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Last night, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was spotted at the Oakland Coliseum sporting an Oakland A's cap. Our friend the Bay Area Sports Guy used that sighting as the impetus for this post, "Jim Harbaugh: bandwagon baseball fan or Bay Area uniter?" He had some pictures from when Coach Harbaugh drove one of the cars in the San Francisco Giants World Series parade, and we've heard plenty about his family's love for Willie Mays.
The article is a bit tongue in cheek, but it is an interesting offseason storyline (emphasis on the offseason). Coach Harbaugh has referenced various Bay Area sports teams during his two-year tenure with the 49ers. He has frequently spoken of the Giants, we've got this picture from the A's game, and he's also referenced the Golden State Warriors success, meeting with Mark Jackson at one point. It is also worth noting that 49ers GM Trent Baalke is frequently spotted at San Jose Sharks games.
The Bay Area has its rivalries, and as an A's fan, I have my own particular issues with the Giants. That being said, it seems like the Bay Area has more cross-team fans than most anywhere else. The A's-Giants rivalry seems more an A's-sided rivalry, but even still, the animosity does not strike me quite like it does for other rivalries. And Jim Harbaugh seems to bask in the glory of Bay Area sports as a whole.
Of course, given his connection to Stanford, will we ever see Coach Harbaugh sporting the blue and gold of Cal?