Yostbound and Down

December 28th, 2014 at 11:41 PM ^

Magary is dead on (I like it when he actually writes about sports) and seems to be reflecting everything the Niners fan base is saying.

You really do have to blame this ultimately on York because he couldn't recognize that a great coach is probably tougher to find than a great front office, and how much of the Niners success could you really attribute to Baalke et al. anyway? I'm thinking the Niners are going to get crushed the next couple years.

Also, screw em because we have Harbaugh.

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Yostbound and Down

December 29th, 2014 at 12:07 AM ^

Right, I mean that's sorta Magary's thing (at least when he's writing at Deadspin, not GQ or KSK or wherever). Deadspin can be pretty hit or miss but I generally like reading his stuff.

Also funnily enough he went to Michigan for a semester... not sure if he has any animosity. I don't think he really gives a shit about college football to be honest.

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jhackney

December 28th, 2014 at 11:41 PM ^

I have a reliable source that tells me Trent Baalke and Dave Brandon are currently having a slumber party at Domino Farms. Opulence can be seen from M-14. Possible pillow fights.

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ILMichFan70

December 28th, 2014 at 11:45 PM ^

and true. They're insane to let him go but their loss is our gain. I'm glad they were so stupid with this because really if not I don't know that we would ever have Harbaugh as our coach. Have to say that's a pretty funny article.

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macdaddy

December 29th, 2014 at 12:06 AM ^

Agreed. If we hadn't landed JH due to their stupidity I shudder to think what would have become of this CC. Even if we could've gotten Miles, Stoops or Mullen (shaky propositions at best) they are all a distant second to Harbaugh. There would've been some degree of disappointment with anyone named Not-Harbaugh. Instead we now have nice things and the universe will be in order again before too long.

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ca_prophet

December 29th, 2014 at 2:30 AM ^

for success.  Steve Jobs is a classic counterexample - always, always intense, but working for him when he was an asshole took a very, very thick skin.  There is a difference between being intense and being an asshole; between expecting everyone to live up to impossible standards and setting impossible standards for yourself and encouraging others to match them; and between constructively criticizing the work, and personally insulting the worker.

It was when Jobs learned the difference between "this is shit therefore you are incompetent get out of my sight" and "this is not where it needs to be, let's get it there/what do we need to do to get it there" (or perhaps more accurately, how to express the difference which he already knew) that he became a better manager and leader.  (And yes, for those wondering, I do speak from some personal experience.)

ManAndWifeSkipToTheEnd:  Being an asshole is neither necessary or sufficient for a successful head coach.  Driven, intense, workaholic - certainly.  But you make the job much harder if you can't work with good people because you treat them like shit.

I have no idea if Harbaugh is that much of an asshole, but I'd bet not given the coaches he's worked with.  My bet is that the bulk of the blame here is on 49ers ownership, who chose the smooth, perhaps even unctious GM over the abrasive but excellent coach.

 

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dnak438

December 28th, 2014 at 11:51 PM ^

but greedy and petty and manipulative. Hopefully Harbaugh realizes that most of the NFL is like this (see, e.g., Roger Goodell). Not that the NCAA is any different: but Michigan is different, especially with DB gone.

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Blue Noise

December 29th, 2014 at 12:02 AM ^

Great column from Magary.

I'll never understand the ego of owners like York, Jones, and Snyder who micromanage their teams to typically diminishing results.

I would assume they want to make sure their fingerprints are all over the team, so they can claim credit if the team eventually experiences success.

What they don't seem to realize is that the owners who get the glory and get the most respect are simply the owners of the teams who win (e.g. the Rooneys, the Maras, Bob Kraft). No one gives a shit how much of a role the owner plays in the success of the team; if they win, people think the owner is a good owner.

Just back off and let the football people work.



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mgobleu

December 29th, 2014 at 12:08 AM ^

Maybe it hasn't started yet, but I expected a lot more "good riddance" talk from the San Francisco locals and the national media. Seems like its going to go down though that Michigan stole JH, while Baalke and York are a couple of hapless tits. I'm ok with it.

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caliblue

December 30th, 2014 at 1:14 AM ^

and have been here for 30 years. We loved Harbaugh and nobody thinks this is a good move but the 49ers management. I mean NOBODY thinks it's a good move. He made the 49ers into a champion when they had been mismanaged for years. That said I would rather have JH at  my alma mater. GO BLUE ! ( lots of alumni out here. I think everybody agrees with this line of reasoning )

 

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Ty Butterfield

December 29th, 2014 at 12:58 AM ^

Any truth to the rumor that salary is now $10 mil a year? Michigan needs JH but that is out of control?

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markusr2007

December 29th, 2014 at 1:13 AM ^

Jed York just doesn't know what the fuck he is doing.

I'm sure many might disagree, or take offense, but this comment to the article resonated with me.

I'm not saying the Bay Area deserves a decade plus of sports misery, but goddammit if they haven't been asking for just that by the baseball and football team mgmt decisions. Even the goddamned Sharks are talented as fuck, will make the playoffs, but finish as epic choke artists.

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LSAClassOf2000

December 29th, 2014 at 8:16 AM ^

But this man is a football coach, and football coaches are, by their very nature, insufferable. They work endless hours. They are humorless and often distant and aloof. They are endlessly demanding. Only a batshit crazy person would thrive in that job, and so Jim Harbaugh fits into the mold nicely.

I am going to speculate that this is one of the reasons that we will come to enjoy these next several years as they will bring an intensity and electricity - and dare I say, an off-kilter zaniness - that should reinvigorate this program. Like they go on to say, what exactly do you want in a football coach? I personally don't mind a side of crazy.

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