Things That Are Overrated

I listen to a lot of talk radio, watch a lot of SportsCenter, and read a lot of sports sections. I can't for the life of me, understand some people in the sports world that reap praise. Here is my list of overrated players, coaches, and situations.

1) Ben Wallace - Ridiculous. 4 year, $52 million. Stats: 5.6 PPG 9.4 RPG 42 FG% 45 FT%.......I rest my case. He never has been good...EVER. He was simply on a good team with Detroit. He fit that system well because he was on the court with 4 scorers. I just don't see the appeal, nor will I ever.

2) Larry Brown - Is this guy really such a good coach that he deserved the top story on SportsCenter every night when he left Detroit to go to the Knicks? No. He's not a good coach. Not only that, he's an NBA coach. NBA coaches probably have the least impact on a game in professional sports.

3) Phil Jackson - Same thing. Give me a team with Michael Jordan, and I'll show you 6 titles. Give me a duo of Shaq and Kobe, and I'll get you 3 more titles. That's a total of 9 championships. Phil Jackson's part in all of them you ask? Nada. If you watch closely, you can see him sitting down the entire game thinking he actually made up a brilliant scheme that allows Michael Jordan to score 30+ a night. Again, NBA coaches have little effect on the outcome of a game.

4) Astros signing Carlos Lee for $100 million - Can't say I'm too thrilled about this one. We basically signed a fat outfielder on the downslope of his career. Yeah, he puts up decent numbers, but he's not a $100 million savior. I can't remember ever watching a game and thinking to myself, "Man, he'd be pretty sweet to have." Just to prove how overrated this signing is, let me give you a few names of some players who are making less money than Carlos Lee: Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, Albert Pujols, Travis Hafner, Ryan Howard...and so on. Nice job 'Stros. Now let's try and re-sign Ensberg and Lidge to long term deals. Oh yeah, and don't forget that our idiot of a GM tried to trade Oswalt for Tejada.

5) Texans drafting Mario Williams with #1 overall - Never did, never have, and never will comprehend this draft pick. All I remember hearing for 4 months on talk radio was Vince Young vs. Reggie Bush. Oh no, my friend. Mario Williams, DE, NC State. GO TEXANS!

6) Lefty on lefty match ups - It kils me everytime a coach puts in an inferior pitcher just because he's left handed. These guys are professional hitters. It does not matter. Are you telling me you'd put in Trevor Miller over Dan Wheeler in a crucial situation just because he's left handed?

That's all I can think of for now. If I think of more overrated things, I'll add them to the list.