"That’s what my job is here," Maxey said, "not just to be the best possible player that I can possibly be, but to be the best ...

But on a cold December day, Don Mancini, who met Allen in 2014, took out a baseball with three letters scribbled on the front — “H. O. F.” — and four numbers on the side — “2-0-2-5.” He put it in a ...