Jon Rapoport

Minnesota Vikings’ running back Adrian Peterson is as talented as any football player on the planet. His combination of size, speed and toughness has put him on pace to be one of the greatest of all-time.

The seventh pick in the 2007 NFL Draft has rushed for nearly 4,500 yards and 40 TD’s, during his first three NFL seasons.  Last season, Peterson’s rushing totals declined with the arrival of Brett Favre, but he set a career high in pass receptions, with 43.

Despite his immense productivity, Peterson does possess one massive and devastating weakness, ball security.  In his three seasons, Peterson has fumbled 20 times, losing the ball on 13 occasions.

Phoenix Suns’ guard Steve Nash has become one of the great sports icons of both the state of Arizona and the NBA as a whole.  While Nash’s college and professional accomplishments have all taken place in the United States, his standing in his native Canada is in a strata reserved for very few athletes. 

This love and admiration was on full display during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic opening ceremonies. Nash was chosen to be one of the Canadian greats to carry the Olympic torch and light the cauldron.

Nash was also awarded the highly prestigious Order of Canada, by the Canadian government and was given a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in Toronto.

Texas Rangers’ OF Josh Hamilton has lived as star-crossed a life as any athlete in sports.  While his all-world talent is limitless, Hamilton’s issues with alcohol and drug addiction have thwarted him in a manner unavailable to most big league pitchers.

After being chosen by the Tampa Bay Rays with the first overall pick in the 1999 MLB Draft, Hamilton’s life spiraled out of control. Years of torment finally came to a conclusion when he debuted with the Cincinnati Reds in 2007.

Following a solid '07 season, Hamilton was traded to the Rangers.  It absolutely appears that the one-time “can’t miss” prospect has finally found a home in Arlington.  

Very few celebrities have experienced a more rapid fall from grace than Roger Clemens. The 11-time All-Star was once considered the best pitcher of his generation and one of the greatest ever to stand on a mound.  354 wins, 4,672 strikeouts and six Cy Young Awards put Clemens in a class by himself.

Clemens’ epic standing has all but disappeared after being linked to the use of performance enhancing drugs.  Though he maintains his innocence, Clemens has joined the likes of Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa in the absurdity of their denials. These once immortal ballplayers refuse to admit their connection to steroids, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.