Craig Counsell, manager of the Chicago Cubs, will have the opportunity to stroll down memory lane as his team faces the Milwaukee Brewers for a three-game homestand. Counsell, of course, has a history with the Brew Crew, having played and managed the team for numerous seasons prior to relocating to Chicago this year.
Counsell discussed the reunion prior to the Cubs’ 3-1 loss in the series opener on Friday, according to Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“Look, we’re just trying to win a baseball game,” Counsell admitted. “I think you spend most of your time trying to figure out how to beat the team. There are people there that I have really good relationships with. Look, you miss people for sure.”
Counsell played for Milwaukee in 2004 and again from 2007 to 2011, the final four years of his career. In 2009, the former infielder had a.285 hitting average and eight triples, ranking among the top ten in the National League. Counsell was also named the 13th brightest athlete by Sporting News, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2010.
He went on to manage the club from 2015 to 2023, making the playoffs five times. The Brewers nearly made the 2018 World Series, falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 in the NLCS. Counsell holds the franchise record with 707 career wins and was inducted into the team’s Wall of Honor.
However, hopping ship to the club’s main opponent did not sit well with everyone in Milwaukee. What prompted Counsell to make the switch?
Craig Counsell’s move to the Cubs is another reminder that money talks
Counsell, a Milwaukee native, told CBS Sports’ Dayn Perry in November why he made the surprise move.
“I think as I was going through this process, it became clear that I needed and wanted a new professional challenge,” Counsell said. “At the same time, look, I’m grateful to be part of this community. And that’s going to continue, hopefully, because it has nothing to do with baseball, that part of it. I’m looking forward to being part of a new community and hopefully impact our community well, too. But as I went through it, it just became clear that I needed a new challenge.”
Counsell’s new contract may have had something to do with his desire for “a new challenge.” Chicago gave him a five-year, $40 million deal, making him the highest-paid manager in MLB history.
While the Brewers also gave Counsell a record-breaking contract, he appeared to use it to secure an even larger sum of money with the Cubs. Scorned Milwaukee owner Mark Attanasio even spoke out against the decision, according to CBS Sports.
“[We’re all here] today because we’ve lost Craig, but I’ve reflected on this — Craig has lost us and he’s lost our community also,” Attanasio said.
