Imagine my delight this week when I picked up SportsDay and found columns by Gerry Fraley and Evan Grant leading the section. Both had left the paper for a time, and our sports editors were able to bring them back.

Welcome home, guys!

Evan is one of America's premier baseball writers, and he's back just in time for the World Series. Reading his column and "World Series Matchups" notes told me more about the two teams than anything I've seen lately.

Gerry has returned as part of our team covering the Dallas Cowboys. In the storied history of SportsDay, Gerry is among its very best and most versatile reporters.

Both writers bring readers exceptionally good reporting, insight and command of the subject matter. You will always learn something new by reading their work.

Evan and Gerry also are widely respected by their sources, their colleagues and competitors.

The same day these pros took over the top of SportsDay's cover, you also could find bylines by Rainer Sabin and Mark Dent inside the section. They are two smart rookies who are covering high schools and are recent additions to our staff.

To me, this is one of the dynamics that keeps our sports section strong: The experienced journalists model outstanding performance for the promising younger staff. It fosters a creative culture that provides readers with fresh perspectives and excellence.

That is the SportsDay tradition.