Underrated Sports Guys

I did my overrated list. Underrated is harder to come up with. They're good, but not so good to grab a lot of attention. I had to Google this to see what others thought. I found like three lists from people and decided to take anyone that showed up on at least two lists. The ranking order is mine, though. Let me give one not on anyone's list as honorable mention:

Honorable Mention: Tony Gwynn - Underrated because he played on the San Diego Padres when they weren't very good. Okay, they've never been very good, but especially when he played. A .338 lifetime batting average. There were three players this year that hit above that. He did it for like twenty years. And a really nice guy. That's a plus in my book, but for getting noticed, its kind of a minus.

7. Ray Guy - I'm surprised at this, but he showed up on lists. He was a punter. Granted a good one, but you don't see a lot of people who are fans of punters. If you wanted notoriety, Ray, you shouldn't have been a punter.

6. Lefty Grove - He was a great pitcher back in the day and won a ton of games. But he played literally a hundred years ago, so I guess there aren't a lot of people in his fan club anymore.

5. Moses Malone - The greatest basketball player of all-time? Kobe, Michael, Lebron, Wilt, Kareem? You never hear Moses mentioned as a possibility. Frankly, he probably isn't the greatest of all time, but probably top 10 anyway.

4. Steve Largent - A pass receiver with the Seahawks when they were kind of pathetic. Not flashy, but one of the best ever.

3. Tim Duncan - Won a bunch of championships and MVP's, but a quiet guy that just did his job. I love those types, but they don't get the headlines.

2. Frank Robinson - Until all those steroid jerks came along, Frank was way up on the all-time home run list. Passed away just last year. Good choice.

1. Stan Musial - Again, a great guy. High batting average and had power. Willie Mays is not underrated and deservedly so. But, if I was drafting a player I would take Stan over Willie. You don't get nicknamed "Stan the Man" for no reason. Although I guess you would first have to be named Stan, which does narrow the field. Fun fact - I have one of his ties from his estate sale. Not anymore. It was kind of ugly, but still.