Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

From 2008, Citi Field rising alongside Shea Stadium. This was taken from the right field corner of Shea -- with the new ballpark appearing between the scoreboard and the farthest tip of the left field grandstand.

Part of the reason I bought the Canon SX50HS was to take advantage of its 50:1 zoom. Its real strength are portraits that capture the personality of an athlete or musician. My subject here: Mets 3rd baseman David Wright.

One of the treats of shooting from one of Citi Field's photo pits is capturing dugout scenes. Watching Diamondbacks coach Don Baylor watch a game is a treat. The man is all business. It's same tough, focused demeanor we saw in his playing days with the A's, Orioles and Yankees. And it's on display here last July.

The Dodgers have done pretty well over the years with catchers from the Philadelphia area: Roy Campanella, Mike Piazza -- and in between, Mike Scioscia. A defensive standout during his 13-year career, he also became (in 1990) the first Dodger to start an All-Star Game since Campy. Since then, he's made his mark with Southern California's other team. Managing the Angels since 1999, he led them to their first (and still only) World Series championship in 2002. We've got some other big baseball names with November 27th birthdays -- Ivan Rodriguez, Jimmy Rollins and Dave Giusti and long-ago pitcher Bullet Joe Bush.

Clean, clear and simple -- the Orioles honor their legends by displaying their retired numbers along the stands near the left field corner. Then, on the fair side of the foul pole, the blue Brooklyn 42 for Jackie Robinson. How many of the Baltimore players can you name? #20 is Frank Robinson, #5 Brooks Robinson, #4 Earl Weaver, #22 Jim Palmer, #33 Eddie Murray and #8 Cal Ripken. Then, in the plaza beyond the outfield and the bullpens, there are statues for these Oriole heroes -- below is the one for Frank Robinson.

When the Braves let 7-time All Star catcher Brian McCann leave as a free agent, it was a show of confidence in two young players: Panamanian-born prospect Christian Bethancourt (above -- seen in 2013 Spring Training) and Evan Gattis , (below) who hit 21 homers splitting his rookie season between the outfield and catching. For a cost-conscious ballclub, having two young players deemed ready made it easy to pass on an $85-million deal that could vest to six-years and $100-million at a position that wears bodies down at a faster pace than any other.

The Yankees have snared the first big free agent this winter. Several reporters, including Jon Heyman of CBSsports.com have the longtime Braves catcher signing with the Yankees for 5 years and $85-million. Lots of money? Sure. But it fills a void on the Yanks for lefty power and a steady everyday catcher. McCann will be a dramatic upgrade over the tandem of Chris Stewart and Austin Romine. And his swing should help boost his home run totals now that he'll play half his games with Yankee Stadium's right field corner beckoning. The Yankees, despite occasional pronouncements that they'll hold down spending, prove that money is often no object. At least in this case, it appears to be money well spent.