The Arizona Cardinals and coach Ken Whisenhunt have a tough decision to make for this upcoming season. After posting an average 8-8 season, they are not too many wins away from a playoff spot, especially being in a weak division.

Will they start off the season at QB with the veteran Kurt Warner or third-year man Matt Leinart? Last season Warner was 9th in touchdown passes (27) in the NFL, while only playing in 13 games. Still, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt isn’t impressed enough to name Warner starter for ‘08. Instead, he’s going to have to battle it out deep into training camp with the former USC quarterback Leinart, who if the season started tomorrow, would get the nod.

For a team on the hinge of the playoffs this could be the difference between a winning and losing season. Some might question the thought process of Whisenhunt and the Cardinals going with Leinart early, especially considering his injury problems (sprained left shoulder, broken left collarbone), but teams aren’t that eager to give up on No. 1 draft picks.

If it was my decision, I would undoubtedly go with Leinart, who in my eyes still shows great potential. The Cardinals have a young, talented offense who can make up for the inexperienced Leinart with names like Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Edgerrin James.

But, don‘t sleep on Warner just yet, Leinart can‘t take anything for granted.

“It’s going to be a tough job for Matt to keep because Kurt played at a high level for us last year, and he’s been doing a lot of work in the off season and he’s looked sharp in these drills,” Whisenhunt said. “It’s not just quarterback. It’s any position on our team. That’s the way you’d like to have it.”

This one is going to play out well into training camp so stay tuned.

The Texas Rangers’ Josh Hamilton, who the Tampa Bay Devil Rays drafted with the first overall pick in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft, is currently batting .312, with 19 home runs, and a Major League-leading 80 RBI’s. Not to mention, he plays a very demanding centerfield position and plays it well. ‘Who cares?’ you might ask. But…do you know his story?

Early in his career, Hamilton was a blue-chip prospect until injuries and addiction plagued his career in 2001. Baseball fans today see his performances and wonder where this guy has been the last four years. Well, from 2002 until 2006, Hamilton did not play baseball at all. Let me repeat that: he didn’t play professional baseball whatsoever.

Hamilton and his mother were involved in a car accident prior to the 2001 season. The year 2001 was not a good one for Hamilton, who started to begin experimenting with drugs, but he attempted to rehab. He only played 27 games in the 2001 season, playing minor league baseball with Charleston and the Orlando Rays.

In 2002, he began his season with the Bakersfield Blaze and was playing well until his season ended prematurely due to lingering back and shoulder problems.

But, Hamilton never gave up, his love for the game and his desire to return to it was too strong to just lay down. Roy Silver, who owns a baseball academy in Florida, heard of Hamilton’s story and offered the use of his facilities if Hamilton agreed to work there.

Several months later, Hamilton tried to play with an independent league team, but Major League Baseball disallowed it. Hamilton was later allowed to work out with the Rays’ minor league players in 2006 after doctors influenced Major League baseball to allow it so that it might speed up his recovery.

After spending several months in the Rays’ minor league system, Hamilton was selected third overall in the MLB portion of the 2006 Rule 5 Draft by the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs then traded Hamilton to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money. Hamilton batted well in spring training, and won a spot on the Reds opening day roster. The Reds planned to use Hamilton as a fourth outfielder, but he got his opportunity to start most of the time after an injury to Ryan Freel.

When Hamilton made his long-awaited Major League debut on April 2nd against the Chicago Cubs in a pinch-hit appearance, he received a 22-second standing ovation. He lined out to left field and he stayed in the game to play left field. As he was waiting to bat, Cubs’ catcher Michael Barrett (who surprisingly seems like a nice guy, even though he sucker punched A. J. Pierzynski) said “You deserve it, Josh. Take it all in, brother. I’m happy for you.”

In December of 2007, the Reds traded Hamilton to the Texas Rangers for Edinson Volquez and Danny Herrera. I must say that trade worked out pretty well for both teams, with Hamilton being mentioned among the best sluggers in the league and Volquez’ 2.08 ERA speaking for itself.

Hamilton, also known as ‘the Great Hambino’ and ‘Hambone,’ which is coincidently similar to my last name, has shown great courage and humbleness throughout his career. Hamilton simply stated "It’s a God thing" when asked to give a brief summary of his recovery. He doesn’t hide from the struggles he had with drugs and alcohol. Instead, he speaks to community groups and fans at many different functions; trying to have others learn from his past mistakes.

Bob Feller once said "Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday’s success or put its failures behind and start over again. That’s the way life is, with a new game every day, and that’s the way baseball is.”

The Philadelphia Eagles are seemingly a long way from winning the Super Bowl, but with quarterback Donovan McNabb healthy, and the additions of cornerback Asante Samuel and defensive end Chris Clemons, they may be closer than one would think. People question why they addressed the defense so quickly when struggles in the red zone seemed to be their big problem in 2007.

One answer of why they went defense? The 2007 Eagles defense lacked turnovers. Think back to the 2006 season, when the city proclaimed Jeff Garcia the best thing to ever put on an Eagles uniform. The Eagles were 5-6 and just got pummeled by the Colts by 24 points when Garcia took over. They then won five straight to win the NFC East, but was the offense any better with Garcia? No, but the defense was.

The first game after that loss to Indy was the Monday night game against Carolina. The conclusion came down to the Panthers in the Philadelphia red zone with seconds left on the game clock. A fade was thrown to Keyshawn Johnson in the back right corner of the end zone, and Lito Sheppard intercepted the ball, game over.

The Eagles then traveled down to Washington to beat the Redskins by two points. The big play in the game? A Michael Lewis interception that was brought back for a touchdown.

With the playoffs in sight, the Eagles battled the hated Giants. The Eagles took the lead with minutes left in the game to leave Eli Manning with enough time to tie it up. Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown came in unblocked from Manning’s blindside and sent the football into the air. Defensive end Trent Cole caught it and danced it into the end zone.

Then came Christmas day and oh what a day that was. The Eagles defense kept the Cowboys down to seven points, leaving the fans of Philadelphia in a state of amazement. Some fans and media were quick to credit the improvement of the offense for the NFC East title, but they averaged more points with McNabb without the defensive turnovers.

In 2007, the defense was ninth in points per game, tenth in yards per game, seventh in run yards per game, but 18th in pass yards per game. The Eagles weakness in 2006 was their run defense, which clearly was addressed. But, they were 18th in passing yards per game, which is not typical for a Jim Johnson-coached team. Boasting a strong secondary at the beginning of the season, they became unhealthy. Brian Dawkins missed some games with his neck injury, Sean Considine had shoulder problems, and Sheppard’s knee was keeping him out of a substantial amount of games. What really stands out is how many interceptions they had last year: 11, tied for last in the NFL. Defensive TD’s? Zero. What the defense lacked last year was healthy playmakers.

So, what do Asante Samuel and Chris Clemons bring to the table? Samuel leads the league in interceptions for the last two years, and Clemons racked up eight sacks in a backup role with the Raiders last year. They are game changers and that’s what the Eagles were looking for and, hopefully, found.