The Michigan baseball program has a chance to make history and win its first College World Series since 1962.
In the month of June in the Motor City, especially post-NBA and NHL draft, we long for intriguing storylines and are desperate for something to talk about besides the depressing state of our Tigers.
Kudos to the Wolverine baseball program for providing exactly that with their remarkable and unlikely run to the title game in Omaha.
The next few days have the potential to be monumental for the University of Michigan. It would be easy (and perhaps lazy) of me to take the bait and make this incredible run about how yet another program at Michigan is outperforming its beloved football team.
I’m going to put the attention on the baseball program because they deserve it.
I’m not going to grab the low hanging fruit and point out how yet another coach in Ann Arbor not named Jim Harbaugh has brought his program to new heights, because again, that would be lazy of me.
It’d be a real shame if I noted how Erick Bakich was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association National Coach of the Year last week when Harbaugh hasn’t as much been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in his four-year tenure at Michigan - so I’m not going to do that. Coach Bakich’s national recognition is independent of Harbaugh’s accomplishments (or lack thereof), so no need to even mention it.
It’d be silly to point out all of Harbaugh’s shortcomings and compare them to the remarkable accomplishments by a different coach and program at Michigan (again) - and frankly it just wouldn’t be fair to the baseball team, so I’m not going to do that.
It would also support the notion that I’m obsessed with Harbaugh and Michigan football, so I’m going to avoid expressing my thoughts on the football team and focus on Bakich and the baseball team.
When you think about the likelihood of Michigan reaching the finals of the College World Series, it’s not a stretch to use the word miraculous. Michigan was down to its final strike and on the brink of going 0-2 in the Big Ten tournament, for crying out loud! Not to mention vomiting away a late leads versus Creighton in the regional and UCLA in the super regional. But hey, through it all, the Wolverines have overcome the adversity and here they are! Michigan’s play at the College World Series to this point has been inspiring – 3-0 including the 15-3 abolishing of Texas Tech to clinch the spot in the finals.
Whether you’re a die-hard college baseball fan (if there’s such thing around here) or a sports fan that roots for anything interesting to happen in our state, or anything to give us something to talk about in June, this Michigan run has been wildly captivating and needs to be celebrated.
So join me in avoiding making this about Harbaugh and his lack of production in leading the football program. Let’s give the baseball team their credit and the support they deserve.
Tonight, I’ll be rooting the Wolverines as they take on Vanderbilt with the College World Series title on the line; and that’s what it’s all about - Michigan Baseball in June!