With the credentials Larry has I don't think his work is just making things "shiny". You don't port for a championship NASCAR team because you make things pretty, you do it because you get results for them. I think the championship he won with Newman-Haas bears that out. If you don't have any concrete examples of his work (or anyone else's for that matter) being smoke and mirrors it would probably be best to refrain from questioning someones credibility. It's just not the right thing to do.