Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

From July 2012, it's the famous Presidents Race at Nationals Park (Teddy Roosevelt is in the lead, with Abe Lincoln, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson bringing up the rear). What you can't tell from this picture is how hot it was that day. Let's give a round of applause to the folks who don those hefty and heavy latex heads and then get to run around the warning track toward the dugout.

On a day when the New York temperature again failed to get above freezing, it was delightful to catch some of the first exhibition games on TV -- capped by the Dodgers and D'backs with Vin Scully back behind the microphone. Always well prepared, he had some tidbits on Matt Tuiasosopo's family sports roots when the now-Arizona outfielder came to bat. Until then, I wasn't even aware that was he longer a Tiger. The Seattle-area product -- whose dad played linebacker for the Seahawks -- made the Detroit roster a year ago after a sizzling spring training. Above, he's touching third base and heading toward the plate after homering against the Mets at Port St. Lucie.

February 26th... a day chock full of interesting baseball birthdays. Jose Reyes, for one. The Mets lead-off man and offensive catalyst is the only player in club history to lead the National League in batting. He did that in 2011, before leaving as a free agent for the Marlins, who traded him a year later to the Blue Jays. If you grew up watching the great Yankees teams of the early '60s, you'll remember power-hitting Johnny Blanchard. In 1961, the year of Mantle and Maris chasing the Babe, he smacked 21 homers in just 243 at-bats. He was born February 26th, 1933. Exactly two years later, the Yankees released Babe Ruth. J.T. Snow's also on today's birthday list along with reliever Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez, Mariners infielder Dustin Ackley and William Frawley, a TV legend as Fred Mertz, Grandpa Bub of My Three Sons  -- and very possibly the most avid baseball fan in show biz. How can you not love a guy who had it written into his I Love Lucy co...

I visited the Dodgers' Arizona home in March 2010. Spacious and modern but quite generic -- and offering little indication that the ghosts of Vero Beach migrated west after the Dodgers left their historic spring training headquarters.  A gray morning turned into a bright afternoon. Take a look at the outfield fence -- I wonder if it remains ad-free four years later? If you've seen video footage with the Dodgers recently -- keep in mind their players reported early because of the season-opening trip to Australia -- let me know if the outfield walls remain a clean green.

Are you as surprised as I was with the four-year extension Brett Gardner received? I don't grade him as worthy of what's really a five-year commitment. Sure, he's an above-average fielder. But he's not the offensive force some perceive him to be -- especially when the Yanks just signed a far better version of him in Jacoby Ellsbury. Gardner, who turned 30 last summer, did post a career high in extra-base hits, with 33 doubles and an AL-best 10 triples. But he batted just .273, not .300 -- and his on-base percentage was under .350. Worse, he's become less adept at stealing bases -- his success rate is just 75%. If his speed is diminishing -- as often is the case when a player turns 30 -- what will his value be as the club moves forward? Below, one of my favorite action shots from last season: last June 3rd against Cleveland, Andy Pettitte -- from his knees nails Indians speedster Michael Bourn.

The first game of this Florida trip matched the Phillies and Yankees. Seven months later, they'd meet again in the World Series. Pitcher Kyle Kendrick, who spent part of the season in the minors, didn't appear in the Fall Classic, while Hideki Matsui (55 for the Yanks) would be named MVP when New York dethroned the previous champs in six games.

Welcome to the pre-season home of the Royals and Rangers, a half-hour outside Phoenix.