Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

From the other team in town... the first yearbook (Mets or Yankees) I left intact. Come on, admit it, didn't you at least once, cut out the pictures from a yearbook and put them on your bedroom walls?  Note the World's Fair logo in the lower right hand corner, as well as the artist's rendering of what Shea was supposed to look like.

From 50 years ago, albeit a bit weather-worn, the oldest program or yearbook I've held onto through the years.

Don't you enjoy it when a sponsor comes up with a clever way to pitch their product? I have to tip my hat to Chick Fil A -- who riffs on their usual "Eat Mor Chicken" theme while sponsoring the foul poles at Trenton's Arm & Hammer Park.

Perhaps escape isn't quite the right word to use when a ballplayer agrees to a five-year contract worth nearly $100-million. I wasn't surprised that Pablo Sandoval found that money, but that it came from a club other than the Giants. After three World Series titles in five years, he heads to Boston, where he'll join another paunchy star David Ortiz in a suddenly fortified Red Sox lineup. And much like a year ago, when Robinson Cano took more dollars to join the Mariners, instead of choosing to becoming a lifelong Yankee as were Jeter, Mantle and Ford, Pablo Sandoval's place in Giants history will be briefer and end more harshly than did the tenures of Mays, McCovey and Marichal.

He played the glamour position for the most famous team in sports and married the most glamorous actress in Hollywood. Paul Simon considered him the kind of boyhood hero worth mentioning in "Mrs. Robinson." The Yankee Clipper Joe DiMaggio. Number 5 in Pinstripes. Born November 25th, 1914.

Word began to spread Sunday night that free agent Hanley Ramirez had signed a 5-year contract with the Red Sox. He adds a dynamic presence to the left side of the Boston infield, where youngsters Xander Bogaerts and Will Middlebrooks had struggled. It's a homecoming for the native of the Dominican Republic -- he was one of the Red Sox' top prospects before being traded to the Marlins in the 2005 deal for Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett. Since then, he's built an impressive "back of the baseball card." So his circle is complete, returning to Boston, but now as a veteran -- a three-time All Star and six-time 20 home run slugger -- with greater expectations and a steep pricetag. Seen here from a May 2014 game at Citi Field, I'll close this gallery out with a dugout shot of Ramirez with the Dodgers young star Yasiel Puig, whose speed, power and batting prowess could easily be compared to Ramirez. We'll see how his 2015 goes without that older mentor to...

Forgive the wordplay on the Hall and Oates hit. I did want to take note of the departure of Zelous Wheeler, who followed an impressive spring training with a strong first half of 2014 in Scranton before being promoted to the Yankees bench in July. He played 29 games and showed occasional power. Still, that wasn't enough to keep a spot on the 40-man roster. On Thursday, we learned that the Yanks had sold his contract to the Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League -- the same team that Masahiro Tanaka starred for before coming to the U.S. (I caught Wheeler in action against the Blue Jays last July.)

Ballclubs always adjust their 40-man rosters at this time of year. That means we see some familiar names being cut loose (in baseball jargon, "Designated for Assignment"). One that caught my eye -- and that of many Yankee fans -- was Ramiro Pena . A backup infielder who first came to the majors with the championship-bound 2009 Yanks, he fell behind Eduardo Nunez on the organizational pecking order. Pena has been a Brave the past couple of seasons. I always liked the way he played defense -- seemed like he'd enjoy a good career as a utility player, And he probably will, just elsewhere. I wonder if the Mets might look at this fundamentally sound player as a possible everyday shortstop option, especially if they shudder at the thought of the defensively limited Wilmer Flores and Daniel Murphy as a middle-infield combo for 2015. (This image is from a Braves/Mets game last July at Citi Field.)

From July 24th, 2014: Yankees prospect Luis Severino gets ready to release a fastball. Check out the grip: two fingers on the seams. Just 20 years old last summer, he could be a September call-up next season,

Remember the neon-outlined running player depicted on the outside of Shea Stadium?

Brooklyn's MCU Park, home of the short-season Single A Cyclones, remains one of the most picturesque ballparks in any league. Part of the fun is seeing highly rated prospects, such as the Mets top 2014 draft choice, outfielder Michael Conforto (above). But how many places give you an amusement park as the backdrop? Here's another good looking Mets prospect, outfielder John Mora.  Pull the zoom back reveals the fan friendly stands that keep everyone close to the action.  Below, one more look at Conforto, who played his college ball at Oregon State.  One final look at the sparking allure of a roller coaster.

The Marlins rocked the baseball world with Monday's announcement of a record-setting contract with Giancarlo Stanton . The numbers are eye-popping -- $325-million over 13 years -- for the young superstar who ranks with Mike Trout in the discussion of the game's best young players. And while the deal contains an opt-out clause that could allow Stanton to become a free agent six years from now, it also contains a no-trade clause, the first ever given by the Miami organization. OK, we could get into the debate whether any player deserves this kind of money -- especially guaranteed in advance. But that's how the market is set today. And clubs have come to realize -- take note of the massive $82-million deal Russell Martin just received -- that there is no cheap route to hold onto or bring aboard top veteran talent. Pay up or watch them go elsewhere. Thus, the normally fiscally risk-averse -- dare I say, cheap -- Marlins are making a statement that they want to build aroun...

Tom Seaver , seen here at the 2012 BAT Dinner, turns 70 today. Not just one of the greatest pitchers of the 1960s and '70s, he was a transformative player -- the symbol of the Mets leaving their "lovable loser" era and progressing through respectability to champions in just a span of three years. Who else had such a dramatic effect on a franchise? Jackie Robinson, sure. Babe Ruth, absolutely. Walter Johnson, perhaps. But who else arrived and instantly drew a line in the sand that redefined their team's image and identity? The Giants were great before Willie Mays arrived at the Polo Grounds, There were Cardinal titles and heroes before Stan became The Man. And Spahn and Sain had written plenty of Braves history prior to Hank Aaron. But Seaver's arrival from USC was different. The 1967 National League Rookie of the Year brought a presence, a professionalism that quickly powerwashed away the residue of Marvelous Marv and the entertainingly awful early Mets. That...

Phillies infield prospect Freddy Galvis turns 25 today (Friday). I've always found him enigmatic: impressive in brief bursts, but never consistently productive. Of course, being stuck being long-entrenched middle infielders Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley hasn't helped. He's shown surprising power for a smallish guy -- but has yet to play a full season in the majors. These images are from a Spring Training game last March 4th against the Blue Jays. Perhaps his most impressive achievement in 2014 was a booming home rum off Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees two days later (when my camera was locked onto Tanaka; I missed Galvis' swing and contact). Another moment of potential... or another flash in the pan?

The Yankees completed their first off-season trade yesterday, sending popular but under-used backup catcher Francisco Cervelli to the Pirates for lefty reliever Justin Wilson , Bouncing back from injuries and a PED suspension, the Venezuelan product hit over .300 for the first time in 2014.  But between Brian McCann having four years remaining on his Yankee contract, an a wave of promising catching prospects such as John Ryan Murphy and Gary Sanchez, "Cervi" was deemed expendable -- especially to a club seeking lefthanded relievers. From the Pirates perspective, with Russell Martin a free agent coming off the best season of his career and former first round draft pick Tony Sanchez failing to live up to expectations, bringing in an experienced catcher was a must. Pittsburgh fans might be seeing a lot of Cervelli in 2015.

Buck Showalter, seen here just after his Orioles wrapped up an April win at Yankee Stadium, was announced yesterday as the 2014 American League Manager of the Year. Oddly, he's now won it three times, at ten-year intervals, with three different clubs -- the 1994 Yankees, the 2004 Texas Rangers and now the 2014 Orioles. This year might have been his best work -- despite losing star players Matt Wieters and Manny Machado to season-ending injuries, Buck's birds won 96 games and ran away and hid 12 games ahead of expensive-but-flawed Yankees.

Jose Abreu of the White Sox quickly became the epitome of an impact player. He had no trouble adjusting to the major leagues or playing in a big city -- he belted 10 home runs in April and was named both the AL Rookie and Player of the Month. By the end of September, he totaled 36 home runs, a .317 batting average and a league-leading .581 slugging percentage. Clearly, Abreu had made a strong impression. Monday, the Cuban expat announced as the unanimous winner of the 2014 American League Rookie of the Year. He not only caught the sportswriters' attention -- when I saw him against the Yankees in August, he also made a friend in field level seats.

I last saw Gabe Kapler in 2011 when he was in Dodger camp on a minor league contract. Since he failed to make the club that spring, he was never officially a Dodger -- until now. The Southern California native, whose major league career began with the Tigers and included time with the Rangers, Rockies, Red Sox, Brewers and Rays, spent last season as FOX Sports analyst. And now, at last, he's a Dodger. He joins the organization as Director of Player Development. He's home at last.

Eric Chavez just rang down the curtain on a productive 17-year career with the A's, Yankees and Diamondbacks. The six-time Gold Glove winner will remain in the game as a Yankees special assignment scout. I caught him last May, keeping on the action from the D'backs dugout at Citi Field.

From June 1992: the Yankees take batting practice before a game at the old, cavernous Cleveland Stadium. Taken from the upper deck, the distance makes it almost impossible to make out any numbers. I think I recognize Mel Hall's #27 to the right of the cage. But that's about it. Do you see anything noteworthy? Did you ever see a game at this venerable ballpark? If so, post it as a comment.

Congratulations to Mets center fielder Juan Lagares, named yesterday as the National League's Gold Glove winner at his position. Steady and rangy, rather than splashy or spectacular, the 25 year-old from the Dominican is just the third Mets outfielder ever to win a Gold Glove (Tommy Agee and Carlos Beltran were the others). If you go by cybermetrics, check out his defensive stats and extrapolations here . Or, if you just judge by you see, he's the kind of fundamentally sound player that helped the Royals and Giants make it to the World Series. Add to that a better year at the plate, where he kept his average above .280, the Mets very quietly have a building block to go along with Lucas Duda, Travid d'Arnaud and David Wright -- plus all those good young pitchers.

Longtime Braves centerfielder Brett Butler was the Marlins 3rd base coach this past season. Did you realize he stands 25th alltime in stolen bases with 558? Not only does she he share his name with the Southern comedienne, but they're almost the same age. The baseball Butler is 7-1/2 months older than his comedy doppelganger.

Time for taking note of a milestone -- this is my 1000th post since launching this blog seven years ago this month. To honor the occasion, I thought I'd share the very first photo I'd used here -- it's from Dodgertown during spring training of 2007. One of those times when the lighting, setting and action come together in an almost-magical way. Thanks for making my place a regular stop of yours. One thing more to share, here's my essay that served as a kind of mission statement. I think it still holds true, as I look forward to the next thousand photos and stories: First of all, welcome! My goal in launching this site is to share my enthusiasm and tap into yours for the hobbies and passions that have long been essential parts of our lives. Having been an active and at times rabid baseball fan since 1961, I've spend a large part of every spring, summer and early fall following the unsurpassed day by day drama that is baseball. Images we joyously absorb and hold...