This is an example I shot:
Data for the picture: Canon EOS 450D, EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS @ 18mm, f/7.1, 1/125s, RAW, sharpened using unsharp mask in PS
I think sharpening clearly made an improvement here, and it is not the only case where I am noticing this. I apply sharpening in LR to almost all of my pictures (shot in RAW).