Remember Matt Leinart? The former USC star who was supposed to guide the Arizona Cardinals into the future?

He is still a Gridbird, off in the background somewhere while Kurt Warner works his magic. While we’re gearing up for Warner’s triumphant return to St. Louis this week, Leinart bides his time on the bench.

At least he hasn’t been injured lately. Nor has he been photographed in an embarrassing social situation.

“It’s nice from that aspect, just to be under the radar,” Leinart told the Arizona Republic. “No one is talking about you, no one really knows what’s going on. It’s allows me to focus and not really worry about having to deal with the media and all that stuff.

“It is nice, to be honest with you. But it (attention) is part of the gig and I know it will be there sooner or later.”

Well, maybe. Warner is having a Pro Bowl-caliber season and there’s talk of a two-year contract extension. At 37, Warner is playing some of the best football in his career.

“Kurt, mentally, is so far ahead of anyone,” Leinart said. “I just think he’s so much smarter than your average quarterback. He’s so far ahead of the game.”

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while Phillies fans burn one of their sick days today:

• Was that the most exciting suspended/resumed World Series game ever?
• And now that it’s over, are Cardinals fans ready for the Hot Stove League opener?
• Can the Illini fight their way back into bowl contention?
• Who could have possibly guessed that Trail Blazers center Greg Oden would get hurt again?

NOT-SO-SURPRISING NEWS STORY OF DAY

This item came over the wire:

WINSTON-SALEM N.C. — Golfer John Daly was taken into custody Sunday morning by Winston-Salem police after he was found drunk outside an area Hooters restaurant.

Police said in a statement Wednesday that said officers went to the restaurant on a medical call. When they arrived, Daly was being treated by emergency workers after losing consciousness.

While at the restaurant, police said Daly “appeared extremely intoxicated and uncooperative,” refused repeatedly to be taken to the hospital and was asked to leave the restaurant by several workers.

Daly was taken to the Forsyth County Law Enforcement Detention Center for a 24-hour stay, until he was sober.

GREAT MOMENTS IN PRODUCT ENDORSEMENT

Check out the Porky’s-caliber innuendo and Ryan Braun’s dreadful acting:

QUIPS ‘R US

Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:

Jim Caple, Los Angeles Times: “Frankly, the first suspended game in World Series history worked so well that baseball should consider more of them. Seriously. Worried that fans can’t watch the World Series because games last past midnight? Just play half a game each night. Everyone is happy. Broadcasts end by 10-10:30 p.m. on the East Coast. The networks get a minimum of eight nights of programming and as many as 14 for their considerable rights fees. And just think of all the extra hot dogs and beer teams can sell before each ‘game.’”

Jeff Schultz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Ty Willingham has resigned at Washington. If you’re the Seattle Seahawks, you don’t stop Jim Mora from pursuing that job. You let him use your copy machine for his resume, and then drive him to the front gate.”

Greg Cote, Miami Herald: “The NBA will have instant replay this season for certain plays and situations. I’m OK with that. As long as they don’t have NFL-styled black curtains that make it look like the referee is watching porn.”

Dan Daly, Washington Times: “In response to Troy Polamalu’s comments last week that excessive fines were taking away players’ aggressiveness, Mike Ditka told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: ‘If you want to … get back to where people aren’t striking with the head and using the head as a weapon, take the mask off the helmet. A lot of pretty boys aren’t going to stick their face in there.’ Oh, to be a fly on the wall when the competition committee discussed that one. ‘So whattayathink, guys? Five-yard penalty if the tackler drags the ball carrier down by one nostril, 15-yarder if he drags him down by both?’ Still, it would be cool to see the term ‘deviated septum’ return to the football lexicon.”

MEGAPHONE

“Be quiet. It’s over. I kind of saw some shots of it in preseason from Kyle Orton that early in the year, some of the throws, the way he looks on the field, the way he handles himself, I just said, ‘Wow. they’ve got it.’ And I’ll tell you, I know it when I see a big-time NFL thrower, and I’ve seen enough to know that he’s not lucky. It’s not luck how he’s getting it done. He’s made a lot of terrific throws, and only frontline starting NFL quarterbacks make those.”

Analyst Phil Simms, in a WSCR interview, instructing Bears fans to quit fretting about quarterback Kyle Orton.