Matt Maiocco posted a moving article on CSNBayArea.com about Jim Harbaugh’s season-ending news conference which took place on Monday. That news conference has gotten very controversial. Matt, my close friend and former colleague at the Press Democrat, explains he saw tears, or near tears in Harbaugh’s eyes at the end of the press conference. Matt interprets the tears to mean Harbaugh has a human side he rarely shows. Matt praises Harbaugh for showing his human side, in spite of himself.

I disagree with Matt in every respect. I am not putting down my friend. I am writing my perception in the open forum of journalistic debate. I saw no tears in Harbaugh’s eyes and I was closer to the coach than Matt was. But that’s not the point.

Let’s say Harbaugh was on the point of tears. I say, so what?

So he showed his human side for a brief moment. Are we supposed to praise that?

If he has a human side, he should have shown it more often. What’s he so afraid of? He should not have been sarcastic and demeaning — snotty — to the media preceding the alleged near-tear moment. He should not be so apparently paranoid. The fact that he showed a human side in spite of himself makes me feel sorry for him. He should enjoy showing who he is.

Still, I admit I could be wrong and Matt could be right. I go to Matt all the time for advice about football and life. I want you to read Matt’s piece because it’s so darned good and because it shows an entirely different point of view from mine and because I always am proud of Matt. To read Matt Maiocco on Harbaugh the human being, please click here.