View from the Ivory Tower: Most exciting

He might have been past his prime but Mickey Mantle was fun to see in person even for an Orioles fan such as Mike Argento.

So, for our most recent version of the Ivory Tower we look at who are the most exciting players in history. We'll even give some current guys the props they deserve.

We start first with Daily Record/Sunday News columnist Mike Argento, who grew up the son a New York Yankees fan. Mike, however, was a loyal Orioles fan. So he had a lot of great players who wore the Orange and Black to chose from.
"Among Orioles players from that era, we had loads of great players -- Boog (Powell), Frank (Robinson), Brooks (Robins), the great pitching staff. Brooks isn't most exciting guy in the world, but just about every game, he would do something that made you jaw drop. That said, the one player I liked during that period was Paul Blair. Nobody ever talks about him, but he was great to watch.
"I was at the games where Ripken tied and broke Lou Gehrig's record and while Cal himself is about as exciting as watching paint dry, those two games were amazing."
However, Mike reached down into his memory banks and admits an aging veteran from a hated rival stirred memorable emotions.
"I can remember the most excited I was for a game was when I got to see Mickey Mantle. It was at the end of his career and he wasn't what he once was, but still, it was Mickey Mantle."
Mike talks about he presence Mantle brought to the field.

That's what's special about exciting players, you never know when they're going to do something absolutely fantastic.
For sports editor Chris Otto, the guy that made him expect the amazing was Michael Jack.
"Because home runs -- the anticipation and pressure of a huge at-bat, the crack of the ball off the bat, the majesty of the baseball soaring over the fence -- are still the greatest thrill in the entire world of sports."

A true Phillies fan, Chris gets a similar feeling when Ryan Howard steps into the batters box.
But he's not the only current Phillie whom our participants consider to be the most exciting player.
Mike, however, looks at center fielder Shane Victorino.
"He always makes something happen," Argento says. "I thought last year, he should have been the Phillies MVP at the end of the season and in the playoffs."
The Southpaw agrees.
There are a lot of players who are more talented than Victorino, but there's a reason the Phillies sell "The Thrill of Victorino" T-Shirts.
You never know what will happen when Victorino is on the field. If he could steal first, he would.
If he could run up to the upper deck to rob a home run, he would.
It's not the talent, it's the intensity.

But as much as The Southpaw loves watching Victorino, no one will ever top the most exciting player we've ever seen: Ken Griffey Jr.
Sure, some center fielders had better range. Some took better routes to the ball. Some had better arms. We'll even admit, there were players who hit the ball farther.
But, no one did it with the flair and the grace of Junior.
While he was never The Southpaw's favorite player, he was the one guy we couldn't take our eyes off of.
We'll always remember him robbing home runs at Yankee Stadium, under George Steinbrenner's covetous eyes. We remember him launching a ball off the Warehouse during the 1993 Home Run Derby. If our father had reached into the sky and unbuckled Orion's belt we would have been less shocked.

However, the Kid isn't the only player The Southpaw's generation get's excited about.
Take reporter and consistent contributor Jeff Frantz for example, he'd pick a pitcher: the Diminutive Dominican - Pedro Martinez.
"... (H)e commanded a game like no one I've ever seen. He's was at the peak of his cockiness, which he backed up by getting Major League hitters to swing at balls miles outside the zone."
And now that he's with the Phillies - Jeff's favorite club - is he still the most exciting player?
Jeff says he would go with left fielder Raul Ibanez.
"I would have said Jimmy Rollins. Last year it would have been Manny -- at least in the second half," Jeff says. "... But when he's playing, Ibanez comes to the plate, takes big cuts and lashes the ball. This year, it's happening a lot, 24 homers with a 1.041 OPS. As a plus, he runs like a train coming off the tracks. "
However, Jeff has a caveat: He's saying today as in this season.
He admitsa of all active players he's really impressed with Albert the Great.
"But he inspires more of an awe factor," Jess says of Pujols.
So after hearing what we have to say about exciting players, who would you pick?