Detroit Lions' coach Jim Schwartz (right) and Jim Harbaugh of San Francisco hardly exchanged pleasantries following Sunday's game. (AP Photo)

What’s so difficult about a simple handshake?

As a father, you teach your kids to look a person in the eye, firmly grab his or her right hand, and give it a shake.

It takes all of five seconds.

You don’t slap palms. You don’t slap them on the back.

And you don’t run after them screaming if things do not go exactly the way the handshake is blueprinted.

Be it at work, at church, or in the middle of a football field.

What happened between Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz was embarrassing. Both as a football fan and as a father.

My own coaching resume is pretty thin. I’ve coached our kids when they played youth sports, but that is about it.

I was one of those coaches who played everybody. I never cared if a player had his own Topps card or picked dandelions in rightfield while the game was going on.

I did not care if we were ahead by 11 runs or down by one in the final inning. When it was time to change personnel, it was time for a change.

That infuriated some of the parents. Others embraced the concept.

Another thing I did was make sure the players shook hands. With the opposing players; with the opposing coaches and with the umpires.

Look ‘em in the eye. Give them a nice, firm shake. Say good game or thank you.

It takes all of five seconds. Is that too much to ask?

Are you listening, Coach Schwartz? How about you, Coach Harbaugh?