The Handshake Heard Round the World

The San Francisco 49ers improved to 5-1 on Sunday with a tough road win over the previously unbeaten Detroit Lions. But what most people are talking about is what happened after the game.

San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh, in his exuberance over the team’s victory, had an awkward moment during the post game handshake with Lions coach Jim Schwartz. He was perhaps a bit overly excited, gave him a hard slap on the back and supposedly, used an expletive at some point.

None of that sat well with Schwartz, who chased him down the field before getting in his face.

Really, you can blame both parties in this case. Sure, Harbaugh should have probably handled things a bit differently. But he is an excitable guy and his team had just completed a great victory to improve to 5-1. He has every right to let his emotions get the better of him at times. And Schwartz probably should not have chased Harbaugh down the field to add to the madness, but he was every bit as emotional as well, having just lost his first game of the season.

Honestly, I hope the situation blows over because both teams are having great starts to the season and both have excellent coaches. They both have a bit or arrogance and cockiness that can lead to these emotional displays but that’s what makes them so great. You have to have a bit of an edge to succeed. But, it will be interesting to see what happens if these two teams were to meet in the playoffs this year. Must-see TV.

Photo Credit: www.49ers.com

It's simple. Keith Mizuguchi loves to write and write and write some more. After taking a hiatus from the journalism business, he has rekindled his passion for writing over the last two years, holding a job as both a web and on-air writer for San Francisco news radio station KCBS. While he enjoys the news business, his true passions are twofold: sports and food. Bay Area born and raised, he lives in San Jose, commutes to SF and loves every minute of it. You can follow his food adventures on Twitter @foodie_keith.