Underrated

There are some things in this world that are simply underrated – they don't get the credit/recognition they deserve.  This entry is dedicated to those things.  May it be a humble start to a world of proper ratedness.

(5) Meatballs on pizza

I start here because this completely baffles me.  Not only are meatballs delicious, but they seem pretty Italian – you see meatballs in spaghetti all the time.  How come you don't see them offered as pizza toppings more often?  Someone evil must have decided to skip over meatballs to go straight to black olives and anchovies when thinking of the goodness that should go on the canvas of pizza.  This makes me sad.

This is so beautiful.

(4) Andy Roddick

Poor Andy Roddick (I use the term "poor" very loosely here).

Anyone who semi-regularly follows tennis has surely heard about the dearth of American talent at the top of the sport for quite a while now.  Tennis fans, perhaps accustomed to the dominance of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors in the 70's and 80's, and then Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi and Jim Courier in the 90's, have been clamoring for the Next American Tennis Hope since Roddick was a kid.

All he's done to live up to those expectations is win a major, win 29 other titles on the pro tour, earn nearly $20 million in tournament prize money, hold the world No. 1 ranking, reach the finals of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open four times (losing each time only to maybe the greatest player ever to step foot on a tennis court), and spend the vast majority of his career ranked among the top five or 10 players in the world.

To put this in perspective, consider that there are 30 teams in the NBA, meaning 150 basketball players are starters.  So if you're considered among the top five or 10 basketball players in the world, you're landing magazine covers, playing in All-Star games, and getting mentioned in Jay-Z songs.

Roddick, on the other hand, has to answer questions about why he 'only' accomplished as much as he did.  Isn't his career a pretty successful one?  I have a hard time even imagining what it would be like to be among the five or 10 best in the world at anything.  I kinda feel sorry for the guy, and then I remember that he wakes up to this woman every morning, and I think he'll be alright:

If you wake up and see this next to you (the woman, not the magazine), your day is off to a fantastic start, head-to-head record against Roger Federer be damned.

(3) Breakfast burritos

I cannot figure out why breakfast burritos have not caught on more.  I think they should be at least as widespread as bagel sandwiches.  What's not to love?  It's deliciousness wrapped up for you.

Weekend Wrap at the Black Cow Cafe in Montrose, CA.
Order it.  Eat it.  Thank me later.

(2) The Postal Service

I realize that the USPS is going through a rough stretch and that not too long from now, it could very well be chillin' with the dodo bird, woolly mammoth, and Friendster.  But for a long time, civil servants dedicated themselves to ensuring that we could communicate with one another effectively.  Sometimes I still marvel at the fact that I can drop something into a bright blue box on a street corner and have it arrive somewhere across the country within a matter of days.  And then I think about the fact that once upon a time, I could have dropped something off and had some man on a horse carry it across the country for me and I realize that yes, the USPS was and remains pretty gangsta.

I think I would have made sure to write very, very meaningful letters if they were carried by the Pony Express.

(1) Seat warmers in cars 

Anyone who has spent time living in a place that gets snow and ice recognizes the clutchness of seat warmers.  They get warmer faster than the heater, and thus significantly cut down on that period of time where you're suffering in your car while waiting for the engine to warm up.  And I don't know why, but having a warm butt really makes a big difference.

Warm butt = warm all over.  It's the truth.