Say It Ain’t So!

Posted bydave cieslewiczPosted inUncategorized

The Cubs? The Cubs! The freaking Cubs?!

I had reconciled myself to the Brewers’ most successful manager ever, Craig Counsell, leaving my team. But I thought he’d go to the Mets to rejoin General Manager David Stearns. Instead, it was announced yesterday that he’s going to manage at that worn old barn Wrigley Field next year. I wish I could wish him well, but I hope he gets poison ivy.

I suppose it makes some sense when you think about it. Counsell can keep his house in Whitefish Bay and still get home a lot during the season. It keeps him closer to his sons, who are playing baseball at Minnesota and Michigan. And he goes to a big market club that won’t pinch nickels and dimes the way the billionaire owners of the Brewers do. It’s amazing what Counsell has been able to do with the retreads Mark Antanasio makes him use. Imagine what he can do with a club owned by people who want to invest in a winner.

So, yeah, okay, alright. I withdraw my poison ivy wish. But this will take some time to get over and it’s going to be hard to see Counsell in blue and red over in the visiting dugout.

Okay, so what about this guy?

But let’s shake it off and move on. Who’s up next? Let me put in my pitch for Paul Molitor. Molitor is in the Hall of Fame, his number is retired inside AmFam Field and he was American League Manager of the Year in 2017 with the Twins. His managing career didn’t go so well after that, as the Twins didn’t live up to high expectations, and he was fired after the 2018 season.

Still, Molly is immensely popular with Milwaukee fans, he knows the town and the organization and he showed the ability to be a great manager. Anybody, can run into bad luck. And, by the way, Counsell, for all his success, couldn’t win in the post season.

The fact that no other team has picked up Molitor since he was fired is concerning. Maybe he just didn’t want to manage, but might reconsider if it was the Brewers calling.

I don’t know. Just a suggestion here. I’m trying to be positive. I’m trying to find the silver lining. But the Cubs! The freaking Cubs!

Published by dave cieslewicz

Madison/Upper Peninsula based writer. Mayor of Madison, WI from 2003 to 2011.

7 thoughts on “Say It Ain’t So!”

  1. Do baseball managers really make much of a difference? No.

    With that in mind I say with all seriousness: the Brewers should hire a celebrity, preferably an actor, to a 1 year contract. The next year, rinse, repeat.

    Baseball purists would hate it. Then it would catch on and become oh so obvious.

    A-list: Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, Matt Damon, Kevin Costner, MJ.

    B-list would be actors with nothing to lose: Charlie Sheen, Kevin Spacey, James Woods, anyone who’s been cancelled.

    Glass ceiling list: Charlize Theron, Gal Gadot, Jennifer Lawrence

    Make the offer to someone who’s made their fortune. This would be something money couldn’t buy.

    Attendance would skyrocket. Even I would watch!

    Not kidding.

    Like

    Reply

  2. Well, as a Cubs fan I do take exception to your description of Wrigley as a worn old barn. The owners have poured lotsa dough into upgrading the stadium and it’s now an updated 21st Century place to watch a ballgame while still retaining its charm. Wrigley and Fenway in Boston are national treasures.

    But, again as a Cubs fan, I hope this means that the owners are prepared to spend money – a LOT of money – to put together a team that can reach the postseason and be reasonably expected to make some noise. With these absurdly expanded playoffs it’s really a crapshoot. I presume Counsell received some guarantees along those lines before he decided to piss off the whole State of Wisconsin. The “conventional wisdom” is that even the best manager can only add a couple of extra wins to a team in a 162 game season, but a bad one can certainly cost a team a lot more. This move is mainly significant from where I sit in the sense that Cubs are in a “win now” mode and will invest in those resources to make it happen. Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, or dare I day it – Shohei Ohtani!?!

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to Brad Clark Cancel reply