Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

After seven years in a Mets uniform, Lucas Duda played in New York this weekend -- in a Rays uniform. He got to a great start with his new club, homering in his first two games for Tampa Bay. Duda leaves Citi Field with the Mets record for most home runs in their current home. And while he was always a power threat, he was just a .250 career hitter with defensive deficiencies. What Mets fan will ever forget his throwing error that turned the tide in World Series game five in 2015? At age 31, with free agency pending and highly rated prospect Dominic Smith ready to gradaute from the Mets farm system, it was time for Duda to move on. I snapped these Saturday at Yankee Stadium: walking back to the dugout at the end of the 1st inning, and below, that big swing in the top of the 3rd inning. Duda changed teams over the weekend, as did Melky Cabreram Howie Kendrick and Jaime Garcia. Who else will be calling the movers before 4pm ET today?

No matter how well or how ineptly the Phillies play, the Phanatic always proves to be the most entertaining thing on the field at Citizens Bank Park. These images are from last Wednesday's win over Houston: above, he's dancing with Harlem Globetrotters star Ace Jackson (take note of how she spins the ball behind her back) and below, it's time to deliver some free hot dogs to the phaithful.

Over the years, I have found some wildly loaded and customized hot dogs -- remember the Ruthian from the Cactus League? -- but Dennis gets the credit for this unique ballpark dessert from Nationals Park. It's the ice cream sandwich sold by the DC-area deli chain On Rye . When he first eyed it and described this gelato on rye combination, I said, "How can they do that?" We still don't know the secret that keeps the bread from being saturated, but my traveling pal and food expert loved every bite. The ice cream offered a nice hint of cinnamon, and the bread was a cool alternative to the usual hard-as-a-rock "cookie" in most sandwiches. While I didn't take the challenge on this dessert, I will give my thumbs up on the crabcake sandwich from the stand not far from section 116. Outstanding! Plenty of crabmeat, very little filler and not breaded and fried like something you remember from a school cafeteria. But this food post belongs to the On Rye ice crea

All season, we've had stories about the powerhouse Astros and Dodgers, who have dominated their respective leagues up until now. But after watching the Nationals destruction of the Brewers yesterday in DC, the boys from Washington deserve to be in that conversation. Start with their best pitcher: Max Scherzer , celebrated his 33rd birthday by punching out Milwaukee. He took a no-hitter into the 4th inning;, by then his side was up 9-0. Working the first six, he struck out nine, and passed the 200 k mark for the sixth year in a row (he's on track for 320 over a full season). With LA's Clayton Kershaw likely on the shelf through Labor Day, the St. Louis native could be on track for his second consecutive Cy Young Award (and third of what's looking like a Hall of Fame career.) And then there's the offense, which shredded Milwaukee starter Michael Blazek and for four consecutive third inning homers, plus a fifth en route to a club record eight on the afternoon. The

I was in Trenton on Wednesday afternoon to get another look at Jorge Mateo. And the highly touted Yankee prospect didn't disappoint -- delivering a sixth inning grand slam to break open the Thunder's victory over Hartford. With the rumor mill brimming with stories potentially linking the Yankees and A's over Sonny Gray, Mateo might be the key player Oakland has been scouting in recent days. He's the kind of young, versatile, "toolsy" and cost-effective player the low-budget A's crave. While the Yankees continue to place an emphasis on young talent, his path to the Bronx is blocked by young outfielders such as Clint Frazier, Dustin Fowler, Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks. Among infielders, Didi Gregorius, just 27, seems well established at short, Gleyber Torres seems to be penciled in as "third baseman of the future," and Starlin Castro has done well at second base. So a surplus in the Yankee organization positions them well to fill the club'

When the Yankees beat the Reds Tuesday night, the most important performance didn't come from Aaron Judge or Clint Frazier. Another Yankee rookie took the honors: rookie pitcher Jordan Montgomery. In just his 19th big league start, he held Cincinnati to just a run, two hits and a walk over 6-2/3 inning. That was big -- especially in light of Masahiro Tanaka's inconsistency and Michael Pineda's season-ending injury. Montgomery was effective from the get-go and carried a no-hitter into the 6th inning. In a season where rookies and young players have revived the Yankees and turned them into a contender a year ahead of schedule, the 24-year old Montgomery hasn't received the attention some others have. But solid performances like this are just as important as the race for post-season spots becomes even more intense.

Here's another ballpark that blends nicely into its downtown: Dunkin' Donuts Park in Hartford, the home of the Rockies AA farm club, the Yard Goats. This is from June 13th, as they host the Trenton Thunder.

Sunday's news that Clayton Kershaw left his start after two innings with lower back tightness and was instantly placed on the disabled list quickly added L.A. to the list of teams looking for a starting pitcher. Eight days before the trade deadline -- and a year after missing 10 weeks with a herniated disc -- Kershaw goes from ace to question mark. And the Dodgers now join the Astros and Yankees into the pool of teams looking for rotation help. As with their rivals from Houston and New York, these strong-hitting teams likely feel that another strong arm or two will not just be a ticket to the playoffs, but a deep run in October. And in the Dodgers' case, they also lost the oft-injured Brandon McCarthy in the last few days, so they could be looking for two arms. Despite winning 31 of their last 35 games, Kershaw is huge loss -- even if he's only gone for 10 days. Back injuries aren't like knees or elbows, there is no quick fix and there's always the lingering fe

From July 9th: the Brewers lined up for the national anthem just before they face the Yankees.

With the Mets well under .500 and with few indications of a turnaround, it's no shock that GM Sandy Alderson would like to trade some of his pending free agents for prospects. No surprise, there -- except for the ways he's showcasing Asdrubal Cabrera. Last year's shortshop has shown far less range in 2017, and hasn't supplied the extra base power that made him so valuable a year ago. Recently, Cabrera was publicly unhappy about being moved to 2nd base -- and even demanded that in exchange for switching positions, the club pick up his option for next year. He's also asked to be traded. With his batting average under .250, it looks like he picked a bad time to press the issue. The former Indian and National could soon be changing positions again. The Mets want to try him at 3rd base, apparently to impress a contender that might want to bring a veteran utilityman for the stretch fun. In 10 days, we'll know if Sandy's strategy with Cabrera paid off -- or wh

One of baseball's most surprising rookie stories of 2017 belongs to Paul DeJong. While he seems to save his biggest hits for games against the Mets, the Illinois State University product has steadily impressed since taking for Aledmys Diaz. His big league career began with a bang -- DeJong homered in his first Cardinals at bat! (Becoming the ninth St. Louis player ever to do so.) Batting in the .290s with 10 home runs, he's comfortably settled into the spot held in earlier generations by St. Louis legends Ozzie Smith and Marty Marion. I got my first look at DeJong Tuesday night at Citi Field -- when, of course, he got another hit to fuel a Cardinal rally.

You share it with the Washington Nationals co-ace, Stephen Strasburg . Seen here June 17th against the Mets, the oft-injured and generally brilliant righthander turns 29 today... The co-ace with Max Scherzer, he combines power and control on a strong hitting club. No wonder they hold a double digit-game lead over the rest of the NL East. Joining Strasburg in today's cake and candles collection: Bengie Molina , the first of the three catching siblings to star in the majors. Charles Johnson , the South Florida native whose 13 seasons were highlighted by the Marlins 1997 World Series championship. Tony Oliva , the Twins sweet-swinging outfielder who, despite a career shortened by injury, deserves stronger consideration by the Hall of Fame. And we remember  Heinie Manusch , a .330-hitting outfielder who starred for the Tigers, Browns and Senators during the 1920s and '30s en route to Cooperstown. Now, one more glimpse at Strasburg, from his June 17th win over the Mets

Tuesday night belonged to Michael Wacha. The big righthander, for whom great things had long been expected, delivered his first complete game shutout. He dominated the Mets, holding them to just three hits and a walk while striking out eight. OK, Terry Collins' crew didn't help themselves with inept defense; the Cardinals cashed in on them. After the Cardinals struggled for much of the first half, the victory pulled them back to within a game of .500. And it's not as if the NL Central is a runaway -- the first place Brewers loss to Pittsburgh cuts their lead in the loss column to just three over the Redbirds. A little more number-crunching: this was Wacha's fourth straight win -- as he's grown steadily more effective. He's allowed just three runs over the last three outings and none on Tuesday! Below, a moment to catch his breath and gather his thoughts on the bench while his teammates built an early 5-0 lead on the Mets. Michael Wacha took it from there.

The Mets introduced extended screens to their fans this past weekend. Installed at the urging of the Commissioner's office and city officials, the goal is to protect fans sitting closest to the field from being hurt by foul balls or the occasional thrown bat. A noble idea. But is it the right one? There's always been a screen behind home plate. That's a given. But extending it to obscure the view for thousands of additional fans is running a risk. Is giving fans in the best seats the sense of being fenced off the way to go? Is the added sense of safety worth the price of separating the crowd from the action? Or creating a barrier that will prevent folks in those field level seats from a chance at a pre-game autograph? What about reminding spectators to pay attention to what's in front of them? Look at these images: feel free to comment on the new screens. Good move or bad? Or perhaps something that needs more study and more input from ticketholders. You can comme

Bob Wolff, whose sportscasting career spanned Babe Ruth to Aaron Judge, passed away Saturday at age 96. Run those bookends through your mind one more time to gauge his durability and productivity. Thoughtful, energetic and insightful, he made his mark in four sports -- landing in the broadcasters' wing of two Halls of Fame, baseball and basketball. He also excelled in football and hockey, painting the word picture of classic games. The native New Yorker interviewed the Babe as a young broadcaster, spent 15 years with the Griffith family's Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins, and decades more associated with Madison Square Garden, as a voice of the Knicks, Rangers and the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. If you grew up in New York, his voice seemed to be part of the landscape. As good and consistent as he was, three of Bob's broadcasts rise above his thousands of others: The network radio call of Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. A former col

While the Yankees took control of the AL East earlier this season, and the Red Sox sprinted p ast them of late, sports media have not paid as much attention to the Tampa Bay Rays. Their slugging 1st baseman Logan Morrison generated some buzz when he criticized the Home Run Derby selection process -- through which Gary Sanchez was chosen and he was not. Otherwise, this young talented and power-hitting team has flown beneath the radar. But maybe not for much longer. Paced by Logan Morrison (above) and Chris Dickerson (below), along with franchise mainstay Evan Longoria, the Rays are the top slugging team in baseball -- with more runs than Aaron Judge's Yankees or Cody Bellinger's Dodgers. They've even moved ahead of the Yankees into second place in their division and hold the number-one wild card. And keep in mind, they've gone without their defensively gifted center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, out until at least next month with a hip fracture. Playing in "footbal

...you share it with Peter O'Brien . Seen above in July 2014 with the Yankees' Trenton farm club, he whacked 125 home runs in six minor league seasons. Just days after I took this photo, he was swapped to the Diamondbacks for Martin Prado. Since then, major league pitching has been too much of a challenge up for the Miami-area native. Looking over the rest of those born July 15th , we see some familiar names, such as Cardinal player-turned-broadcaster Mike Shannon, and longtime backup catcher Kirt Manwaring, but no Hall of Famers. In fact, of the 49 major leaguers born on this date since 1910, only two were ever named to an All Star team: Dodgers catcher Bruce Edwards and White Sox pitcher James Baldwin. But being overlooked in All Star consideration isn't the best measure of a player's value. Was there a more important non-pitcher on the 1969 Mets than Donn Clendenon ? Acquired at the June trade deadline, he supplied power and leadership to young pitching-rich c

The Dodgers -- represented above by Justin Turner -- and the Astros -- with Jose Altuve -- were baseball's best performing clubs in the first half. And the only ones with 60 or more victories. With action finally resuming tonight, it's a chance to zoom in two of the standouts who clubs, right now, look like the best bets to make the World Series. But with 70 games to go, so much can happen -- a breakout rookie, a crippling injury, an unexpected hot or cold streak. No one's crystal ball is perfectly clear. And a request to Commissioner Manfred: since you're implementing schedule changes for 2018, including additional days off, PLEASE cut the All Star Break back to three days. The season -- and interest in the game -- loses momentum when you wait three days after the All Star Game to see meaningful action. What's taken over sports-talk radio and the newspapers? The NBA, NFL, Mayweather/McGregor... too many opportunities to draw attention away from what's been a

Thanks again to Dennis Murray, here's a time machine trip back to March 2005. Coming off their first pennant in 17 years, the Cardinals had hopes for the upcoming season. The cover features baseball card-like images of nine St. Louis stars... And then toward the back of the program, I found this feature on prospects. Rated as the organization's best is young catcher Yadier Molina. Needless to say, the Cardinals had found a franchise mainstay -- and likely future Hall of Famer -- in the youngest of the catching siblings. The second page is symbolic of what every organization goes through trying to identify future stars. #2 Adam Wainwright will go down among the greatest Cardinal pitchers ever. But when was the last time you heard the names Blake Hawksworth and Chris Lambert? Brendan Ryan and Chris Duncan had their moments in the majors, but were what the stats-driven folks would call "replacment level." So let this page serve as a barometer -- and a warning to tem

A night after the Home Run Derby featured an array of rising stars and fresh faces, the pendulum swung the other way Tuesday night. The key performers in the All Star Game were familiar faces: Yadier Molina, whose home run gave the National League an early lead; Max Scherzer with an overpowering 1st inning, highlighted by a strikeout of Monday night's standout Aaron Judge. Andrew Miller nailed down the save for the American League. That came after Robinson Cano homered to put the AL ahead -- and went on to be named game MVP. Cano hasn't grabbed the spotlight as often since leaving for Seattle as a 2014 free agent. Despite remaining one of the game's best 2nd basemen -- putting up offensive numbers that make him a Cooperstown candidate -- he's not drawing the same attention he did in his Yankee days. Not being in the post-season will do that. Even with the division-leading Astros hiding in another county, there's still time for Cano, Nelson Cruz and Felix Hernand

Were you surprised that Aaron Judge dominated the Home Run Derby? Monday night at Marlins Park, the Yankees rookie sensation displayed quality and quantity -- not only winning the three round event with a total of 47, but mashing four for over 500 feet. Playing in one of the least homer-friendly ballparks, he threatened to shatter the towering glass wall past the bleachers. Or send one up toward Fort Lauderdale, where the Yankees once trained? He's just the second rookie to win the Home Run Derby -- and first to claim it overall. Wally Joyner of the Angels tied Daryl Strawberry for the honors in 1986. Talented, modest and dramatically productive, is Judge on his way to eclipsing Bryce Harper and Mike Trout as "The Face of Baseball?" These photos of Judge came from Sunday's Yankees/Brewers game in New York. And while the winner deservedly gets the attention, here's a shoutout for runner-up Miguel Sano. When I first saw him in 2013 with the Twins then-AA

After being impressed by the Brewers' young and talented lineup when they played the Mets back in May, I made sure to be in Bronx for Sunday's final game of their interleague series with the Yankees. While top to bottom, they weren't hitting  quite as well, and their fielding was not quite in the Ozzie Smith-Brooks Robinson range, there was plenty to like. Travis Shaw was Sunday's standout. His three-run 1st inning homer got Milwaukee off and running. And his run-scoring single in the 5th gave the Brew Crew a vital insurance run en route to a 5 - 3 victory. A year ago, Shaw was the Red Sox 3rd baseman, showing flashes, but not enough to prevent him from being the key player in the package that brought reliever Tyler Thornberg to Fenway. He's been out injured all season, while Shaw has brought his game up several notches as the Brewers blossomed into a first-place team. Coming off a four-RBI game that raised his season total to 65, along with 19 homers, a .299 b

Saturday's Yankee walk-off win over the Brewers was all about Clint Frazier. The "five tool" outfielder was the big piece in last summer's deadline deal for Andrew Miller. Though he started the minor league season slowly, he's seemed totally at home since arriving from Scranton a week ago. Last Saturday, he became the first Yankee since 1913 with a double and home run in his first major league game. But those achievements were muffled when the bullpen fumbled away the victory over Houston. But Saturday at Yankee Stadium, Frazier showed that, in Yankee Universe, Youth is Serving! Frazier, with his impressive bat speed and easy-to-recognize red curls, was the author and the star: he singled off Brent Suter for the first hit of the game; his 7th inning triple (to deepest left field) brought the Yankees within a run; and in the bottom of the 9th, with the Yanks still trailing 3-2, he crushed a Corey Knebel pitched -- sending it in the left field seats for a three

...you share it with Hector Lopez . The valuable utilityman was one of many important Yankees who came to the Bronx via Kansas City -- in his case along with Ralph Terry -- in a mid-season 1959 deal. Whether it was playing 3rd base, platooning with Yogi Berra in left field or filling in for an ailing Mantle or Maris, Lopez was one of the Yankees of my youth. Never a big star, but just the kind of player successful clubs always need. As the Yankees first Panamanian player, Hector helped mint legions of Yankee fans in his home country. And he's been a fixture at Old Timers Games since his retirement after the 1966 season.

In an intense competition to fill the final spots for the All Star Game, the Royals' Mike Moustakas and the Dodgers' Justin Turner were announced Wednesday as the winners. They'll be headed to Miami for next Tuesday's mid-summer classic. While big things were long predicted for first-round draft pick Moustakas, Turner's success since joining the Dodgers came as a surprise for many experts -- especially Mets GM Sandy Alderson. The Mets chose not to renew the then-utilityman's contract after the 2013 season, fearing he'd become too expensive as he became elligible for arbitration. Imagine what Alderson and his staff are thinking, as they see Turner and fellow Flushing alumnus Daniel Murphy turn into stars.

Pablo Sandoval doesn't seem close to rejoining the Red Sox. Once the GIants star 3rd baseman, little has gone right since he signed a free agent deal with Boston three years ago. As of last Saturday, he was still at Pawtucket, trying to get in better shape while hoping to regain the form that, in his San Francisco days, made him one of the game's most recognizable players. After going 0 for 5 in the opening of a doubleheader, he homered off Yankee lefthanded prospect Dietrich Enns in the nightcap. A two for five game Monday raised his batting average for the PawSox to .240. But is that enough to punch his ticket back to Fenway?

Say hello to Ji-Man Choi . The Korean 1st baseman originally came to the U.S. with the Mariners organization, and made his big league debut in 2016 with the Angels, where he hit just .170 in limited action. He began opening eyes with the Yankees Triple-A club in Scranton. Hitting .289 with 43 RBI in half a season, he offers the chance for an upgrade over the all-or-nothing (and mostly nothing) Chris Carter and the injured Greg Bird and Tyler Austin. Sure, it's a gamble -- but the potential reward outweighs the risk. Until Bird -- with the slow-to-heal bone bruise -- and Austin -- a hamstring pull just days after coming back from a broken foot -- return, Choi will get the chance to audition on baseball's biggest and most famous stage. The top two images of Choi come from Scranton's visit to Pawtucket on July 1st, 2017; the one below is from the Yankees/Braves exhibition game in Orlando on March 9th.