Another year is nearly behind us, and at the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man, there’s more urgency than ever to rush to judgment — to strong judgment — on each and every issue. Gray area isn’t cool anymore, if it ever was.
Hence our annual Overrated and Over-hated list. Who and what in baseball (and elsewhere) is regarded too highly, and who or what gets too much grief? Here’s one person’s meter.
Ben Affleck: Overrated
Sandy Alderson: In Year 4, we finally should figure it out
Beards: Overrated
Carlos Beltran: Over-hated
Biogenesis: Over-hated
Ryan Braun: Overrated as an evil mastermind. He gave up too easily.
Breaking Bad finale: I wouldn’t know. I still have the unwrapped Season 1 DVD on my shelf. Please don’t tell Bob Klapisch.
Marlon Byrd: Overrated
Robinson Cano: Over-hated
Brian Cashman: Over-hated
Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes: Over-hated Thing 1 and Over-hated Thing 2
Terry Collins: See Sandy Alderson
Bartolo Colon: Over-plated. As in he throws a lot of strikes. Why, what did you think I meant?
Chris Davis agita: Overrated
Jacoby Ellsbury: Overrated
Joe Girardi: Overworked in 2013. Same goes for the Yankees’ trainers.
Curtis Granderson: Over-hated
The Hall of Fame: Over-passionated
Matt Harvey: Over-dedicated to Qualcomm
Hispanics Across America: Over-bloviated
Home-plate collisions: Overrated
Rob Manfred: Over-frustrated
Brian McCann: Overrated
David Ortiz: Over-hated
Hunter Pence: Overrated
Brandon Phillips: Overrated
Yasiel Puig: Over-hated
Mariano Rivera: Over-feted? Not at all. Although keep your eyes open for one hell of a garage sale in Westchester.
David Robertson: Over-hated
Alex Rodriguez: Over-litigated
Rich Rodriguez: Overrated
Bud Selig’s not testifying in the A-Rod appeal: Over-hated
John Stearns: Over-hated
Hal Steinbrenner: Over-hated
Masahiro Tanaka: He has to be overrated, doesn’t he? Just feels like it.
Twerking: Over-hated
Jay Z: As Grampa said in this “Simpsons” episode, a little from Column A, a little of Column B.
–Have a happy and healthy 2014.