MILWAUKEE — If you didn’t know, you might have thought the dozens of media members gathered in the visitors’ dugout at American Family Field were there for the likes of Shohei Ohtani. But the pomp and circumstance belonged to former Brewers and now Cubs manager Craig Counsell, who returned to Milwaukee for the first time since his new job in Chicago.
After downplaying his return and the attention that would have accompanied it over the past month, the Cubs manager opened up about his journey back to the ballpark he called home for nearly two decades.
“Life takes a lot of twists and turns, man,” Counsell said before the Cubs’ 5-1 loss to the Brewers. “I don’t want to plan my life forever. I want to do things that challenge me. That excites me, so I don’t make such plans. You have to take the ride of life and see what happens. This wasn’t something I necessarily expected to happen. But you have to jump on the ride and go.
“I had been in one place for a long time. I think when you’re in a place for an extended period of time, you naturally think, ‘What if I did something different?’” Counsell said. “That was part of it. And that happened over the past few years. Not just last year. Honestly, [former Brewers president of baseball operations] David Stearn’s departure made you think about it a lot. I don’t know how it couldn’t be done. So it happens over time.”
While any manager returning to a place he’s been for a long time gets attention, Counsell’s return to Milwaukee is probably even bigger for Counsell than for others. It’s not just that he coached in Milwaukee for nine seasons, played there for six and worked in the front office for three.
It’s the fact that Counsell also happens to be one of Wisconsin’s native sons.
The Cubs skipper grew up just 15 minutes away from American Family Field in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. The Whitefish Bay park named after Counsell was vandalized in the offseason after he was hired by Chicago.
Counsell seems to realize how his departure from Milwaukee and move to Chicago has been picked up by the fan base that used to cheer for him. But he ignored their new contempt for him as he waited for his response.
Brewers fans wasted no time in “welcoming” their former manager back with boos during his short tribute video and as he walked out to exchange lineup cards with Brewers manager and longtime friend Pat Murphy or whenever he also walked onto the field. during the Cubs’ loss to the Brewers on Monday.
“Cheers, boo, whatever, man. Have fun during the game,” Counsell said before the game. “That’s what fans are allowed to do. So just enjoy. It’s Memorial Day, you’re not going to work today. And let’s all have a good time.”
While Milwaukee fans have no love lost for Counsell at this point, Murphy knows what both mean to each other despite the changes over the past seven months.
“We have passionate fans. I mean, that’s something I’ve come to know,” Murphy said. “I was here for almost every match Craig won. And I know how much [Brewers fans] respect him. I know how much the Brewers accomplished when Craig was manager. And I think when he walks out, he’s expecting something. … I know that ultimately, 20 years from now when we all look back on this, Craig will be recognized as a big part of the Brewers.”
“[Craig] would do anything for this community. That’s how he is.”
Counsell’s tenure in Milwaukee was very successful, going 707-625 under his leadership with five postseason appearances. After a disappointing sweep of Arizona in the NL wild card last season, Counsell’s contract expired in November, making him a free agent for the first time.
But in a move that shocked the baseball world, the Cubs hired Counsell from their NL Central rivals five days later, while also firing David Ross in the process.
If Counsell were to leave Milwaukee for another baseball team, the public reaction would almost certainly be different. But choosing Chicago adds even more chapters to the longstanding relationship between Counsell and Milwaukee.
“It’s not my job to tell people what to think about it, or even figure it out,” he said. “Let people feel how they want to feel, and I’m good at that. And it doesn’t all have to be positive. We have a public job. And we have a job with fans and fans can feel whatever they want.”
Unlike other sports, the nature of baseball and the fact that games are played almost every day for seven months often leaves no room for sentimentality. In a series between two teams at the top of the division, with the first-place Brewers playing well and the Cubs not, it can almost be easier for those involved to not feel.
Counsell, who has always been known for his stoic, business-like demeanor, rarely shows much emotion and that suits his personality. But in a way, the Cubs manager seemed almost relieved that the day had arrived to get some sense of closure and try to enjoy the moment in the process.
“When you see people and talk to people, that’s what makes you think and enjoy,” Counsell said. “That happened when we were in Chicago with those guys and it will happen this week here in Milwaukee with more people who weren’t in Chicago.
“So I hope to do that and want to do that. That will be fun. I’m looking forward to doing that. And that’s certainly the human part of it, but it comes through your connections with people.
