Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

Only hours remain in 2020, a year like no other. A global pandemic crushed so many aspects of life that we'd taken for granted. Suddenly, the expression of community was altered -- it became unsafe to gather, as personal contact was replaced by zoom meetings. Sports were placed on hold; when they were permitted to remove, there were no crowds, and for some games, no broadcasters on site. Baseball was left with a 60-game season and several rule changes for a year-long trial. Some worked intriguing well, such as seven-inning games in doubleheaders; others, such as starting extra innings with a runner on 2nd base, left many of us cold.  The playoffs were expanded, and, perhaps most symbolic of the season, the Miami Marlins went from being sidelined by a virus outbreak to an unlikely march into the playoffs. Yet, in the end, the World Series gave us the two best teams going head-to-head, the Dodgers and the Rays.  Julio Urias was on the mound for the final out, as  L.A. came ...

  ...you share it with Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax , who dazzled and frustrated batters -- and for a half dozen years (1961 - '66) was as dominant as any pitcher since World War II. A four-time National League leader in strikeouts (including a high of 382 in 1965), four no-hitters, three Cy Young Awards and the 1963 National League MVP.  Yet, none of this might have occurred without the sage advice of Dodgers backup catcher Norm Sherry. Meeting on the mound after Sandy walked the first three batters in a 1961 exhibition game, Sherry told him to ease back a bit and stop overthrowing. In one of those magical baseball mysteries, Koufax's pitchers came in harder, not softer. He struck out the side that inning -- as his journey to Cooperstown began in earnest. An arthritic left elbow led to Sandy retiring after the 1966 season. When he was inducted into Cooperstown in 1972, he made more history -- at age 36, he was the youngest person ever Hall of Famer. While Sandy is the clearly t...

After making big strides during the 60-game season, the Padres appear to be going all in on 2021.  On the verge of two big trades that put some life back into a listless off-season, the boys from Petco Park have swapped a boatload of young, up-and-talent to bring in two veteran starters: Blake Snell (above) arrives from Tampa Bay, while the suddenly stingy Cubs ship Yu Darvish (below) to San Diego. Bringing veteran savvy and post-season experience to a Padres team brimming with young everyday players -- such as the budding superstar Fernando Tatis Junior -- GM AJ Preller believes they're worth growing the payroll by more than $30 million in uncertain economic times. Of course the risks are huge -- especially regarding Darvish, who turns 34 in August. But both Padre newcomers have three years remaining on their contracts, so there's none of worry about being caught up in walk years.  The goal is simple: closing the gap with the division rivals and now-World Champions, who play ...

The news broke on Sunday that Hall of Famer Phil Niekro had died after a long battle with cancer. Baseball's most successful knuckleballer entered the Hall of Fame in 1997 with 318 career victories and 3342 strikeouts over 24 seasons (1964-87). The Braves greatest pitcher between Warren Spahn and Greg Maddux, Phil won a career-best 23 in 1969, when they won the NL West and returned to the post-season for the first time since 1958. There were other vintage seasons: 1982, Atlanta's first division title since '69, when he went 17 - 4, and most amazingly, 1979, when he became the last player to win 20 and lost 20 the same year. The bright spot on a last place team than went 66 and 96, he completed 23 of his 44 starts that year -- at age 40! Run those numbers back again -- he won 30 percent of his teams games, and started 40 percent of the 162. And with no arm trouble. Yes, the magic of the knuckleball. When his record dropped to 11-10 in 1983 at age 44, the Braves released him...

Baseball's greatest leadoff hitter ever is a Christmas Day baby.  Rickey Henderson , turning 62, burst into stardom with the A's, spent 4-1/2 productive seasons with the Yankees, and made several other stops during his 25 big league seasons -- a career that spanned four decades over two centuries. The game's all time stolen base leader led his league in steals 12 times -- including seven years in a row. He scored more runs than anyone ever, and by walking 2190 times, maintained a career on-base percentage over .400. His speed and power earned him another distinctive mark -- his 81 leadoff homers are the most ever. Following the post-World War II example of Jackie Robinson, and then Maury Wills and Lou Brock, Rickey -- even though just 5 feet 10 -- was an intimidating force to any and all pitchers. While today's advanced analytics downplay the importance of speed -- though it does respect his knack for home runs and walks -- tell me you wouldn't want to write his nam...

The news about Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego seems to have flown beneath the radar. I only learned about it last night from one of the Facebook baseball groups I belong to. The venue that elevated the city to major league status, first with the Chargers, then the Padres, had lost its main tenants. Local voters had said no to various expansion and renovation proposals over the years, leading the Padres to build their own Petco Park and the Chargers to join the Rams in L.A.'s Sofi Stadium. Finally, the remaining tenant, San Diego State University, chose to build a new (and smaller capacity) home for its football team.  Three strikes, and hello wrecker's ball. Say goodbye to the venue where John Hadl and Dan Fouts lit up the skies every falls Dave Winfield and Tony Gwynn crushed baseballs during the summer. A nice enough multi-purpose facility for the everyday fan, just not sufficient to the luxury box crowd. While hardly the equal of Shea Stadium for historic championships or ...

 ...you share it with  Jerry Koosma n , who ranks just behind Tom Seaver among Mets pitchers of the late '60s and '70s. The National League's 1968 Rookie of the Year won a pair of World Series games in 1969 -- including a complete game effort as the Mets closed out the Orioles. His greatest season came in 1976, when he won 21 and finished second for the Cy Young Award. Moving onto the Twins, White Sox and Phillies, the Minnesotan remained an effective pitcher into his 40s and finished with 222 career victories. After the Mets announced a change in policy on retired numbers, his 36 will be honored during the 2021 season. Jerry Manuel succeeded Willie Randoph as Mets manager in the middle of the 2008 season. But the team collapsed that September and finished under .500 the next two seasons. A former big league infielder, Manuel managed the White Sox from 1998 to 2003, with winning records in four of his six seasons, including the 2000 A.L. Central title. Tim Harkness was a ...

Monday's baseball headline came out of Washington, where Howie Kendrick announced his retirement after 15 major league seasons -- the last four with the Nationals. That sweet righthanded swing paid off in a .294 lifetime average, highlighted by a .340 season with the 2019 champion Nats -- including the go-ahead homer in game seven of the World Series. But all good things do come to an end. In a heartfelt message on Instagram , he thanked his family, neighbors, teammates and fans. He closes it noting that he " will constantly reflect on the lifelong memories made. For now, it’s time to drop the mic and enter a new stage of my life."  

Let's zoom in on one of the game's best pitchers and solid citizens, Jacob deGrom of the Mets. This is from March 11th at Port Saint Lucie, the next to last day of the first spring training.  

December 18th, 2001 : Tino Martine z , after seeing the Yankees replace him with free agent Jason Giambi, signs a three-year deal with the Cardinals, where he'll take over for the just-retired Mark McGwire at 1st base. There certainly weren't hard feelings. Tino returned to the Yankees four years later for the final season of his career. There's now a plaque honoring him in Monument Park. December 18th, 2000: Catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. leaves the Indians for the White Sox and a two-year contract worth just under $6 million. December 18th, 1993: Brien Taylor, the Yankees top pitching prospect, tears the labrum in his left shoulder during a fight. The former first overall draft pick will miss the following season, never regaining his form or reaching the major leagues. Along with Steve Chicott of the Mets (1966) and Mark Appel of the Astros (2013), Taylor is one of the very few players taken first in the MLB draft who never played in the majors. December 18th, 1981: The Reds s...

From July 17th, 2010: Curtis Granderson at bat for the Yankees against Tampa Bay. What else jumps out at you? In the background, manager Joe Girardi in a familiar pose as he leans on the rail. Check out the uniform tops -- sporting the memorial patch for George M. Steinbrenner, who died four days earlier. And below, focus on the left sleeve of catcher Francisco Cervelli. July 2010 was an doubly sad month in Yankee Universe,  as iconic public address announcer Bob Sheppard passed away July 11th, two days before the Boss. Outside the Stadium, a makeshift memorial honors both George Steinbrenner and Bob Shepard, two essential figures in Yankee history.

...you share it with  Alcides Escobar , who spent 11 seasons in the majors, eight of as the Royals everyday shortstop. His personal highlight: an inside-the-park home run off Matt Harvey on the first pltch of the 2015 World Series. Peter Fairbanks , the Rays fireballing relief pitcher. In his two major league seasons, he's struck out 39 batters in 27 innings. Hector Santiago , the New Jersey born lefty who pitched for five teams, most notably the White Sox and Angels. His best season was 2016, when he won 13, split between Chicago and Minnesota. Chris Britton , the heavyset relief pitcher who appeared for the Orioles and Yankees between 2006 and 2008.   Billy Ripken may be the less accomplished player in his family, but Cal's younger brother has enjoyed more success as a broadcaster, becoming one of MLB Network's top analysts. Still, let's not discount that he appeared in parts of 12 big league seasons. Yesterday, the 15th, Eddie Robinson , the oldest living major leag...

Hunter Renfroe appeared to be a budding power hitter during his three full seasons with the Padres. Smacking 85 home runs with the Padres -- with rising walk totals each year -- gave off the right signals. But his 2020 came off the rails. Traded over the winter to the Rays Jake Cronenworth -- runner up for NL Rookie of the Year -- and Tommy Pham, Renfroe never found his stroke for Tampa Bay and was cut at the end of the season. Now he heads to Boston, on a very team friendly deal, trying to recapture what made him look to be a future star. And for a righty hitter with power, Fenway Park could be the best possible medicine.

The news flew somewhat under the sports world's radar on an NFL Sunday: Cleveland's baseball team has decided to change its name.  After a 105-year run, the Indians branding will be replaced. In the context of present-day society, that's a positive move. Supposedly chosen to honor Louis Sockalexis , who played for Cleveland's late 19th century National League team the Spiders, the brand never made sense. While Sockalexis was of native American ancestry, and died at a young age, he was hardly a star -- never playing more than 66 games in any of his three seasons. (And from some reports, he had a bigtime drinking problem.)  Why would a franchise representing a diverse city choose the ancestry or ethnic group of a player for its banner? The Yankees would never have become the Germans after tragic illness and death of Lou Gehrig, a superstar and from all reports, a mensch. There was never a thought of the Athletics honoring their icon Connie Mack by rebranding as the Irishm...

December 11th, 2002: Andy Pettitte after going 149-78 over nine years with the Yankees, leaves New York and signs a three-year, $31.5 million deal with his "hometown" Astros.  December 11th, 2000: Alex Rodriguez makes sports history when he signs the first free agent contract worth more than a quarter-billion dollars. He leaves the Mariners and signs with the Rangers for 10 years and $252 million. December 11th, 2000: The Mets, after being spurned by Mike Hampton, try to replace him by signing free agent pitchers Kevin Appier and Steve Trachsel. December 11th, 1995: Mariano Duncan signs with the Yankees as a free agent. He'd go on to a hit a career-best .340 as the '96 Yankees win the franchise's first championship since the '70s. December 11th, 1991: The Royals trade two-time Cy Young winner Bret Saberhagen to the Mets (along with Bill Pecota) for Kevin McReynolds, Gregg Jefferies and Keith Miller. December 11th, 1976: A busy day of Winter Meetings trades t...

The front and back covers, and a couple of standout pages from the year after the Mets won their unexpected NL pennant. Yogi Berra and GM Bob Scheffing were Flushing heroes; the Mets still hosted an annual Old Timers Day -- still leaning heavily on pre-1962 New York baseball history; and our sponsor, Schaefer Beer -- which that year sponsored the TV and radio broadcasts of all the New York area sports franchises.  

...you share it with Josh Donaldson , a rare late bloomer who burst into stardom at age 27. The power-hitting 3rd baseman was the AL's 2015 MVP with the Blue Jays, putting up offensive numbers resembling Mike Schmidt and Eddie Matthews.. He's looking to bounce back after leg injuries resulted in a subpar 2010 for the Twins, where he enters the second of a four-year contract. Mike Mussina . The Hall of Fame pitcher won 270 games over 18 seasons split between Baltimore and New York, in the always tough AL East. The master of the knuckle curve capped his career with a 20-win season -- becoming the oldest hurler to win 20 for the first time. "Moose" was elected to Cooperstown in 2019, along with Mariano Rivera, his Yankees teammate for eight years. Vernon Wells , one of the American League's best outfielders during the first decade of this century.  A four-time .300 hitter and three time 30 home run man, he starred for the Blue Jays, before tailing off after a 2011 tr...

Dick Allen was too often tagged with negative words -- such "angry," "lazy" and "troublemaker." The Phillies first black superstar built a prolific career in a time when racism was still present in baseball and the media. He overcame hate, sometimes inflicted by his own teammates, sometimes from members of the team's front office. No one should ever doubt his skills -- from 1964 to '74, he ranked with the most feared hitters in baseball, someone other teams didn't want to face in crunch time. In a time of smaller offensive numbers, he averaged 31 homers and 95 RBIs over those 11 seasons, hitting .299 with an OPS of .940. Sounds like a Hall of Famer to me -- but not the Cooperstown voters, who never gave him even 20% of the vote during his years of eligibility. What were they thinking? While it's easy to say that Allen was never the media's favorite player, should that have so swayed their thinking? And don't blame him for the Phils ...

Chris Young pitched for 13 seasons in the majors, including 2012 with the Mets. While never a star, the 6'10 righthander posted a winning record for his career, reaching double-digits in victories four times.  This Ivy Leaguer also broke a long drought for his alma mater. In 2008, while with the Padres, he hit a home run -- the first time a Princeton grad had homered in a big league game since Mo Berg in 1939, a gap of 69 seasons! Chris made a strong impression after joining MLB's administrative office in 2018. First, as an assistant to, then the replacement for Joe Torre as senior vice president, Young oversaw enforcement of disciplinary action, on-field operations and umpires. It was no surprise that teams began knocking on his door; he spoke with Sandy Alderson about joining the Mets, but chose not to uproot his family from their Dallas home. Then the Rangers reached out, it was a perfect situation, as he'll work under newly promoted President of Baseball Operations Jon...

December 4th, 2018: Patrick Corbin signs a six-year free agent contract with the Nationals. In his first Washington season, he goes 14-7, and 2-2 in the post-season, capped by a win in the 7th and deciding game of the World Series. December 4th, 2012: Shane Victorino agrees to a three-year free agent contract with the Red Sox and helps them win a World Series in his first Boston season. December 4th, 2007: Miguel Cabrera is the central figure in a blockbuster deal between the Marlins and Tigers. The four time all star heads to Detroit along with Dontrelle Willis for prospects Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller and Dallas Trahern.   December 4th, 1976: Aurelio Rodriguez snaps Brooks Robinson's 17-year streak of winning the American League Gold Glove for 3rd baseman. The Orioles legend had taken the award every season between 1959 and '75. December 4th, 1969: The Yankees trade off familiar names from their pennant winning teams of 1963 and '64, sending Al Downing (and Frank Ferna...

Wednesday's deadline for tendering contract offers to veterans including one surprise cut: Kyle Schwarber . The Cubs lefthanded power hitter picked a bad time to have a bad 60-game season. A .188 batting average, while striking out in more than a third of his at-bats, outweighed 11 home runs and 30 homer seasons and 2019. He'll enter a free agent market that could land him a DH job with an American League club -- which better fits his skill set. While Schwarber wasn't kept on in Chicago, a pair of New York players "on the bubble" will stay with their clubs. The Mets held on to Steven Matz, despite an ERA on the wrong side of 9 and zero wins in 2020. And the Yankees decided that Gary Sanchez's potential made it too risky to drop him despite non-productive season that ended with him backing up Kyle Higashioka.

...you share it with Gary Sanchez , the enigmatic Yankees catcher, whose up and down career leaves us with more questions than answers: Is he a star? An underachiever? Poorly coached? Misunderstood? Better off playing elsewhere?  After posting frighteningly bad numbers during the 60-game season and then losing his job during the playoffs to backup Kyle Higashioka, there's even some question as to whether the Yankees will tender him a contract for 2021. Hard to believe after the splash he made when he arrived from the minor leagues in 2016 -- nearly winning Rookie of the Year honors after crushing 20 home runs in 53 games. Mark Kotsay played 17 years in the majors. Though he put up good numbers with the Marlins, Padres and A's during the 2000s, he was considered "solid" rather than a star. Julio Cruz spent a decade playing 2nd base, first with the Mariners, then the White Sox, where in 1983, he saw his only post-season action. He's spent the past 19 years calling...

As baseball's free agent market crawls along at a snail's pace, we had one signing announced on Monday: Michael A. Taylor left the Nationals for the Royals. It's a one-year deal that could reach $2.75 million with incentives. While Washington has done a great job turning home grown prospects into stars -- think Harper, Rendon and Soto -- Taylor's numbers and playing time declined since his best season, 2017. About to turn 30 in March, it appeared that GM Mike Rizzo and his staff felt Taylor's best days were in the rear view mirror.  A plus defensive player, Taylor now gets a chance to revitalize his career on the rebuilding Royals.