Counsell feels out the media

His introductory press conference was a good one, except for all the talk about groping Jed

Counsell feels out the media

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Yesterday, the Cubs made it official and hired Craig Counsell to be their manager. So if you thought it was just an elaborate prank to fuck with the people of Wisconsin…well, maybe it’s a really elaborate prank?

Over the years we’ve seen plenty of Cubs introductory press conferences and this was…certainly one of them. Carter Hawkins was at the table for no apparent reason (maybe somebody needed to use his desk to do some actual work?) and Jed Hoyer was there to introduce the biggest fish he ever caught.

Jed: From afar, I've always admired Craig. I know I'm certainly not alone in that.

Creepy?

I've admired how he always seemed to get the most out of every team that they had. I admired the cohesiveness and the connectedness of the roster and the clubhouse every single year. I admired how his teams always seemed to play with an intensity that mirrored his own. I admire how he carries himself, how he articulates himself how he always seems to represent the community and the organization in the best possible light possible for all those reasons and for so many more, I could not be more excited for this ownership group in this front office to partner with Craig to bring another championship to Chicago and to these great fans. So with that, this one, I announced Craig Counsell as the 56th manager in Cubs history.

Jed sure likes the cut of Craig’s jib. And how about the fact that the Cubs have had 56 managers? The Yankees, who have had just a little more success over the years than the Cubs are on 35. The Cardinals have a surprisingly big number at 65. The first 64 of them were white guys. And the current one is just holding Yadi’s seat warm.

After the awkward, “How about you wear a jersey over your dress shirt” portion of the press conference, we all got to hear what Craig Counsell’s voice sounds like for the first time after 25 years in the big leagues.

I mean, had you ever heard him talk before?

You walk into, you know Wrigley today, the first day as a Cub and it, it already starts to mean something. You walk into the history, you walk into the energy, you walk into a place that like you already know, it demands your best.

You walk into the bathroom and Carter is just sitting there with the stall door propped open eating mayonnaise out of a jar with his bare hands. It’s different here.

I just thought that a, a new challenge was where I had to push myself. And really that's, you know, it's about growth and it's about just trying to, like, push yourself to a place that you're not, you're not at right now. And that's, that's scary. Like, you know, I'm sitting up here, I'm a little scared. I'm sitting up here, you're a little uncomfortable but that's how you get to a better place.

I like the idea that it’s good to scare yourself. Stasis doesn’t lead to anything productive. You’ve got to get out of your comfort zone. You have to challenge yourself. That’s what Craig Counsell is doing here. He’s shaking things up. What he’s certainly not doing is taking a job just to get a huge raise while still working close enough that he can commute most days from his ranch house in Mukwonago. No way.

This is right man, this is the right thing going on here and this is something that's really special. So that's, that's been a big part of this for me, from a baseball standpoint, you know, I think I saw quickly that like the organization is, is just in great health and like that Jed presented a very compelling vision of that.

I was looking for a team with no bullpen and a fourth grader at third base and Jed explained to me that the Cubs have both things!

It is time to be a Cub, there is momentum happening here. And it feels close and, and that means there's a really exciting future ahead of us.

The momentum is undeniable. The Cubs finished last season 7-15 and you may have heard that they have had the fifth best record in the National League in the second half TWO YEARS IN A ROW! Why not make it three?

And now it's my job to be part of taking us to the next level.

What is the “next level” for this bunch? I hope it’s not fourth best record in the National League in the second half. Levels skip a few places, right?

Jed and Carter, just your faith in my abilities and really, you know, we're starting a partnership here and that partnership means the world to me, it's how we get things done. It's how we connect the whole organization. And it's a big part of what happens next.

You can really tell that he just met Jed and Carter, can’t you?

Anyway, Bruce Levine doddered over to the the microphone and welcomed Craig. But he didn’t give it the full, “Welcome to Chicago!” like usual. He also didn’t mention that he and Craig have the same agent, but he did park in Craig’s reserved spot just to show him who the boss really is.

Bruce: For your entire career, you've been known as a winner and, that's a, that's a heavy label to put on somebody. But I think you proved that through your, your career. And now as a manager can you define what you, the word winner and what you look for in a player when you're, when you're looking for that, that particular trait?

Yes, for Craig’s entire career he’s been known as a winner. Why, he scored thre winning run in the seventh game of the World Series when he was a rookie. He was the MVP of the 2001 NLCS and won a ring with the D’bags. His final game was in an NLCS when the Brewers lost to the Cardinals in 2011. He grounded out to pitcher Mark Rzepczynski. He cultivated a reputation as a guy who could do all the little things to help you win games. Mostly because he couldn’t do any of the big things. His career slugging was just two points higher than his career on base (.344 v. .342) and he had a career OPS+ of 79. That’s somehow even lower than Yadi’s (96). And as a manager he has zero manager of the year awards and his Brewers were 1-10 in their last 11 playoff games.

The bond that in sports that teammates create is the most powerful things that sports has going and, and let kind, you're not, that's a bad word but making sure that you understand how important that word is. Teammate. I think goes a long way to, to producing winners.

Teammate?

Uh oh.

Sahadev was next and he asked Counsell what he thought of the 2023 Cubs.

I mean, the 2023 Cubs team, you know, had a good season that there's a core to that team, it's 83 wins. And that means that things are close, right?

Not really. I mean, have you seen your left fielder? If you haven’t he’s probably still in the dugout staring at the magic dots in his helmet.

You know, what you have to be careful about is that, what happened last year does not not indicate this year and I think teams are different. I've used this analogy for a long time. There's a soup made and it can be the same players, but it's going to taste a little different next year when grandma makes it, you know what I mean? It's always a little different and you have to create a new dynamic every single year, no matter what's going on. There'll be players that have had wonderful years last year that are not so much and then vice versa.

But there's a solid core and a solid foundation and that, you know, speaks to the health I think of the organization. And that speaks to a bright future.

OK, I feel good about that answer. But I do have one question. Just how lousy of a cook is Craig’s grandma? How is she making soup with the same ingredients and it tastes different every time?

“Oh, Craiggy, you know what I forgot? The battery acid!”

Dionne Miller followed up and tied the soup analogy in.

Obviously, Wrigley Field and the Cubs organization sells itself, but you answered a little bit, but can you expand a little more on what Jed's plan sold you on, what the recipe looks like for making soup here?

Nobody likes a kiss ass, Dionne. Move along.

Then our old pal Jon Greenberg finally asked him about stabbing Rossy in the back and what it was like sitting down with the electric personality of Jedward Hoyer.

Jon: Like you said, this went really quick. What was your reaction to them having interest in you because they had a manager? It wasn't like this was a team you could probably have thought about or daydreamed about. So, what was your reaction to that? And then that first meeting with Jed. What were the conversations about?

Coiunsell: Yeah, the Cubs had a manager and, that really makes you not think about them.

Because I thought, if they hired that dumbass they clearly don’t want a real manager.

My process dragged on slowly really and then Jed phoned me on November 1st and we agreed to meet.

Excellent job working in the date. November 1 was the first time the Cubs could talk to him with the Brewers’ permission. Gotta get out ahead of those tampering charges.

It was really Jed's vision here that sold me. It was a feeling the meeting was we're just feeling each other out, to be honest with you.

I've never really met Jed, didn't know a ton about him. Just that he runs the Cubs. So it's a little bit, like feeling each other out as much as anything I guess probably is the best way to say it.

You, not really laying everything on the table in a conversation like that, you're feeling each other out. At some point, you know it was a long conversation and honestly, Jed was aggressive in that conversation.

Is that an answer or is Craig already trying to enroll in the Cubs Employee Assistance Program?

Then some guy from channel 2 asked Counsell what it is that makes him a winning manager.

Again, I don't, know I completely know the answer to that question.

Basically, I guess what I do is that at key points in every game I ask myself, “What would David Ross do here?” And then I do the opposite. And it works. A lot.

Then he was asked to expound on how the call with Jed went.

I didn't pick up [Jed’s] call.

It’s not that I dodged his call, it’s just the last time I answered a call from the 312 area code I ended up buying enough Herbalife to fill my garage.

I called him back and he indicated that the Cubs had interest. We discussed, some generalities of what was going on, like my schedule and things like that. I suggested that we meet because I was interested but cautious, I guess is probably the best way to say it. I was interested, so I suggested we get together that day because I had schedule. I was going to New York the next day. My process was getting pretty fast. So we got together later that day.

I liked that without saying it, Craig said, “I told Jed we need to hurry up because I have to fly to New York tomorrow and I do not want to manage the fucking Mets.”

Tony Andracki asked him what the difference between the regular season and the playoffs is. I don’t know if Tony was trying to get insight into how a manager treats those situations differently or if he truly doesn’t know the difference between the regular season and the playoffs.

It's different for sure. The 162 games is a marathon and, decisions you make are rewarded over the marathon. And, players frankly, are rewarded over the marathon.

Tony: “Wait, you coached marathon in Milwaukee? I thought it was baseball!?”

In short playoff series, we have luck in our game. We have just fortune in our game and you don't control everything. In really short stints you control less in this game. So, it causes, or it forces, aggressiveness on managers. I think that the best thing, is to just have the mindset. The mindset you have to take into the playoffs is one of aggressiveness, and you still have to trust your players and you still have be willing to trust your players and trust your great players, but with an aggressive mindset.

Basically that was Craig saying, “I haven’t taken a team with a functioning offense into the playoffs since 2018, so I guess you could say the Cubs roster is kind of my jam.”

Andy Martinez asked him if he’d reached out to any of his new players yet, and Craig just stared at him wondering how Pugsley Addams hasn’t aged a day.

I need to go slow right now just to make sure I get things right. That will pick up here as we go, but those are important conversations and I want to make sure I get them right. Those introductions are important. There’s a coaching staff that we've got to make decisions on. Those are important decisions, but at this point, it’s important to go a little bit slower.

Basically, “Jed promised he’d get me some real players, so I’m trying not to get too attached to any of these guys.”

Maddie Lee asked him to be specific about what part of Jed’s bullshit he bought into.

I think that's why I talk a little bit about the health of the organization. Just understanding where Jed thought the Cubs were at in, in certain areas. How is the front office built out to, to equip us and give us good information and make great decisions? Certainly, like financially, where do you feel is the space to grow, or continue to invest in the team? I was always doing this as a manager with organizations and with teams, and looking at them. I thought that the Cubs were in a really good spot. They've obviously had to make some difficult decisions in years past. That's what's led them to a pretty good place. My conversation with Jed strengthened that belief.

“In Milwaukee, the team trainer is a veterinarian and the guys have to buy their own bratwurst for a pregame meal. And, Jed already traded all of the good players so he probably won’t trade my closer to the Padres at the deadline.”

Steve Greenberg basically said, “Look, we all know managers are overrated, so what the fuck difference are you going to make?” And then he texted David Ross, “WE DID IT! LOLZ!”

It's very difficult to quantify and I think that's why there's been a hard time with it. What I've found is that when I talk about connection, that's a big word with players and that's a big word with uniformed staff, obviously. But it's also a big word with what are now much bigger organizations and people supporting the team. That connection, that partnership is, really important. I think that's another way that a manager can really affect what's going on. We all see the results of the game out there and there's a win and a loss and we move on. I think there's things happening around that, that add up over the course of the season. The manager in today's game to me, plays a role connecting both of those parties and, and if you can do it, well, I think there's a place to have a real impact.

This is a long, well-articulated answer, but if you go re-read it, it’s Craig basically saying. “I have no fucking idea.”

Mike Berman asked him about good ol’ Rossy.

David is a very good man. David texted me probably before the news broke here. I called him back immediately.

Of course you did. The text from Ross said, “CAN YOU HIDE THE BIG BOX OF PORN I LEFT IN MY OFFICE?”

We had what I think is a very good conversation. I've always had great respect for David, and that gave me the ultimate respect for David, the way he handled the conversation. This is part of this business that is really difficult and it's really cutthroat. And, as a player I've lived it. David's lived it. Every player lives it every day. But I respect the heck out of David Ross.

He’s good. Look at how he said, “If you’re good at your job, you’ll keep it. Ross wasn’t and didn’t,” without sounding like a prick.

And then Bruce Levine-in-waiting, Matt Spiegel waved frantically and got to ask, what I guess is a question?

Jed was talking the other day, about his excitement of how you view the chair of the manager. In terms of the partnership, wondering what realms of what they do, you're excited to bring what you've learned through the years, whether it's bullpen or whether it's strategic or scouting, what, what realms are you excited to bring your knowledge to?

The “chair of the manager?” Is he actually asking about furniture? “Craig, do you think it has enough lumbar support?”

And what is the shit about realms? Was he talking about a board game?

This is an interesting question I think.

No, Craig. It’s really not.

I've been with one organization, and I have kind of experience into how one organization puts it together and builds a roster. I'm like barely into another organization. It's different, right?

“I mean, it IS different, RIGHT? I hope so. God, it has to be. Right?”

Certainly one of my hopes is that I can provide some new thoughts and new ideas about how to just improve a process or a new way to think about how we manage the roster during the season.

“Jed! I have a great roster idea. What if we buy a pinstriped raincoat and we have Nick Madrigal and Miles Mastrobuoni just stand on each other’s shoulders inside the coat and pretend to be one player! It’ll be like having a 27 man roster!”

Those are little, little things. But I've had this philosophy just like stack, stack, little good decisions on top of each other, just keep stacking a good decision on top of each other and then you wake up one day and you're sitting in a pretty good place and all those good decisions have kind of formed the backbone of your organization, and you're sitting in a very, very strong place. Getting the little things right. Just keep getting that next decision right. That's where it adds up over time. That's when you wake up one day and your organization's in an incredibly strong place.

Oh my god. He might actually be talking about stacking players.

Then, Meghan Montemurro asked a question that prompted the single best answer any Cubs manager has given since somebody asked Joe Maddon about the Camaro he had in college.

Meghan asked, “When you look at the mark of successful organizations year over year, you look at player development and being able to integrate that at the Major League level. What do you view your role as a manager in that? And, what do you feel like are some of the keys to be able to build those successful years?”

And, to his credit, Craig knocked this out of the park. Something he only actually did 42 times in 16 big league seasons. (And four times in 112 games against the Cubs.)

I think certainly the biggest thing is that the Major Leagues is an incredibly hard league and player development does not stop when it gets to the big leagues. That's often the hardest thing to learn. After you go through cycles of players, you start to learn how hard the transition is to the Major Leagues, for players. The norm is a massive struggle. That's the norm. I think if you come at it from that place, the problem is that expectations for those players are on the other side of the spectrum. That's a hard thing for everybody to balance, right? It's a hard thing for the manager trying to win a game to balance. It's a hard thing for the fans to balance. It's a hard thing for all the player development staff that have worked so hard to help get a player. Most of all, it's hard for the player. I think trying to create some empathy with that and some understanding with that for the players and for the group, all of us is, is probably the most important thing to do. The goal of that is so that the player gets in a better place and the player doesn't have so much on his chest. To not come to the park every day and know he has to do everything for everybody, because that's what he feels like. It's a process for those players and I think it's essentially one of time and support to get him to a good place.

I mean, holy shit. It’s a great answer. If you need to know the biggest difference between him and the dolt he’s replacing…well, there are lots, but this is the biggest one. The Cubs future does depend on what high priced talent Jed gets for him, but also working in some of the prospects the pervs are always going on about. It has to happen, and having a manager who actually believes in this is a huge step in the right direction.

Sully asked him if all the money he’s getting adds pressure to “win big?”

There's pressure in this job, man. I mean that there should be. I accept that and welcome it and I think it should be there. There's a financial component to this, obviously there is. But, you know, my job is to win baseball games no matter what. My competitiveness does not allow me to just behave differently. You're going to the dugout, your job is to win a baseball game. It doesn't matter who your team is. That's kind of how I see what I do. It doesn't matter what's around you, but once the game starts, your job is to win a baseball game and you keep it that simple there. There's no reason to get past that. I think if you start complicating it, you get yourself into trouble.

Back to back jacks! Another great answer. Hey, you know what? This guy’s good.

Now it was time for the butthurt Wisconsin sportswriter portion of the press conference and who was up first, but the guy with the most unfortunate name in the business…Curt Hogg. He wanted to know how it felt to go “to the other side.”

I didn't really see it like that. I maybe underestimated that part of it, frankly. No, I was looking at it maybe as from a challenge perspective, from a growth perspective. I understand that point of it, and certainly respect that point of it. But you know, that's where you end up with tough decisions because of things like that and it's always tough. Those life decisions like this are certainly challenging. But after you go through your process internally and with your family of making decisions, you end up on the right side.

How can you not love that Counsell’s answer about how he could leave the Brewers for their biggest rival (and let’s be honest, the Cubs are the Brewers biggest rival and the Cubs could give two shits about the Brewers) was this scene from Mad Men.

Jesse asked him that if Milwaukee had more resources if he’d still be there.

Who gives a shit about Jesse?

Steve Greenberg came back and followed up his, “Do managers even matter?” question with, “How come you suck in the playoffs?”

Fun guy.

Then Jordan Bastian asked him what he was more excited about, young players or getting big free agents?

There's a lot of choices of how to do it. That's exciting that there's several ways to attack the problem. It offers the ability for Jed to be very creative and use any one of those means to do so. In the end, it's going to be some blend of all that, that gets it done. But it's almost like he's got a lot of ways to do that. That's, I think, what gives him a really good chance at being right at this and being successful.

“I mean, come on. We have so many ways to attack this, even Jed can’t fuck this up. Right?”

“Right?”

Then Ryan Herrera introduced himself as being from CHGO and Craig just stared at him for a while and then said, “Oh, wait, I know you guys. You’re the ones who run that Only Fans account where you don’t have a table so people can look up your cargo shorts while you pretend to be podcasting.”

Actually what Herrera did ask was…oh, so sad.

What excites you about that partnership going forward with Jed and Carter and how you are involved in executing that plan.

Nobody’s ever been excited about anything to do with Carter, ever.

What's fun about this is that there's like a workplace dynamic, right? And you start to learn personalities and you start to learn how to communicate with each other and how to get things done, how to push a button sometimes, right?

Craig is totally going to put Dan Kantrovitz’s stapler in Jello, isn’t he?

That's how we're gonna communicate together and that's how we make progress. I push Jed and he pushes me and Carter pushes me. That's the fun part about this kind of getting to know each other, feel each other out, test each other.

I’m fine with the pushing, but Craig clearly wants to grope Jed, doesn’t he?

It's a part you look forward to.

And the press conference ended with NPR’s finest, Cheryl Rae Stout asking Craig if he’s ready to confirm who any of his coaches will be, and Tommy Hottovy was standing in the wings, ready to fire off a confetti cannon and run into the room while, “Y’all Ready For This” played and Craig said.

“Nah.”

He’s kind of a creep, but I like the pointy little guy.

Go Cubs.