It was during Steve McNair's rookie season in 1995 with the Houston Oilers when the comparisons initially surfaced. While their NFL paths crossed just once on the field, Pro Football Hall of Fame member Warren Moon had heard enough, saw enough and talked enough with McNair over the years to realize he was indeed a special player with special talents.

"A lot of the players with the Oilers were calling me his rookie season and saying, 'Man, this guy Steve McNair we just drafted reminds us so much of you,' " Moon told FanHouse Thursday morning.

"His temperament, his personality, he's real soft-spoken. But when he gets on the field, he's a tough guy and he's a hard worker. Steve reminded me a little of myself in the beginning. There were a lot of comparisons between Steve and I in the beginning."

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant is excited about his new teammate Ron Artest, a player who, within NBA locker rooms, has a great reputation. In this video, Kobe talks about the time that Artest paid Bryant a visit ... in the shower. Kobe also talks about missing Trevor Ariza, who is like a little brother to him, as well as his thoughts on the Shaq trade, 'Sheed going to Boston, and more.

Check out the video after the jump.

Through the social media site Twitter, the folks at Houston's 1560 The Game were able to arrange an on-air interview with Bengals wide receiver Chad Ocho Cinco (otherwise known as OGOchoCinco on Twitter because one man can never have enough names, I suppose).

In the interview, Ocho Cinco discusses many things: how he will have a new checklist in his locker; how he truly is going to live with Carson Palmer's family; and how he wants to be more of team guy than a "me" guy this year. At the 2:34 mark in the interview, he discusses his love of Twitter and the way he will be using it next year:

His last name gave it away. Everyone assumed Steve McNair Jr., would be a football quarterback.

His late father, Steve McNair, rose from anonymity at Alcorn State to become "Air McNair," a Heisman Trophy candidate known for his passing prowess and the third overall selection of the Houston Oilers in 1995.

McNair, Jr., followed his father's footsteps until the ninth grade, when he first began to contemplate a position change from quarterback. McNair Jr., wanted to catch the football, not throw it. So McNair Jr., immediately sought advice from his father, who offered a message that his son still carries with him today:

Never go against your will.

Not many free agents in any sport elect to play in New York because of "family reasons.''

According to a source, it looks like Grant Hill will.

Hill, the 36-year-old small forward, is leaning toward accepting an offer from the Knicks instead of the Boston Celtics or Phoenix Suns on Thursday, and a major reason is his wife Tamia, a national recording artist who would benefit greatly from him playing in New York.

Freddy Adu was carrying a limp as he made his way through the tunnel beneath RFK Stadium Wednesday night. The 20-year-old midfielder had played 64 indifferent minutes for the U.S. national team in its CONCACAF Gold Cup match against Honduras. It was his replacement, Charlie Davies, who was part of the combination that ultimately unlocked the visitors' defense and helped the Americans to a 2-0 win.

It smelled like a lost opportunity, and in fact, it turned out that Adu's Gold Cup was over. U.S. coach Bob Bradley announced, and Adu confirmed, that he is on his way back to Portugal to join Benfica for its preseason. After a quiet year with the Portuguese power and an anonymous one-year loan with Monaco, one is left to wonder when the former prodigy, now a pro for five years, is going to make an impact.

From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.

First things first, I should probably tweak the little italicized intro here, because baseball isn't America's pastime anymore. Complaining is now the favorite pastime of too many Americans, especially the ugly woe is me type of whining that infests every message board and comment section across the Internet. One in particular got me going this week, and it wasn't an outlier. It's become far too common to see this ill-informed cry: "I can't afford to attend baseball games anymore."

As far as I can see, there has been no news or official release that free agent defenseman Nick Boynton has signed a contract with the Anaheim Ducks. At least, not as of this morning, July 9, 2009.

That's not stopping his name from appearing on the team's roster on its official Web site.

The rumored sign-and-trade sending Shawn Marion to Dallas will become official today, reports ESPN.com and the Dallas Morning News.

What had been a tricky deal between Dallas, who is apparently in BUY! BUY! BUY! mode, and Toronto, who is attempting to maximize its Hedo Turkoglu cushion, turned into a four-way ballroom dance. Orlando reportedly jumped in to get a trade exception for the loss of Hedo and Memphis will provide its usual role as facilitator.

Antonio McDyess has agreed to sign a three-year deal worth the full mid-level exception with the Spurs on Wednesday, giving Tim Duncan arguably his most reliable sidekick in the post since David Robinson retired.

For a team that looked beaten down and weary in the playoffs last year, you wouldn't think the addition of a 34-year-old power forward with a history of knee problems would prop open the window of success, but it does. Playing just 30 minutes a game last season, McDyess fell just shy of a double-double, averaging 9.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

Spurs general manger R.C. Buford confirmed the agreement, which should become official later this week, with Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News on Wednesday night.