Where Have All the Heroes Gone?

In an era where athletes are role models, it's hard to filter out the wannabes from the real thing. What's worse is that this has not only poisoned the pros, but also the college ranks. Next thing you know, the virus will hit high schools and junior highs across the country.

So as I sit at my cubicle waiting for the IT geeks to fix our computers, I wonder to myself, "Where's a true role model when you need one?" Here's the case in somewhat entirety.

Baseball

Mark McGwire. Sammy Sosa. Rafael Palmeiro. Barry Bonds.

What do they all have in common?

They were considered heroes of a lost generation, until the backlash of fame became too much for them to bear. There were those that we suspected were on the sauce (a.k.a. steroids) for quite some time. But it was when an unsung villain known as Jose Canseco came out with actual facts that things took a turn for the worse.

The four horsemen of baseball, so to speak, lost all credibility at the hands of Congress and an angry mob from Philadelphia. McGwire's home run record from 1998 was left with a "however" mark next to it, while Sosa miraculously couldn't remember a lick of English. As for Palmeiro, the oldest out of the four, he took his hall of fame career and buried it in the backyard next to Michael Vick's dead dogs.

Bonds went on to break the all time record, considered himself the ruler of the baseball world, and was left wondering if he would be playing the next season. That was, until his test proved what many of us already knew. He juiced too—he just hid it longer. The asterisk that was supposed to be next to his record anyway will officially be there by the beginning of next season.

So is there a legitimate hero left in baseball? Yes. And the best part is, he's not even playing anymore. He's the original living legend of the diamond and a man we can all admire and immortalize for all of baseball's time.

Who is this phenom?..."The Ironman" Cal Ripken, Jr.

Last Hero of Baseball: Cal Ripken, Jr.

Football

Everyone loves football players...or at least we try to.

There will always be debates about who is the best player of all time or of a certain eras in sports. But in a world gone wrong, it's hard to believe that the worst people in the world are making their way onto our football fields.

It started with the rumors of drug use courtesy of Ricky Williams, then transpired into illegal activities involving Reggie Bush. But the be all, end all would have to be Michael Vick's water bottle in Miami. His water bottle with a secret compartment is what caused the downfall of his career.

It started out as a search warrant to see if there were any more drugs on his property in Virginia. That's when everything completely hit the fan for Vick. Hundreds of dead dog carcasses were buried in the very yard that family members most likely played in.

How bad has football gotten? The only reason people are watching now is simply because they still have a few heroes out there who keep the game exciting and fun. Shockingly enough, all three men are quarterbacks who prove that it's okay to have a few flaws.

Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys got more publicity as the boyfriend of an American Idol and a chick who still hasn't gotten that whole "Chicken By The Sea" thing. If you know what I'm talking about, then there's no need to go further.

Tom Brady has the Patriots thinking about another Super Bowl win as well as an undefeated season. Shocking though, is that back in 1998, the Broncos were in this position and lost in Week 15 to the Giants on the last play of the game. Deja vu, maybe? Not likely. Brady is a proud quarterback, proud man, and proud father.

And the third man who is showing that football is still fun happens to the oldest of them all. Brett Favre has the Packers playing their best ball in almost a decade.

All three had tumultuous offseasons and have come back better than ever. So in honor of them...

Last Heroes of Football: Past (Brett Favre, Packers), Present (Tom Brady, Patriots), Future (Tony Romo, Cowboys)

Wrestling

The only reason I am including pro wrestling in this column is because it deserves as much respect as the others.

After the deaths of Mike Awesome, Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Benoit, it is time to find some heroes again. With all due respect to Hulk Hogan, there is at least one guy who puts his body on the line every time he steps into that ring. He has been the official spokesperson in regards to the WWE's steroid testing. However, Congress isn't buying it. But since when did Congress care? They are doing investigations just because some kid's parents were threatening to bug the President until he did something about it.

In the path of these people who are trying to take down a multi-billion dollar corporation is the man who isn't afraid to fight back. There is one hero among the many heroes on their weekly programs. His name is Vincent Kennedy McMahon.

Why is he considered a hero? When co-workers, employees, and family were getting harassed by people like Canseco and Congress, he stepped up and took on the world as he has done in the past. When Benoit killed his family and himself, Congress started to question the drug testing of several WWE superstars. Though the superstars whose tests failed were suspended, Congress still kept on the pressure.

Through all this, the WWE has gotten more publicity, and more people are starting to watch the programming. So after all that, the WWE still reigns as an empire among imitators and Vince McMahon is its Caesar.

Last Hero of Wrestling (Professional): Vince McMahon

Tomorrow's Heroes Edition: Basketball & Hockey