Recently in Ivory Tower Category

Sure, Ryan Howard is exciting, and Mark McGwire held our attention, but no player made our jaws drop with the regularity of Ken Griffey Jr.
Some players change you.
You stop what your doing - even halting your breath - when they're on the field.
The way they move, be it the uncanny precision and frightening velocity with which they hurl a baseball, the way they scamper about the basepaths, making the outfielders irrelevant, or they way they can pummel a baseball into the farthest reaches of reality, grips your soul.
And when their careers pass on you sort through your collection of memories and find that their exploits make you smile. Maybe even bring a tear to your eye.
They are the most exciting players you ever saw.

Gary Sheffield's numbers and legacy state he belongs in the Hall of Fame. His image, however, could keep him out.
Gary Sheffield has always been controversial. We get the image that he spent a lot of time in the corner during kindergarten.
If Sheffield were a movie star, he'd be Colin Farrell. If he were a director he'd be Oliver Stone. If he were a political topic he'd be abortion.
Gary Sheffield is, with the bat and with his reputation, explosive.
We'll always remember him for that.

Up here in the Ivory Tower, most of the sports fans aren't big followers of the World Baseball Classic.

In our first look from the Ivory Tower The Southpaw is joined by four colleagues in taking a look at reliable pitchers.
The Southpaw asks, "If you needed to win a game and could pick any pitcher in history, who would you choose?"
But The Southpaw has some qualifications.