BDF's Over and Unders

The other day I was listening to sports radio and the host was talking about over rated and under rated sports related items. I agreed with some and disagreed with others. Here are the definitive BDF Top 10 over and under rated lists.

Let's start with over rated.

10. Bill Parcells since leaving the Jets.
No one can take away what Parcells did with the Giants - 2 Super Bowl wins, 8-3 in the playoffs. Then with the Pats and Jets, he turned losers into perennial winners. He came to the Cowboys after the team suffered 3 consecutive 5-11 season. Sure, he improved the team, but they never got over the proverbial hump - zero playoff wins.

9. Hockey style catcher's masks.
Call me old school, but these things just look out of place.

8. Not bending your hat brim
You're on a baseball field, not in a rap video.

7. ESPN SportCenter catch phrases.
If I hear Matt Winer say "You are SO not catching that one" again I am just going to snap. Come on - who are you, Ross from Friends?

6. The Masters.
I know I will catch heat for this one. Is it a great tournament? Sure it is, but in my opinion it is way over blown. I also believe that the British Open and the US Open are actually more interesting to follow.

5. Dale Earnhart Jr.
Imagine if over 50% of NFL fans were Seattle Seahawks supporters. This is the closest thing I can think of to compare to Jr- a team that does well, but never wins it all. Such is Jr. Until recently, he had not won a race in 2 years. Despite this, he is by far the most popular driver.

4. The Hall of Fame Game (NFL).
The first preseason game of the year. Wake me up in September.

3. Big 12 Basketball.
Kansas won it all in 1988 and 2008. Other than those 2, no other Big 12 (or Big 8) team has won a national title in basketball since Kansas in 1952. More often than not, Kansas is highly ranked going into the tournament. Recently, Iowa State, Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State have had moderate success, but none have advanced past the Final Four. Kansas is certainly a great program, but their level of competition leaves something to be desired.

2. The third man in the booth.
There is no logical reason for there to be more than two people calling a sporting event. One does the play by play and the other provides analysis and insight. If you need an example, just watch Monday Night Football.

1. The Wave.
I can not tell you how infuriating it is for me to see UVa on defense with the other team facing 3rd down and some jackass in section 116 is trying to start a wave. Are you serious? I thought it might be a result of poor fans, but I have seen the same thing at Phillies games. We're here to watch the game and cheer, not organize a dance routine involving 60,000 people. Enough with the wave!

On to my under rated list.

10. One Bracket for March Madness.
Complete a single bracket and win your pool, you earn my respect. Fill out multiple brackets and brag to me that you have 15 out of 16 Sweet Sixteen in your office pool? Don't tell me about it.

9. Chuck Noll's Legacy.
I watch a lot of NFL coverage and for a guy who turned an awful team into a dynasty, Noll doesn't seem to get the credit he so greatly deserves. Sure Lombardi rightly gets his due as does Bill Walsh. But I can't help but feel like Chuck Noll tends to be forgotten when people debate the greatest head coaches of all time. Noll was 4-0 in Super Bowls and 16-8 overall in the playoffs.

8. Bowls with traditional names.
I think we can all agree, the Peach Bowl is much better than the Chick-fil-a Bowl. Even a bowl like the Music City Bowl sounds a lot better than the Champs Sports Bowl or the Outback Bowl even though the two latter are better games.

7. Chris Fowler.
Chris Fowler is knowledgeable, interesting and versatile. He is at his best during College GameDay. He fits in perfectly with Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso. In addition to college football, Fowler does tennis, NASCAR, horse racing and even the X Games.

6. College World Series.
Every single game is huge. This year was even more exciting as Fresno State came out of no where and won it all. Round robins, followed by best of 3 series, then onto another round robin. Wow. Other than the World Cup, it's the only tournament I know of that uses a round robin format.

5.Triples.
Chicks dig the long ball, but true baseball fans love triples. Is there a more exciting play? Not in my book.

4. Coke Zero.
I know this has nothing to do with sports, but man this stuff is great. Calorie free!?!?! I've waited a long time for something like this.

3. The South Carolina-Clemson rivalry.
This one gets overlooked by many, but those in the know can all agree that these teams, fans, alumni all hate each other.

2. Gus Johnson.
Imagine if Dick Viatle got excited for every team like he does for Duke, UNC, UK and didn't use stupid acronyms. I have never heard anyone get so excited about college basketball. "Bautisa with the caaaaaaaaaaaaatch", "Lewis has been awesome ---- briiiiiiiing it hoooooooome", "Larry Bird....BABY". I have watched his clips on you tube about 100 times and they never get old.

1. The NHL.
I absolutely love hockey. It is great. It's up and down action with lots of contact for 60 minutes. Not many people South of DC like it, but I think they might if they just gave it a chance. TV does not do it justice, and frankly neither does the ECHL and other low level minor leagues. If you're ever in a big city like Philly, Chicago, New York or Boston I highly recommend it. I think you'll be surprised at how much fun it is to watch.