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Jim Harbaugh is different. Even the most ardent supporters and detractors of college footballs biggest firebrand in recent history can agree on that.In the two seasons Harbaugh has spent at Michigan he has caused an almost constant stir with satellite camps, funky formations, sleepovers with recruits and a long list of other breaks from the norm. There appear to be very few things he wont try at least once, and there is certainly no limit on where hes willing to look for inspiration.Harbaugh visited the White House during his first spring with the Wolverines and left with a spiral-bound notebook full of ideas. His policy of having the winners of practice competitions run extra sprints? That came when a friend told him about the Navy captain who uses the same system to train SEALs at Coronado Island because theyve earned the right to get better. And then, of course, theres the famous story of Harbaugh showing up late to work at Stanford because he took 30 minutes to admire a police officer who was efficiently directing cars through an intersection while she stood beneath a malfunctioning traffic light.I think its a rare bird that can see people in different venues and extract from them whats working, says Michigan athletic counselor Greg Harden, who arrived on campus during Harbaughs senior year and has since become a trusted confidant for the likes of Desmond Howard, Tom Brady and Michael Phelps.Thats a rare bird.The cadre of famous, uber-successful people who have met with Michigans head coach is as long as it is eclectic. Pro wrestlers, politicians, rap artists, titans of industry and athletics have all rubbed shoulders with Harbaugh in the past couple of years, and he manages to draw some pearl of wisdom out of almost all of them. Whether hes in a high-stakes Las Vegas poker room with Johnny Chan or building a bamboo home in rural South America (yes, he has done both), Harbaughs relentless quest to find an edge never ends.Dont believe us? Just ask his friends ...?Judge Judith Sheindlin Former judge and Emmy-award winning host of Judge Judy for the past 21 yearsSaved among the treasures in Judith Sheindlins cellphone is a video of herself and two grown men exuberantly wishing her grandchild good luck in a law school final exam. The men, standing on a sidewalk in Los Angeles, implored the soon-to-be lawyer to approach the legal system with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.Sheindlin sent a note to Jim and Jack Harbaugh back in 2013 letting them know shed like to buy them lunch the next time they can make it down the coast to Southern California. Months earlier the younger Harbaugh was at the NFL combine when he fielded a question about players who lied in their team interviews. He told the bemused and amused reporters that if he had learned anything from watching countless episodes of Judge Judy, it was that in her courtroom, no one comes back from a lie. The same applied for Harbaughs 49ers.Someone -- it might have been another of her 12 grandchildren -- caught wind of the fact that the Harbaugh men were big fans, and for whatever reason, this made the grandmas two-decade run as a daytime television staple seem much more impressive.Their day together -- the Harbaughs sat through a taping of the show before joining Sheindlin for lunch and some afternoon conversation -- sparked one of the more well-documented additions to Harbaughs roster of unexpected and devoted friends.Im a fan of people who have great spirit, Sheindlin says. Im not a huge football fan. I dont understand the game, but I understand spirit. I was so impressed with the spirit of these two men, father and son. They had a joie de vivre and excitement about them that was infectious. It really is.After lunch, the trio returned to Sheindlins studio to chat over a game of cards. They talked about the cases she heard that day and the rest of the Harbaugh family. She chose the game, gin rummy, without realizing that she was about to get a view of what fuels some of that spirit for Harbaugh. She wouldnt say who had more sets in front of them at the end of the game, but she probably plays a little bit more gin than the Harbaugh gentlemen. Harbaugh says hed like a rematch.Its probably best not to mention that, she says, laughing. I think hes competitive.Phil Hellmuth Fourteen-time World Series of Poker winner (career tournament earnings: $20.9 million)Harbaugh learned to play cards -- poker, not gin -- from the owner of a famous sports café on Stanfords campus. Since then he has turned to the pros several times to further his education. He has talked through more than a few hands with Phil Hellmuth, who left school after three years at Wisconsin to try to make a career of playing cards.By the time Harbaugh met Hellmuth courtside at a Stanford basketball game, the 6-foot-7 millionaire had taken down enough huge pots to be a recognizable celebrity. Harbaugh was in the throes of picking fights with Pete Carroll and Pac-12 front-runner USC, where Hollywood stars regularly stopped by practice and games. Harbaugh asked Hellmuth if hed like to hang out on the Cardinal sideline during home games.Oh, Snoop Dogg doesnt make it up this way so youre going to have to settle for me, Hellmuth said. They hit it off immediately.Hellmuth became a regular visitor to Harbaughs locker rooms in Palo Alto and San Francisco. He flew with the Cardinal team to a game at Wake Forest in 2009 and sat next to Jim and his wife for most of the flight. They dissected a few poker hands and talked about the incredibly subtle details of body language that Hellmuth studies to try to read his opponents. Harbaugh would later tell his offensive linemen to focus on a defenders knuckles before the snap. When they turned white, the player was tense. Expect a blitz.The two men stay in touch periodically via text message and an occasional visit. Hellmuth, for example, attended Harbaughs national signing day extravaganza this past February and then flew with him and Desmond Howard to the Super Bowl a couple of days later.Hellmuths texts -- like many of the messages Harbaugh gets from his friends -- will sometimes find their way into a news conference. During a 9-2 start to his first year with the 49ers, Hellmuth told Harbaugh to keep his focus on the future with a poker analogy. Later that week, Harbaugh told reporters that San Francisco may be ahead in the chip count, but we dont have a seat at the final table.He [freaking] loved it, Hellmuth said. The next week there were all these poker analogies in his press conference. I said, This is awesome. Rev. Joe Uhen Priest at Santisimo Sacramento Parish in Piura, PeruHarbaugh sat in a church pew a few years ago in a modest agricultural city in the northwest corner of Peru listening to what would become one of his favorite Bible passages. Padre Joe, who moved from Milwaukee to Peru 23 years ago, was celebrating Mass with his local congregation along with a group from California in town for their annual service trip to help the poor and the sick at this parish. He was reading from the Book of Kings.In it, the prophet Elijah challenges a group of priests who worship a god named Baal to a my god is better than your god fire-starting contest atop Mount Carmel. While the priests struggle to light their fire, Elijah calls out to them, asking if perhaps theyre not praying loud enough or suggesting their god might be on vacation. Then he douses his wood in water, says a prayer and watches it burst into flames.He really liked the way Elijah, kind of, well, I think the right word is trash-talked these priests that could not get it done, Joe says. Jim really appreciated that one.Days later, the volunteers visited a prison. Harbaugh met with the men inside, played a little bit of football with them and -- as he does at many of the places he visits in Piura -- left one of them with the shoes he wore. They stopped for lunch on the way home where the coach had a moment of introspection in stocking feet.Why am I the kid that always liked to throw rocks at the beehive? he asked his friends. Blank stares. Sideways glances around the table. Finally, big smiles and laughs. Padre Joe assured Harbaugh that while his self-assessment was right, at times the Lord needs men who are willing to provoke one another.Harbaugh nodded and finished his lunch.Brad Keselowski Two-time NASCAR champion, three-time Nationwide Series most popular driverThe Keselowski family has been racing cars from a home base on the north side of Detroits suburbs since the end of the Second World War. When Bob Keselowski took off to a track down south for his races in 1980s and early 90s he left his son, Brad, with cousins across the street for the weekend. Saturdays there were spent watching the Wolverines.The younger Keselowski befriended several Michigan staffers before Harbaugh arrived and got word to the new coach that he was a big fan. Harbaugh, who previously held an ownership stake in an IndyCar racing team and once drove the pace car at the Indy 500, told Keselowski hed love to have him come down to his national signing day event this past February.So a week before his 32nd birthday, Keselowski met Harbaugh in Ann Arbor and was quickly whisked into a hotel suite to be introduced to fellow guests of honor such as Phil Hellmuth, Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland and Dr. Allan Mishra, who pioneered Platelet-Rich Plasma treatments to fix tennis elbow. On a night crowded with star power, Keselowski says Harbaugh stood out.My impression of him was that he was a rock star, Keselowski says. And maybe a little bit less comfortable with it than he lets on, which I can relate to very much.They stayed in touch, connecting each another with contacts within their personal networks that might prove to be mutually beneficial. Keselowski declined to give specifics, but he did say Harbaugh is a great ally to have.The two send text messages to each other, discussing how celebrity in the racing world can bring about better sponsorships and better resources to improve a team. Harbaughs brushes with celebrity, Keselowski saw, give him an edge in collecting resources, too. Boosters and recruits looked on in awe at the show Harbaugh orchestrated that week in February.I think coach Harbaugh understands there is a certain celebrity aspect that helps you perform, he says. Hes a team guy by choice and desire. Hes a celebrity because it helps.Bobby Kotick President/CEO of Activision Blizzard, the video game company responsible for Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, World of Warcraft and more popular titlesWhat does a man worth more than $4 billion serve to a man with a multimillion dollar annual salary when his family comes to visit for dinner? Hot dogs, and hes running the grill.Bobby Koticks final autumn as a Michigan student was Jim Harbaughs first as the Wolverines starting quarterback. Kotick stuck around in Ann Arbor for a few more years afterward to cheer for the maize and blue while developing software for computer games. Thirty years, a couple of company purchases and a video game empire later, he and Harbaugh have become friends and mutual sounding boards.The Harbaughs visited the Koticks in California this summer shortly before the season began. The two families visited Disneyland then grilled dinner for the kids. Eventually, the conversation turned toward one of their favorite subjects -- leadership. The two powerful men sat across a table that had been filled with kids and ketchup stains not long before and discussed the impact of clear communication and the definition of integrity.When we have conversations what comes up is those kinds of ideals, Kotick says. Hes not bashful about soliciting advice and looking for support. Part of being a great leader is that recognition of how to find capable people who have perspectives and insights that will improve your ability to remain committed to excellence.Kotick asked a university regent to introduce him to the new football coach last summer, and Harbaugh eagerly opened his doors. He visited practice in the fall and again in the spring as part football fan/part organizational observer.The CEOs new favorite hobby in his old hometown is visiting Harbaughs office and committing to memory the messages scribbled on his whiteboard -- a Mark Twain quote here, a message about being the unpopular agent of change there. Often times the little nuggets of wisdom make it back to the Kotick house or to the Activision office.Any time Im there now, Kotick says. I write down every single thing he writes on the board.Justice Elena Kagan Fourth woman in history appointed to the U.S. Supreme CourtWith its thick oriental rugs tapering off in front of high, wood-paneled walls framing stately portraits, the chambers of a Supreme Court justice are decidedly not easy to confuse for a space inside any football facilities. Harbaugh seemed at ease, though, on his D.C. trip when he sat for more than an hour across the desk from Elena Kagan, who studied at Harvard, Princeton and Oxford, and was the countrys first female solicitor general before earning a seat on the Supreme Court. She let the coach know she was a sports fan, too.Harbaugh snapped photos with Ruth Bader Ginsburg and talked about the Nebraska tailgating scene with Clarence Thomas. With Kagan, he wanted to know about her job. What did she like about it? What didnt she like about it? What had she learned?The legal system in America has piqued Harbaughs interest since his days of playing quarterback for the Chicago Bears. While in Chicago, a friend introduced Harbaugh to John Levi, then a respected young lawyer and now the chairman of the Legal Services Corporation, a post appointed for which he was nominated by President Barack Obama. He was by Harbaughs side in Kagans chambers.Levi sent Harbaugh a gift toward the end of his stint coaching the San Francisco 49ers. It was a book of speeches delivered by his father -- former U.S. Attorney General Edward H. Levi -- about restoring faith in a broken justice system in the wake of President Richard Nixons Watergate scandal. Harbaugh was enthralled. Several weeks later, Levis phone rang late at night and the coach was on the other end of the line.Levi, I just want you to know I read every one of your dads talks, Harbaugh said. They really help me keep my perspective. There are things in life that are more important and I recognize what your dad was talking about. I just wanted to tell you its given me so many ideas in my own work.Levi was impressed enough not to doubt Harbaughs interest in law again. When the coach asked if he could come to one of the Legal Services Corporations meetings at the White House in spring 2015, Levi made sure to save him a spot. Afterward, they visited the Supreme Court building where Harbaugh brought along a different book to deliver as a gift.As he wrapped up his conversation with Justice Kagan, he asked if she would give him a moment and then returned with his marked-up copy of Alabama coach Bear Bryants biography. He opened the front cover, and as Levi remembers it, inscribed something to the effect of: If our government operated the way Coach Bryant ran his teams wed all be in better shape. Best wishes, Jim Harbaugh. Then he and Levi shook her hand and headed down the hall to say hello to another member of the countrys highest court.David Turnley Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for photography and World Press Photo Picture of the YearA small group of Harbaughs most trusted confidants sat in his office early this summer each with an identical stack of printed pages in his lap. The men took turns reading from the pages, at times pausing to make a comment or suggest a grammar fix. It was a table read for the longest writing project the coach has attempted.David Turnley was the most recently acquainted member of the group. Less than a year before he delivered one of his prints to Harbaughs office and asked the coach what he would think about having a photographer embedded with the program. Harbaugh, who is rarely forthcoming on anyones terms but his own, was skeptical at first.Turnley presented a 60 Minutes special about his work as a sales pitch of sorts. He told the coach about eating dinner with Nelson Mandela the night the South African leader was released from prison. He couldve talked about his trip to Cuba with Muhammad Ali and the week he spent with the Dalai Lama. He might have mentioned the scenes of dust and soot gathering on the lens of his Leica camera while he captured the wreckage in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. The documentary mentioned his award-winning war photos.Harbaugh wanted to know about the sensation of bullets whipping by your head. Turnley suggested it couldnt have been much more stressful than the defensive linemen that Harbaugh evaded for 15 years as an NFL quarterback. He told the coach about how he learned the value of preparation when working in a dangerous, hectic and unpredictable battle.Turnley has followed the team and Harbaugh nearly every day since last summer. This August, they co-authored a book with the best of his pictures. Turnley told Harbaugh his contribution to the publication should be a treatise on his coaching style. Harbaugh, after looking up what a treatise was, decided he wanted to take it seriously. After several drafts, developmental editing sessions and an early summer table read, the result was a 16-page manifesto on coaching and leadership. The work, Harbaugh said, gave him a new appreciation for writing and a renewed clarity for what he values most.Turnley said the quality that stands out the most after more than a year behind Harbaughs curtain is what he likes to call the stars in the eyes. He offered some incredibly lofty comparisons to help explain what that means.Not an easy one to describe, he says. Ive seen it with Ali. Ive seen it with Mandela. They always look you in the eye, very direct. Everything about Jim Harbaughs presence is compelling. When he walks into the room he inspires with his presence. People talk about that with [military] generals, I think he more than anyone Ive ever met has that quality. When he walks in a room he assumes the position of leadership. You can literally see the highlight in the eye. Its twinkling out of the eyeballs, theres so much energy.Michael Jordan Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, basketball playerThe team meeting room at Schembechler Hall was quiet, maybe as quiet as it has even been, and yet filled with an inaudible buzz on the eve of Michigans first home game this August. Players knew who would be addressing them in just a few minutes -- a man that could make even Harbaugh giddy with disbelief when sharing his company: Michael Jordan.The first time Jordan called Harbaugh to discuss the Wolverines wearing a Jumpman logo on their uniforms this fall, the coach couldnt believe it. Come on, he said. Who is this really? ... The real Michael Jordan?Michigans players watched a tape of Jordans highlights before he addressed the team and opened the floor for 45 minutes of questions. Jordan has been asked a million things about his playing career a million different times. Its hard, according to some in the room that night, to get him to turn off his autopilot answers and crack into a deeper layer of insight. After almost every player question, Harbaugh responded with a follow-up, prodding and poking to find a way to make Jordan say a bit more.The NBA legend talked to the team about playing through pain for his teammates and what he called on during high-pressure moments. He told them to trust their training and that if they wanted to get better they would have to continue to challenge one another. Harbaugh sat nodding his head in agreement.A month earlier, Harbaugh was in the Detroit warehouse where Henry Ford rolled the first Model Ts off of his assembly line. He and a few other Michigan dignitaries came to unveil the new Jumpman jerseys. He told reporters that the few discussions he had with Jordan since the initial surprising phone call had transitioned from the jerseys to the program to general conversations about achieving great things.As Jack Harbaugh said, You are with whom you associate, Jim said. And to take that a step further, lets associate ourselves with the most evolved human beings in the world. Wholesale Braves Jerseys . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. Atlanta Braves Shirts . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. https://www.cheapbraves.com/ . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Atlanta Braves Gear . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. Braves Jerseys 2019 . JOHNS, N. NEW YORK -- Between her strong serve and how rested she was compared to her opponent, a perfect storm of factors propelled 10th-seeded Karolina Pliskova into her first Grand Slam final thanks to a 6-2, 7-6 (5) win over top-seeded Serena Williams at Arthur Ashe Stadium on a humid Thursday evening.The lean 24-year-old from the Czech Republic had been tempered for the task of meeting Williams before the partisan New York crowd by a harrowing but ultimately triumphant clash with Williams sister, Venus. Serena, meanwhile, had been run ragged less than 24 hours earlier in a grueling 2-hour, 14-minute clash with jackrabbit-quick Simona Halep.Williams, 34, has been in 33 Grand Slam semis. Pliskova was playing her first. Williams visage throughout the match was that of a weary, careworn veteran. Pliskovas eyes were sunken in dark sockets but they burned with ambition. Williams was hampered by an undefined left knee injury that only seemed to become a factor as the match wore on. Pliskova, by contrast, moved swiftly and economically.Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Williams had finally come face to face with a rival who had the tools and intent to outduel her from the service notch.Pliskova smacked seven aces to just five by Williams, whose serve is considered the most potent weapon ever produced in the womens game. The 6-foot-1 Pliskova, also the WTAs ace leader, put a higher percentage of first serves into play (56 to 53 percent) and won more of those vital first-serve points (84 to 66 percent). She put 65 percent of her returns into play compared to Williams 54 percent.My serve is my biggest weapon, Pliskova said. It doesnt matter if I am playing [the] No. 1 or No. 10 player. I can hit any serve I want.Pliskova did to Williams what the 22-time Grand Slam champion usually does to her opponents. The double-fault Williams hit to end the match provided a sad and surprising coda to a match that once again reminded us that those who live by the sword are often fated to die by it as well, usually at the hand of a younger rival.Because shes so tall, [the serve] bounces high, Williams said. Im shorter, so my serve goes through the court. Hers goes a little higher. So I think thats the difference.The result raises an obvious question: How did Pliskova do it?Certainly, her tactical decision to skip the Olympic Games in favor of training for the big summer tournaments played a part. But Milos Raonic did the same thing and we saw where it got him. Unlike Raonic, Pliskova made the most of her choice. She banked wins over No. 3 Garbine Muguruza and new No. 1 Angelique Kerber to win the major US Open tune-up in Cincinnati. The confidence dividend launched her run here.Its all about those last two, three weeks here in States, Pliskova said. I won good matches. If you believe in yourself, you can beat anyone. Its not only about aa game and tennis, but its more about the mental things sometimes.ddddddddddddIronically, the mental thing that helped Pliskova the most against Williams was the preview provided by No. 6 seed Venus. Their fourth-round battle was Pliskovas first appearance at Arthur Ashe Stadium.Obviously after I knew what it was [like] to play one of the sisters [and] against all the people there [on Ashe], so I was prepared for it, Pliskova said. I was prepared for a fast game, for great serving. Thats why maybe I won the match today.Venus is either a great teacher or Pliskova is a quick study despite passing the third round at a major for the first time in 18 opportunities. But you can cram a lot of learning into a wild and wooly three-setter decided by a third-set tiebreaker. Pliskova survived a match point in that match, which is partly why she said, Maybe it was a little bit tougher to play Venus.That earlier match also conditioned Pliskovas nerves. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach before the match, but once it started she said she felt no anxiety at all. She avoided the common temptation of trying hard to enjoy her first Grand Slam semifinal, the way some Slam whisperers counsel.[I wanted to] not just enjoy, she insisted, but to win.Williams didnt win, nor did she enjoy. That was evident from the start, and the reason why is something of a mystery. When some suggested that scheduling her matches on successive days was unfair, especially in light of her knock-down, drag-out tussle with Halep in the quarterfinals, she snapped.OK, Im not going to repeat myself. I wasnt tired from yesterdays match, Williams said. Im a professional player; been playing for over 20 years. If I cant turn around after 24 hours and play again then I shouldnt be on tour.Admire her for taking full ownership of the loss, but the answer left many questions hanging. The knee certainly was a factor. As she said, When youre hampered youre thinking of other things. I was missing simple, simple shots that at other times I would make.Its hard to know or say exactly how much of an impact that injury had, but it was clear from the very start that Williams game and mood were flat. She seemed to be lost somewhere within herself, her facial expression sometimes stony, sometimes distraught, sometimes anguished; many things, but never fiery, alert or eager.Theres a price to play when youre 34 and have been walking around with a giant bulls-eye on your back for two decades. It becomes hard to meet every challenge with burning intensity when theres nothing left to prove. It becomes hard to keep fending provocations off when theres so much to defend: titles, rankings, streaks, records.Sometimes, that sword just gets too heavy to lift. ' ' '