Michigan players say coach Harbaugh one of us
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Paolo UggettiESPN
Since 2015, Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan tenure has featured plenty of highs and lows. But as Michigan prepares for its second straight College Football Playoff appearance, not much has changed when it comes to Harbaugh’s coaching approach or his attire of choice.
“His presence is kind of like an immovable object,” defensive tackle Mazi Smith said Wednesday ahead of Michigan’s semifinal matchup against TCU. “He’s the same guy every day and that’s why we practice the same way every day and we bring that certain type of brand of football.”
Harbaugh’s consistency has led the Wolverines to a 13-0 season, back-to-back wins over Ohio State and now a chance to redeem their semifinal loss to Georgia last year.
“The team is just a reflection of him,” Smith said. “The way we play, just a reflection of how he is and who he is.”
Who Harbaugh is can often be summed up by his most well-known quirk: his affinity and dedication to one type of pants. On any given day, players say they will still find their way to the weight room only to see Harbaugh working out — doing squats, pushing sleds — in his patented khakis.
“He loves working out, he always tells us he feels like he’s in his 30s,” linebacker Junior Colson said. “He’s out there working out with us, he’s got his cleats, but still in his khakis.”
“It’s a beautiful thing, man,” Smith said of the khakis. “He’s found what he likes. Most people get caught up on what everybody else thinks about what they’re putting on. He’s going to be himself every single day.”
Sartorial choices aside, Harbaugh’s willingness to get out on the field or be in the weight room has struck a chord with his team. Players such as Colson raved about the morale boost the team has gotten this season when Harbaugh participates in things like the team’s “fourth-quarter finishers,” which are extra drills or workouts done after practice to improve the team’s endurance and willingness to go above and beyond.
“It’s not like he’s just telling us what to do or just sitting back there,” Colson said. “He’s out there with us doing it too. … It feels like he’s a part of the team.”
“We got somebody leading from the front,” Smith said. “You don’t want nobody leading from the back, driving from the back seat, the passenger seat. You want somebody telling you where to go and doing it with you.”
Smith, in particular, has firsthand experience of Harbaugh’s unabashed ability to be himself and stand by players in a more personal way. The tackle faced a felony weapons charge earlier this year before pleading guilty to a misdemeanor earlier this month. Harbaugh and Michigan said Smith was honest about the incident and they would let the judicial process play out.
“He put himself on the line for me, which is what any good leader does,” Smith said. “A lot of head coaches around the country that you can go play for are quick to throw somebody under a bus, quick to, you know, cover themselves and protect themselves. Coach Harbaugh [didn’t]. And that’s very important when you have somebody at the helm with such a, with such responsibility that, that he got.”
Harbaugh faced some criticism for not suspending Smith after his run-in with the law. The coach had been adamant about Michigan State players who were involved a postgame fight in the tunnel at Big House being disciplined and facing legal ramifications.
Smith didn’t miss any games and remains a co-captain of the team as well as an integral part of the Michigan defense.
“Coach Harbaugh loves us and appreciates us no matter what we’re going through.” Morris said Wednesday. “We have to realize that we’re kids. You know, I just, I left my mom’s house two, three years ago, Mazi still probably lives close to home. So we’re still children and when a child falls and slips, somebody has to be there to help him up. I feel like Coach Harbaugh, in this instance, said it’s OK, let’s get up. We’ll fix it. You know, you can’t do that again. But he was that person in his corner and in all of our corners just saying that we’re going to be OK.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
CHICAGO — Kyle Tucker had the fans on their feet, roaring and pumping their fists as he rounded the bases after hitting the go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning. His screaming line drive cleared the right-field wall with plenty of room to spare.
The Chicago Cubs went from giving up 10 runs in the eighth to scoring six in the bottom half and beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 13-11 on Friday in one of the wildest games on record.
The two teams combined for 21 runs in the seventh and eighth innings, with the Cubs scoring 11 runs and the D-backs plating 10. It was the first nine-inning game in MLB history in which both teams scored 10 or more runs from the seventh inning on, and the third game overall, according to ESPN Research.
“That’s kind of baseball,” Tucker said. “There’s a lot of ups and downs in this game, especially with how many games we play.”
There haven’t been many games like this, though.
The Cubs are just the seventh team in at least the past 125 seasons to allow 10 or more runs in an inning and win. They are also the fifth team to give up 10 or more runs and score six or more in the same inning.
The 16 combined runs in the eighth were the most in an inning at Wrigley Field, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“If you’ve seen that one, you’ve been around for a while,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said with a laugh. “It was crazy. You know, we gave up 10 runs in an inning and we won. So it was a wild game, but we kept going, and, you know, there’s 27 outs in a game and this kind of proves it, and you’re just happy to get out with a win.”
On a warm day with the ball carrying, Carson Kelly homered twice. Ian Happ belted a grand slam and Seiya Suzuki went deep, helping the Cubs open a weekend series on a winning note.
“You’ve seen it early — having some tough losses, coming back winning the next day,” Happ said. “Losing the first game of the series, winning the series. Little things like that. Today’s a great example of professional hitters going out there and continuing to have really good at-bats.”
The way things transpired in the final two innings was something to see.
Kelly hit a two-run homer in the second against Corbin Burnes, and Happ came through with his grand slam against Ryne Nelson as part of a five-run seventh. But just when it looked as if the Cubs were in control with a 7-1 lead, things took a wild turn in the eighth.
Eugenio Suarez cut it to 7-5 with a grand slam against Porter Hodge, Geraldo Perdomo singled in a run and Randal Grichuk put Arizona on top by one with a two-run double. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a three-run homer, making it 11-7.
The crowd of more than 39,000 let the Cubs hear it, but their team regrouped in the bottom half. Bryce Jarvis hit Nico Hoerner leading off and walked Pete Crow-Armstrong before Kelly drove a three-run homer to center. Tucker, the Cubs’ prized offseason addition, came through after Happ singled with one out. Suzuki followed with his drive against Joe Mantiply to give the Cubs a 13-11 lead.
Arizona, which had won five straight, became just the third team over the past 50 seasons to lose a game in which it had a 10-run inning at any point, according to ESPN Research.
“You just got to stay locked in,” Kelly said. “Obviously, you don’t want to … give up 10 in an inning. Obviously, you don’t want to do that. I think the biggest thing is coming back, regrouping and continuing to fight.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Major League Baseball suspended New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. for one game and fined him an undisclosed amount, the result of his actions during Thursday night’s win against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Chisholm was ejected in the seventh inning by plate umpire John Bacon for arguing after a called third strike on a full-count pitch from Mason Montgomery that appeared low.
Minutes later, he posted on his X account, “Not even f—ing close!!!!!” then deleted the post.
“I didn’t think before I had anything that I said was ejectable but after probably,” Chisholm said after the game. “I’m a competitor, so when I go out there and I feel like I’m right and you’re saying something to me that I think doesn’t make sense, I’m going to get fired up and be upset.
“I lost my emotions. I lost my cool. I got to be better than that. … I’m definitely mad at myself for losing my cool.”
Michael Hill, the league’s senior vice president for on-field operations, said Friday’s discipline was for Chisholm’s “conduct, including his violation of Major League Baseball’s Social Media Policy for Major League Players.”
MLB regulations ban the use of electronic devices during games. The social media policy prohibits “displaying or transmitting content that questions the impartiality of or otherwise denigrates a major league umpire.”
Chisholm did appeal the decision, allowing him to play in Friday night’s 1-0 win against the Rays. He started at second base and went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Shohei Ohtani is away from the Los Angeles Dodgers for the birth of the two-way superstar’s first child.
Manager Dave Roberts said before the Dodgers’ series opener Friday night against the Rangers that Ohtani was with his wife and going on MLB’s paternity list.
“He and Mamiko are expecting at some point. That’s all I know,” Roberts said. “I don’t know when he’s going to come back and I don’t know when they’re going to have the baby, but obviously they’re together in anticipation.”
The 30-year-old Ohtani posted on his Instagram account in late December that he and his 28-year-old wife, a former professional basketball player from his native Japan, were expecting a baby in 2025.
“Can’t wait for the little rookie to join our family soon!” said the Dec. 28 post that included a photo showing the couple’s beloved dog, Decoy, as well as a pink ruffled onesie along with baby shoes and a sonogram that was covered by a baby emoji.
Ohtani can miss up to three games while on paternity leave. The Dodgers have a three-game series in Texas before an off day Monday, then play the Cubs in Chicago on Tuesday.
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