Hail those who never quit.(Kurt Warner, Tiger Woords, Lance Armstrong)(Column)

Being the good Republican that I am, I hesitate to invoke the memory of a particular former president in any way, shape or form--particularly in reference to three outstanding athletes ... but here goes. Bear with me.

You may remember a guy from Arkansas who ran for President of these United States way back in 1992. He encountered a series of scandals on the road to his party's nomination and was counted down and nearly out at one point early on. Then, one night when he finished second--not first--in a major primary election, he stood before his cheering supporters and proclaimed himself the "comeback kid:"

There are a few comeback kids or soon-to-be comeback kids in sports today for whom I have the greatest respect and admiration.

I was watching Kurt Warner in a preseason game recently and was thinking back to less than a year ago when he was 0-6 as a starter for the Rams. All the experts were proclaiming Mark Bulger as the next Mississippi River-banks hero. Bulger had a great year, for sure, and he stepped up when his team needed him. But I always thought anyone who was writing Warner off was just a tad hasty. It wasn't that long ago that he was stocking shelves at a supermarket. To accomplish what he has would certainly qualify him for a comeback kid award.

But Warner isn't done. This guy is too driven. Too competitive. You can see it in his eyes. Apollo Creed called it the "eye of the tiger."

After having suffered for him last season, it was pretty satisfying to watch Warner hit all his passes and go untouched against the defending Super Bowl champions. I know it was just a preseason game, but you could see it in his eyes. Anyone who has ever competed at the highest levels can see it.

Even Bucs coach Jon Gruden said Warner was the "MVP guy I remember."