Sports comment: ESPN goes overboard with overrated rankings

Back in the 1970s, an Oakland outfielder named Joe Rudi was universally acclaimed as "the most underrated player in baseball." Sportswriters and TV announcers spoke of him in such glowing terms that he came to be regarded in some circles as more important to the A's success than such obvious stars as Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter.

Actually, Rudi was no such thing; he finished his career with a .264 average and 179 home runs. But he got so much publicity for being underrated that he ultimately became one of the more overrated players of his era.

I mention Rudi because the folks at ESPN have put together a ranking of the 10...