Parker: Michigan needs Jim Harbaugh at any price

Report: Michigan offered coach 6-year, $48M deal

DETROIT – In honor of the late, great Joe Falls, it's a Fish Fry Friday.

There are conflicting reports about the actual amount of money Michigan offered San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh to comeback to Ann Arbor and take over the Wolverines.

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Originally, CBS5 in Arizona reported that it was a six-year, $48-million deal. It would make Harbaugh the highest-paid college football coach in the country (an average of $8.17 million per season), beating Alabama's Nick Saban by more than $1.21 million per season.

But on Thursday night, Fox Sports 1 reported that those figures for the deal are not accurate.

Either way, it appears as if Michigan isn't playing around in trying to bring one of their own back to campus. And it wouldn't be just any old "Michigan Man."

It would mean bringing a talented and top-shelf coach to Michigan to turn around a program that has clearly gone to the dogs.

Harbaugh did an incredible job at Stanford, turning that program from a laughingstock to a college football power. Stanford went 11-1 in 2010, his final season there.

Plus, Harbaugh took the 49ers to the Super Bowl in his second season as a pro coach. In his first three seasons, Harbaugh took the 49ers to three straight conference championship games, the first-ever coach to accomplish that in the NFL.

"As you know, I only talk about the job that I have," Harbaugh said on Thursday, when asked if he was contacted by Michigan. "We've been together a long time. Always been my policy."

Harbaugh added that he intended to finish his 49ers contract to the end. His deal in S.F. is technically up after next season.

The bottom line is that Michigan needs to hit a home run here. They need to bring in a big-time coach to spark the program and get the alumni pumped to support Michigan again.

Mad Max Decision Coming

Max Scherzer is close to a deal.

According to moles, Mad Max could have a decision on his future very soon. Any day now, in fact.

It appears that there are just a few teams in the mix to sign the former Cy Young winner.

The Tigers have said they are out. But, there's still a feeling that Scherzer's agent, Scott Boras, will give Tigers' owner Mike Ilitch a last chance before he gets his client mega bucks.

Scherzer is expected to get more than the $155 million that Jon Lester got from the Chicago Cubs.

Unless there's some miracle move by Ilitch, it appears that Scherzer's days in Detroit are done.

Scherzer, 30, has pitched the last five seasons with the Tigers. Last season, the right-hander was 18-5 with a 3.15 ERA.

In 2013, Scherzer was named the American League Cy Young winner when he went 21-3 with a stingy 2.90 ERA.

When he does bolt for elsewhere, the news will come as a big surprise to Tigers fans. Back in March, Scherzer reportedly turned down a six-year, $144 million contract extension by the Tigers.

Scherzer was not happy that a Tigers' official leaked the money offered in the deal to the media. Still, Scherzer always felt he was worth more, especially since other pitchers got similar deals two years earlier. In fact, the Philadelphia Phillies' Cole Hamels got the same exact deal in 2012.

It was clear that the Tigers had all but given up hope of re-signing Scherzer when they went out and picked up former Cy Young winner David Price at the trade deadline this past season.

At the time, it appeared as if Price would replace Scherzer in the rotation once he was gone.

Scherzer always said he liked Detroit and wanted to stay. But he wanted to be paid like the team's ace and Tigers would have had to pay Scherzer more that Justin Verlander.

That doesn't look as if it will happen.

RIP Bill Bonds

Bill Bonds, a national TV icon who anchored Ch. 7's news for decades, will be buried today. He suffered a heart attack and died last week.

Most know Bonds was a great newsman, a man who pulled no punches - even on the air. Loved his style.

Bonds was also a huge sports fan as well. I used to see him at Tigers games all the time. He stayed until the end, too.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Bonds.