Two of the best thing about college football rivalries are that words that sting are memorialized and never forgotten, and the bad blood between teams last far longer than any coach is able to coach at one spot.
Both of those seems to be on display in the Chargers new video narrated by Jim Harbaugh, and while LA is thousands of miles from both Ann Arbor and Columbus, there appears to be a familiar message in this video welcoming the Chargers to their 2024 locker room.
While there's clearly some things that have followed Harbaugh from stop to stop, the message about "third base" is unavoidably familiar.
sincerely, coach harbaugh pic.twitter.com/IXmJP3k3Fw
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) July 24, 2024
After ending an eight-game losing skid to the Buckeyes back in 2021, 42-27, Harbaugh was asked whether comments made from Ohio State's side the years prior had served as motivation.
Clearly trying to decide whether to bite his tongue or not, Harbaugh bypassed his filter and made it very clear with a sound byte for the ages.
"Yeah, there's definitely stuff that people said that spurred us on even more, sure. Sometimes people that are standing on third base think they hit a triple, you know? But they didn't."
Clearly referring to Ryan Day being handed the keys (and winning streak) of the Ohio State program from Urban Meyer's successful run in Columbus, it seems like no accident that the "third base" line made its way into that welcome message.
Early in Harbaugh's tenure he started off 0-4 against the Buckeyes, making him the first Wolverines head coach in school history with that unfortunate designation, but he left for the LA Chargers job on a high note with three straight wins over the Buckeyes and a national title while carrying a 3-5 overall record in the rivalry.
Listen to both, and judge for yourself if that "third base" comment was intentional.