failed miserably with the Mariners, was trying to restart his career with the Marlins. Though he hit well in the Grapefruit League, fielding issues outweighed his .300 average. Pedro Feliciano (below) never appeared in a regular season game during his two-year Yankee contract, due to injury. Returning to the Mets, he was hoping to claim a lefty specialist spot in the bullpen. But his fastball was stuck in the low-to-mid-80s and Terry Collins concluded that others were better options.

Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers turned in baseball's top Opening Day performance. How can you overlook a four-hit complete-game shutout of the arch-rival (and defending World Champion) Giants, with seven shutouts??  And in the league where pitchers still hit, Kershaw broke the scoreless tie with an 8th inning home run. That made him the first pitcher to throw an opening day shutout and belt a homer in 60 years -- since Hall of Fame Bob Lemon pulled that double feat for the 1953 Indians!

I'll admit it, I didn't recognize Scott Rice when I saw him warming in the Mets bullpen at Port Saint Lucie. After 14 years in the minor leagues, Rice's dream is about to come true. Today, he will finally enjoy an opening day in the majors. Drafted in 1999 by the Orioles, the 6'6 lefty bounced from team to team and even spent time in the independent Atlantic League with Long Island and Newark. Invited to Mets camp, he impressed manager Terry Collins with his ability to induce ground balls. So today at Citi Field, on a team with a big star (David Wright) and rising stars (Ike Davis and Matt Harvey), unheralded journeyman Scott Rice might have the best time of anyone -- soaking in the realization that all that work and those many setbacks finally paid off. Postscript : Rice made his major league debut in the Mets opening day victory over San Diego.