Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

Roberto Clemente 's death in a plane crash ferrying humanitarian aid to Nicaragua remains one of baseball's greatest offseason tragedies. Still at the top of his game -- and having ended the 1972 regular season with exactly 3000 hits -- the Pirates superstar chose to personally deliver supplies to the earthquake-stricken nation. Distrubed by reports that the Somoza dictatorship was stealing aid meant for the victims, Clemente felt his presence would keep things honest. Instead, the overloaded plane crashed not far from the Puerto Rican coast, with all aboard killed. Clemente's body was never found, only his briefcase was recovered. His legacy of leadership is honored in this statue outside the Pirates current home, PNC Park.

Bryce Harper enters 2018 knowing he's almost certain to be the most coveted free agent after the season. Coming off a dynamic but injury-shortened year, and still just 25, he probably just needs to stay healthy to claim an unprecedented windfall. There's only one small shred of doubt -- which perhaps the Nationals replacing manager Dusty Baker with Dave Martinez could overcome. His teams have never won a playoff series. Four times in the past six seasons, Washington has won the NL East -- and all seasons ended with Division Series losses. More than any other, baseball is a team game. Pitching failures can't be blamed on Harper. Playing in a weak division, where it's again possible the Nats will be the only club over .500, they appear to be a lock to return to the playoffs. Reaching the Championship Series or, even better, the World Series, could be the cherry on top for Bryce Harper's resume -- especially with uber-agent Scott Boras handling his negotiations.

During the Mets disappointing and injury-riddled 2017, Jacob de Grom was their one rock of consistency. Going 15 - 10, with 239 strikeouts in 201 innings, he lived up to expectations while Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Zach Wheeler and Steven Matz were sidelined or ineffective. This onetime infielder is also a respectable hitter. A .211 average last season, with a home run in 77 at bats, places him somewhere between Don Drysdale and Don Newcombe. But he needs a little work on the bat flip after a walk. It looks a little awkward in this attempt from the June 30th game against the Phillies.

From August 19th, 2007 : Shawn Hill of the Nationals pitching to Shawn Green of the Mets in a Sunday afternoon game at RFK Stadium. We're in the top of the 1st inning, with David Wright on 2nd base (and Washington shortstop Felipe Lopez just behind him). Green would fly out to end the inning... the Mets would go on to win this game 8 -2 . Take a good look over the field toward the outfield seats. This was the first of the circular multi-purpose stadiums, the model on which Busch Stadium II, Riverfront, Three Rivers and Veterans Stadiums were based.

With the northeast heading into a 10-day deep freeze, the time's right for some Spring Training memories. We're at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, Florida for an Astros/Tigers exhibition game in 2015. Blue skies with a slight haze. Temperature around 80. And how can you not love a setting where most home runs land between the palm trees?   George Springer (below) wasn't yet a household name in March of 2015. Just 78 games into his major league career, he was prepping for his first full season with the Astros -- which would take them to an American League Wild Card, a playoff win over the Yankees and a tough five-game ALDS where they'd lose to the eventual World Champion Royals. This would be Houston's next-to-last spring in Kissimmee -- in 2017, they joined the Washington Nationals in a new complex in Palm Beach.

I had just the right angle at the March 9th Yankees-Braves exhibition to capture the seams on the ball -- just above home plate -- after a swing-and-miss by Jacoby Ellsbury. The pitcher was Aaron Blair , who made just one appearance for the Braves in the 2017 regular season.

The stolen base king and greatest leadoff hitter of all time was born on Christmas Day. Rickey Henderson played 25 seasons in the majors -- and never stopped being an intimidating presence. He led the American League in steals 12 times -- the final time at age 39! While none of his five Yankee seasons ended in a post-season appearance, he's become a regular at their Old Timers Day. Since baseball already has its Mister October (Reggie Jackson) and Mister November (Derek Jeter), shouldn't we consider -- even though he never played a major league game on his birthday -- Rickey as Mister Christmas? Two other Hall of Famers were born on this date -- Nellie Fox , who teamed with fellow Cooperstown inductee Luis Aparicio on the great White Sox teams of the 1950s -- including the Go Go Sox that won the 1959 AL pennant; and Pud Galvin , the 19th century pitcher and the first 300-game winner in the game's history. Only one present-day player shares Rickey's birthday:...

From May 23rd: Chase Headley works the DubbleBubble while manning 3rd base for the Yankees.

...you share it with Red Sox DH/1st baseman Hanley Ramirez . Also getting their cake and candles today: Mitch Haniger , the Mariners outfielder who belted 16 homers in his an injury-shortened 2017 season. Jordany Valdespin , who offered glimspes of talent with the Mets a few years ago, but was hampered by inconsistency and poor attitude. Victor Martinez , the sweet-swinging catcher-turned-DH, a .298 career hitter over 15 major league seasons. Jerry Koosman , who spent 19 years pitching in the majors. He had 20-win seasons with both the Mets -- where he won two games in the 1969 World Series, including the complete-game clincher in game 5 -- and Twins. 

Just days after the Indians lost power-hitting 1st baseman Carlos Santana to the Phillies, the Tribe signed Yonder Alonso to take his spot. The players had comparable 2017 numbers -- the difference is that it was the first year the Miami product played at that level, while Santana has been a model of consistency in terms of power and on base percentage for seven years. Alonso is also a year younger. Oh, one big difference that the smaller-market Indians will benefit from: Alonso's two-year, $16 million deal in Cleveland is roughly one-quarter the cost of Santana's Philadelphia contract. That will give GM Mike Chernoff more money to either make up for the loss of reliever Bryan Shaw or set aside budget space for rising stars such as Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor. We'll see over the next year or two if this was smart economics or the case of a player having a career year at the most economically opportune moment. ( This image of Yonder Alonso is from an A's/Yan...

Like a lot of us, I've held onto some magazines tied to noteworthy events over the years. Celebrating 1998 's 125-win Yankees, this Sports Illustrated  has been stored in my basement for close to 20 years. The success of this Yankee team adds it to the conversation of which was the single best team ever. Was it the one whose season was capped by Scott Brosius's World Series MVP performance? That '98 club was certainly overpowering at times en route to 108 regular season wins. In the year the original Stadium turned 75, the Yanks matched the results of 1923 -- winning it all. There were standout seasons from Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill and Brosius -- who replaced Charlie Hayes at 3rd base and turned in a career year. On the mound, David Cone won 20; David Wells won 18 -- and tossed a perfect game on Mother's Day; "El Duque" Orlando Hernandez went 12 -4 and even the oft-maligned Hideki Irabu won a baker's dozen. But do you remember ...

Maikel Franco  appeared to be a cornerstone player of the Phillies' rebuilding process. 14 homers alongside a .280 average in 2015 with decent fielding at 3rd base seemed to mark him as a "keeper." But the club has seen him regress the last two seasons -- with his batting average dropping to .255 then .230, while his work habits were questioned. Is he the kind of player who might benefit from new teammate Carlos Santana taking him under his wing? Can new manager Gabe Kapler help him unlock his still-untapped potential? Keep in mind, he won't be 26 until August -- so he still has time to live up to his earlier promise, as the Phils firm up who their new core will be. The front office certainly has confidence in J.P. Crawford, who'll take over at shortstop from Freddy Galvis. 2nd baseman Scott Kingery will likely arrive mid-season. And Rhys Hoskins gave strong indications that he'll be a middle of the order bat for years to come. But will Franco earn a place...

As the epilogue to the big weekend trade between the Braves and Dodgers, Atlanta designated Adrian Gonzalez for assignment on Monday. More a shuffle of bad contracts and bookkeeping tricks designed to help L.A. drop below the luxury tax threshold, Gonzalez didn't seem to fit the Braves goal of building a young and talented team. And he didn't. Diminished by age and injury, he turned in the least productive season of his 14-year career in 2017. And with the glut of talented first baseman around the game, it might be very hard for him to find a guaranteed deal for next season, when he turns 36. Of course, an injury on some team or the sudden decline of a veteran could lead to a call to A-Gon's agent and a new job. But after a long run as one of baseball's better 1st basemen, the San Diego native is for the moment "On the Outside Looking In."

Manny Machado 's status this winter fits within the paraphrase of the classic song of The Clash. Admired as one of the game's absolutely best players, the Orioles shortstop will be a free agent a year from now, when he will be just 26. The Miami-area native has really blossomed the last three seasons, averaging 35 homers and 92 RBIs and adding strong defense. But playing for Baltimore owner Peter Angelos, whose track record in handing out big contracts is sketchy at best, makes his future status uncertain. Plus, he'll be another mega-talent reaching free agency in the winter of 2019 -- alongside that other young superstar who plays 45 miles away in Washintgton -- Bryce Harper.  So holding off signing any deal might minimize a payday that could roll past $300 million. So the Orioles -- fresh off a losing season with a lot of questions about their future -- face a tough decision: does the team gamble on being able to hold onto their best player; do they risk losing him for...

I was surprised when Carlos Santana chose the Phillies as his new home. The slugging 1st baseman, with 174 homers in his 7-1/2 Cleveland seasons, has signed a three-year deal with the Phillies. He'll have fun hitting in Citizens Bank Park, a homer haven that's a great place to play 81 games a season. Just ask Ryan Howard.  The surprise comes down to slipping in this soon to be 32 year old on a very young team -- with speedster Odubel Herrera, rookie standout Rhys Hoskins and highly touted infield prospects JP Crawford and Scott Kingery, all 26 and under. Is he the savvy veteran who can provide leadership and accelerate the learning curve for the kids? We'll find out starting mid-February.

...you share it with shortstop Alcides Escobar . The durable Venezuelan has played all 162 games in three of the last four seasons and is one of several Royals mainstays who've entered free agency this winter. He shares December 16th with: Bill Ripken , the MLB Network analyst and younger brother of baseball's ironman.  Tyler Chatwood , the pitcher who jumped from the Rockies to the Cubs as a free agent. Hector Santiago , the New Jersey-born lefthander who has pitched for several American League teams -- most recently, the Twins (see right). Adolfo Phillips , the 1960s Panamanian outfielder whose best years came with the Cubs. And 50 years ago today, the Phillies traded their ace Jim Bunning to the Pirates for Woody Fryman and Don Money .

  A big reason for baseball's annual Rule 5 draft was to prevent teams from hoarding minor league prospects. So every winter, teams have to set their 40-man organizational rosters -- meaning that some promising players will be available to the other teams. The Yankees, with their wealth of impressive prospects, were targeted by other clubs. Thursday, the Yankees lost a couple of impressive youngsters I'd seen this season with Trenton. Lefty Nestor Cortes (above) climbed thru three levels of the Yankee system in 2017, striking out a batter an inning, and going 7 - 4 with an ERA just above 2. He'll go to camp with the Orioles. First baseman Mike Ford belted 20 home runs between Trenton and AAA Scranton while his keen eye drew notice -- he's the rare player who walked more often than he struck out. But with Greg Bird and Tyler Austin ahead of him within the organization, the Princeton University product wasn't a Yankee priority. The 25-year old will get h...

Marcel Ozuna is the latest Marlin deemed too pricey as Miami's new owners tear the ballclub down. Coming off his best season yet, with 37 homers, 124 RBI and a .312 average, the Scott Boras client teamed with Giancarlo Stanton for a terrific 1-2 punch on a club that flew under the radar in 2017. He should draw a lot more attention now that he's been traded to the Cardinals -- ironically, a club his ex-teammate Stanton chose not to join.

Chase Headley was the big name in yesterday's three-player trade between the Yankees and Padres. After hitting .262 over 3-1/2 years in the Bronx, Headley's $13 million salary seemed a little rich on a club looking to drop under the luxury tax threshhold while adding slugger Giancarlo Stanton. And with promising youngsters Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar in the pipeline, Brian Cashman has lower-cost alternatives in house -- and possibly offering greater upside. Headley's return to the Padres gives San Diego a season veteran -- albeit not quite a star -- who enjoyed his best season at Petco Park in 2012. And the Yankees now carve out payroll room to accomodate another starting pitcher or maybe make another splash as the Winter Meetings continue.

With all the buzz about Giancarlo Stanton coming to the Bronx, I'll focus for the moment on the veteran (with the pricey) contract who's now a Marlin. Starlin Castro gave the Yankees two solid seasons at 2nd base, solidifying the position that had been a revolving door since the departure of Robinson Cano. A .300 hitter in 2017, he likely would have matched his previous year's 21 home runs had he not missed 50 games with a pair of hamstring injuries. Bottom line: as he approaches his 28th birthday this is a productive player that Derek Jeter should have no trouble flipping for quality prosects to help fuel the Miami rebuild. With two "cost-certain" years left on the contract extension he signed with the Cubs, the Dominican native could find himself on the move again well before he ever dons a multi-color Marlins uniform.

Sunday's nicest news from baseball was the announcement that Jack Morris and Alan Trammell had been elected to the Hall of Fame by the Modern Era Committee. Two of the mainstays from Detroit's 1984 World Champions -- eight years after being drafted in same year, 1976 -- had received sizable support during their years on the ballot, but never reached the required 75%. I was always puzzled that both guys weren't voted in years ago. During their careers, they were among the best in their business. Along with being the ace on winning teams in Detroit, and later Minnesota and Toronto, Morris was a workhorse -- the dependable ace on good hitting teams. If the most important stat in baseball remains the victory, then Morris racked up the right numbers. 254 career victories, plus clutch performances in the post-season, such as the 10-inning shutout in final game of the 1991 World Series. Big performance on the biggest stage. That adds to his resume. A lifelong Tiger, Trammel...

As the east coast wakes up from its first snow storm of the season, it was clear some Florida sunshine was needed for this post. My first thought flashed back to last March and the first of the games I saw in Orlando. The Phillies were visiting the Braves -- and as the regulars and familiar names left the game after a few innings I got my first look at 2nd base prospect Scott Kingery . The 2015 second round draft pick has impressed in his two full minor league seasons. Splitting last summer between AA and AAA, he belted 26 homers, stole 29 runs and hit a combined .304. With the winter meetings getting underway today, Kingery's promise could lead to trade of incumbent 2nd baseman Cesar Hernandez as the Phils continue to decide on the players to lead them back toward contention.

Over the last 24 hours, the Giancarlo Stanton story veered off in a new direction. First, he used his no trade clause to block possible deals to the Giants and then the Cardinals. Then, Twitter began to blaze with reports that the Yankees might be in talks regarding the National League MVP. At first, a head-scratcher, then the conclusion that the Yankees were zeroing in on another Big Box Office Draw -- at pennies on the dollar. With the Jeter-Sherman group determined to rid themselves of the 59-home-run-man's nearly $300 million dollar contract, the picture came into focus: Stanton's power to veto any situation that he didn't buy into, cost the Marlins almost all the leverage in negotiatons. And with the Yankees arch-rival the Red Sox staying out of the bidding -- Stanton had never included Boston among the destinations he'd approve -- there would be no auction with the the Yankees forced to overpay for him. As of late Saturday morning, while nothing is final, it a...

Michael Pineda just wrapped a four-season run with the Yankees. Almost fittingly, the 6'7 righty posted a .500 record, 31 & 31, with an ERA on the wrong side of 4. It's been excruciatingly hard to conclude whether he's a budding star or if the talent he flashes is something he can't quite harness. Pineda would toss a gem -- think of the Yanks 2017 home opener where he retired the first 20 batters -- only to follow it a start or two later with a clunker. The promise, but also the puzzlement.  With his 2017 season ending in Tommy John surgery, it's highly unlikely the Yankees will bring Pineda back, closing the chapter on the trade for the even more disappointing and enigmatic Jesus Montero. Now, the question is where Pineda will land in this winter of his free agency. ( This image of Pineda is from the June 8th Yankees-Red Sox game. )

The cover photo on the Mets 1970 "program and scorecard" makes it a keeper. It features the World Series Trophy, awarded to the Mets after their stunning triumph the previous October over the Orioles. What I didn't realize until recently, that unlike the Stanley Cup, the baseball trophy is a relative newcomer, first introduced in 1967, when the Cardinals outlasted the Red Sox. But this was the first trophy to include flags representing each of the now 24 major league teams, thanks to the expansion the year before that also led to the start of divisional play. The trophy is superimposed over Shea Stadium, with the ballpark's wide expanse of parking, and the Queens highway network sprawling out behind it.

...you share it with the very bundled-up Larry Bowa . Seen April 18th when the Phillies visited the Mets on a frosty early season evening, the longtime Phillies shortstop has been a major league fixture for nearly 50 years... After his playing days, he's been a coach (including this season on Pete Mackanin's staff), manager and broadcaster. Bowa played 2247 games, the most of any player with a December 6th birthday -- even more than the only Hall of Fame player born on this date, Tony Lazzeri . When you think of Larry Bowa, what comes to mind? The tenacity, a self-made player, the little guy choking up on the bat, hitting to the opposite field, a "gamer," a "grinder." A player whose teams made the post season six times -- highlighted by the Phillies first World Series championship in 1980, a series in which he batted .375! Larry won't be in uniform in 2018. Instead, he moves into a new role as a Senior Advisor to Phillies GM Matt Klentak. While he wo...

Al Pedrique had a good run as a minor league manager in the Yankees farm system, where he helped turn such prospects as Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird and Luis Severino into players ready to succeed. Things went especially well the last two seasons with the Triple-A Scranton RailRiders, finishing first both times and winning the 2016 International League championship. New York fans had the chance to meet him in last summer's YES Network series  Homegrown: The Path to Pinstripes, which, while the season at Scranton, gave viewers a sense of how the skipper oversaw his young roster. Joe Girardi's departure seemingly put Pedrique into the running for either the Yankee manager's job or a spot on its coaching staff. But Al never landed an interview, with Aaron Boone replacing Girardi. While that was made official on Monday, there was another announcement in the baseball world. Pedrique was named the Oakland A's first base coach. Good for Pedrique, who parlayed his...

... Yu Darvish is probably wondering when his name will start floating around in the off-season conversation. He'd been a winning pitcher with the Rangers and help round out the Dodgers rotation following last summer's deal. But it is fair to wonder how much his historically awful pair of World Series starts will cost him in free agent money. Let's be fair, while you can't forget his games against the Astros, Darvish did post victories in earlier round starts against the Diamondbacks and Cubs. Still only 31, and with more positives than negatives on the "back of his baseball card," Darvish could still be in line for a contract of close to $100 million. ( This image is from the August 5th Mets/Dodgers game .)

Perhaps this image was the sign of things to come for Chris Carter . After leading the National League in 2016 with 41 homers -- while hitting .222 with an NL-worst 206 strikeouts, he went unwanted. Finally, he landed a deal with the Yankees as spring training began. Expected to be a backup at 1st base, he got the chance to become a regular after Greg Bird was shelved by an early season ankle injury. But he never took advantage: instead of becoming a middle-of-the-lineup anchor, his numbers were like an anvil, sinking closer to .200 with just eight homers. The Yankees let him go at the end of June, and while he signed with the A's, he spend the rest of the summer at their top farm club in Nashville, never making it back to the majors. Two weeks from turning 31, he probably isn't on the "wish list" of too many organizations this winter. ( This image was taken just before the Yankees/Braves exhibition game March 9th in Orlando .)

...was this image of him playing 1st base with the Marlins in 2007 Spring Training. While anchoring WFAN and WINS sportscasts Friday night with the selection of the next Yankee manager coming closer and closer to being finalized, with Boone emerging as The One just after 8pm, a thought stuck in mind: did I have a photo of him? I didn't get serious about building a personal photo archive until 2010 or '11. By then Aaron had traded his bat and glove for an ESPN microphone. So I began going through folder after folder on my hard drive, regular season, games here in New York, maybe something from one of my road trips. Finally, from March '07 at Jupiter, Florida, here he was, his back to me, but clearly Aaron Boone. Odds are, there'll be many more photo ops of new skipper -- starting at the introductory press conference, before spring training three months from now. While the networks and major newspapers will show you the obvious images of Boone: alongside his famou...

...you share it with Yankees catcher  Gary Sanchez . Today, let's zoom in on his July 29th home run against the Rays. The follow-through after contact and a forearm bump and jump with teammate Matt Holiday as he heads back to the dugout.

Steven Vogt stands with hand over heart as the national anthem plays before the July 9th Yankees/Brewers game in New York. Unlike their NFL counterparts, baseball had no flurry of protests during this patriotic pause. That's one more thing commissioner Rob Manfred can be grateful for.