What Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said after throwing first pitch at White Sox game
There is one rule for anyone throwing a ceremonial first pitch: don’t bounce the ball over home plate, especially if you’re a former athlete who still works in sports. No pressure, Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman.
Freeman was on the spot at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago on Wednesday afternoon dressed in a White Sox No. 23 jersey. He toed the rubber instead of standing in front of the hill. The former isn’t necessary, but as Irish running backs coach Deland McCullough said in a social media video taping Freeman’s toss, “go big or go home.”
Freeman certainly listened — to himself and to McCullough.
“Aim high,” Freeman said before the pitch. “That’s the only goal — aim high. Can’t bounce it.”
He definitely did not. Freeman fired the 60-foot, 6-inch pitch way over the plate. The catcher had to reach up and to his left to catch the ball.
Better than bouncing it.
Freeman joined the White Sox broadcasting crew later in the game. One of the first things he was asked about? New Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman, a graduate transfer from Wake Forest who has thrown more touchdown passes (110) than anyone else in ACC history. He’s set to start for the Irish in his final year of eligibility.
“He’s going to help us tremendously,” Freeman said. “He has just been a great addition. One, as a football player in our offense. But two, as a leader and as a guy in the locker room. He is a great teammate and someone I’m somebody I’m really looking forward to as we get ready for the season.”
Then Freeman was asked about himself.
He answered authentically, as usual.
“You have to embrace the history and tradition of how Notre Dame football was built,” Freeman said. “And you have to make sure our kids understand that. But you have to be who you are. That’s the greatest advice I was ever given when I became a head coach.
“To a T, for every current head coach or coach who has been a head coach, you have to be who you are because if you’re not, the kids will see right through it. That’s what we’ve done. And that’s what I’ve done. I’ve tried to learn and try to get better every single day.”
Freeman has attributed his makeup in part to former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. He did that again Wednesday. Freeman is always quick to heap praise on his peers, older and younger. Another coach who falls into the former category is Notre Dame men’s lacrosse coach Kevin Corrigan, just over 48 hours removed from his first national championship in his 35th season.
“I said, ‘Man, you look lighter,'” Freeman said he told Corrigan. “And he said, ‘What are you talking about?’ ‘Got that monkey off your back.’
Freeman added, “It’s awesome to see him finally get a chance to be called a national champion. And if you talk to him, he would say it’s not about him. It’s about the players. It’s about Notre Dame. I think a lot of head coaches would say that same thing. He’s been one of the most successful coaches in the country, and now he can also hold the title of national champion. I was
ecstatic.”
Freeman doesn’t necessarily have a monkey on his back. If he does, it’s more of a squirrel monkey than a gorilla. He’s only entering his second season on the job. He was, though, the first Notre Dame head coach in the program’s storied history to start 0-3. And the Irish only won nine games in 2022, the lowest output since 2016.
Those are a few of the reasons why Freeman has been go, go, go since the season ended in late December. Aug. 26’s season opener vs. Navy in Dublin, Ireland, will be here in a flash.
“It’s as a 365 days a year job,” Freeman said. “It is. It never ends, but we chose it. I chose that. I love it.”
