Standard Showdown: Cam Huffman

Which quarterback would you most like to have on your team: Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger?

The most recent winner is always the most popular, and you couldn't go wrong picking Aaron Rodgers. Despite the loss, Ben Roethlisberger wouldn't be a bad choice, either. He's just 28 years old, and already played in three Super Bowls, winning two. But Big Ben comes with too much baggage.

He may not have had as big a year as he had in 2009, but I still believe Drew Brees is one of the most valuable players in all of the National Football League.

Besides finally leading the Saints - known for so long as the Ain'ts - to their first Super Bowl title a year ago, Brees is a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a three-time NFC Offensive Player of the Year. He has one of the best arms you will find in the NFL and the intelligence to make good decisions on the field.

Besides all that, Brees is as good off the field as he is on it. The best choice would be the 32-year-old Brees, who is sure to win another Super Bowl or two before his career comes to an end.

Which team is most deserving of an NCAA Tournament berth: Maryland, St. John's, Michigan State, Oklahoma State or Georgia?

St. John's body of work has to be considered the most impressive. What was supposed to be a group of also-rans in the ultra-competitive Big East, the Red Storm's résumé includes wins over West Virginia, a 2010 Final Four participant that has spent time in the top 25 this season, Georgetown, ranked No. 13 when they lost to the Red Storm, Notre Dame, ranked No. 11 when they fell to St. John's, and Duke, the 2010 champion, still considered by many experts at the favorite to win it all again this season.

A 13-9 overall record may not be all that impressive at first glance, but four of those losses - Notre Dame, Syracuse, Louisville and Georgetown - came at the hands of top 25 teams. A 5-5 conference record in a league that currently has 11 teams in the tournament, according to Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology, isn't bad, either.

Please see HUFFMAN, page 3B

St. John's has played the second-toughest schedule in the nation, and it has an RPI of 22. The selection committee has preached the importance of playing a challenging schedule in recent years. If that's truly a qualification, the Red Storm deserve a spot.

Which area high school basketball team will make the deepest playoff run: Aiken boys, Silver Bluff boys, Fox Creek boys, North Augusta girls or Silver Bluff girls?

Every team on this list should win a game or two in the postseason, but the team that has the best chance of going the distance and hoisting a championship trophy at the end of the season is the Silver Bluff girls' squad.

How can you argue with a perfect regular season? The Lady Bulldogs made it to the Class AA Lower State championship last year before falling to Bishop England. This year's team is even better.

Silver Bluff has all the pieces necessary to win a title. It has the star power - Jamie Foreman is one of the top players in all of Class AA - it has solid support players - Kaylin Foreman, Kia Jackson, Taylor Muterspaugh and Khadajah Simpkins are capable of leading SBHS in scoring on any given night - and it has experience - six seniors on the roster, all of which have been to the playoffs every year.

You can't forget coaching, either. Robbie McKenzie has done a great job with the Lady Bulldogs in recent years, and he could receive the ultimate reward this season.

Who has the best shot at winning the Sprint Cup championship this year: Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart or Kurt Busch?

Jimmie Johnson's run of five straight titles has to end sometime doesn't it? I think this will be the year, and I see Carl Edwards being the driver to complete the task.

Edwards, who finished fourth last season, was incredibly efficient in 2010, finishing in the top 10 in 19 of 36 starts, and he only failed to finish two races. He wasn't too far from the top in 2009, finishing 11th, and in 2008 the Columbia, Missouri, native was second, finishing only 69 points behind Johnson.

Edwards has won championships on other levels - he was the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series champion - and he's ready to get it done on the big stage.

With the support of Jack Roush and Roush Fenway Racing in his corner, Edwards will be doing backflips all the way to a championship in 2011.

Which of these players would you most like to have on your team: Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay or Joey Votto?

First, let's throw the pitchers out. I want somebody who's going to make an impact on my team every game, not just once every four or five days. The second thing I want in consistency. Votto had a tremendous 2010 season, but his RBI total was 29 runs higher than it was in 2008 and 2009, and his home run total went up by 12. If he can put up the 113 RBIs and 37 homers that he recorded in 2010 for a year or two more, he'll become the hottest player in the game. But I have to see it first.

Josh Hamilton? His 2010 numbers - .359 batting average, 100 RBIs, 32 home runs - were incredible, but his average was nearly 100 points higher than it was in 2009. I'll need to see him do it again.

That's where Albert Pujols comes into the equation. Many considered 2010 a down year for the Cardinals slugger. During that "down year," he drove in 118 runs, hit 42 homers and batted .312. If that's a downswing, and it was after he hit .327 with 135 RBIs in 2009, I'll take it.

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