Craig Counsell's Calm May Frustrate Fans, But It's How Good Managers Approach The Game

[RavenCub30]

Fans often expect their favorite team's manager to get as visibly upset as they do at a blown call or unfortunate situation; the thing is, that doesn't help win baseball games.

Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

People want what they can’t have at the moment. The Cubs don’t have what they want in the moment, namely a better record and a general sense of upward trajectory. At least in recent games, Cubs fans want more fire from well-compensated skipper Craig Counsell. Translation: We want him to get ejected more. If we’re being honest with ourselves, that desire is outrageous. Ejections don’t win ball games. An ejection wouldn’t have propelled Patrick Wisdom’s drive into left field last weekend against Saint Louis over the fence. Though the club’s wins have been sparse over the course of the past seven weeks, when they’ve come, they’ve come through a combination of timely hitting and good pitching.

I’m not pitching you the idea that we as fans should not be able to voice our displeasure for how things are going; we can and should, but if this team is to get back on track, it will be through proper adjustments and resolve, which Counsell understands. 

Counsell was brought in to make the Cubs not only a playoff contender but also a championship contender, both within the NL Central and for the World Series. Yes, I understand how out-of-pocket that sounds, given the Cubs’ current position in the standings. However, not only do I believe Counsell will deliver on his potential, I expect it. 

From his first cuts with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to his introductory press conference with our beloved North Side ball club, announcing, “It’s time to be a Cub,” Counsell operates with ingenuity and resolve, not his temper. 

Just as good if not better than any manager in the game, Counsell understands that baseball is a game of opportunities, and with that in mind, challenging a borderline out call at second just because the fans are irate will not produce the desired results for the team long-term. He gets that if that challenge fails, you don’t get another one. In a year where the efficacy of human umpires has been called into question on numerous occasions, an even-keeled, steadfast approach is what the Cubs need to reach their ultimate goals as a team. We have to expect that what this will look like will be in a constant state of flux. It will sometimes mean bunting three times in a row just to manufacture a couple of runs. Sometimes, it will mean calling on a shaky bullpen arm to get you the final three outs of a game. The world can’t end with every missed opportunity. 

In the world of filmmaking, things often go wrong: directors leave the project abruptly, actors get caught up in contract disputes or negotiations, and all manner of calamities and setbacks have happened, yet the finished product can often be brilliant. The same is true in baseball; with a .758 slugging percentage, your prized utility guy may strain his oblique or break a few ribs, sidelining them for a critical series. These cases are inspired by true stories, not exactly how they played out, but you get the idea. A manager adept in navigating the game's quirks and unexpected developments will likely enjoy the most success.

Face it: a manager can be unemotional and good simultaneously. Do I wish he’d challenged some plays he hasn’t? Absolutely. But I feel as though much of the frustration and discontent we feel as fans is due to a lack of patience and wanting results now, not necessarily because Craig Counsell is doing a bad job.

I felt empathetic as I sat in the lower bowl of American Family Field for Craig Counsell’s first trip back to Milwaukee since his astonishing departure. Surrounded by droves of fans adorned head-to-toe in Brewers’ blue and gold, I heard my club’s manager greeted with the most thunderous, visceral jeers I’ve ever experienced in person. As I took this in, only one thought crossed my mind as my eyes met those of other Cubs fans in my section, “This is our guy now; he needs our support, and he handles himself with tremendous poise. We have to stick with him” at least for now. Until we are sure he’s made every possible adjustment and it’s not working out, until he proves sending a runner with less than two outs and Cody Bellinger due up next is a habit, not a mistake, stick with him. 

I’m just as guilty of this as anyone else, but we’re not a society particularly keen on waiting for the things we want. This resonates even more emphatically as Cubs fans, as we have waited for dreams to manifest into our realities. Counsell can still get this club where it wants to go; don’t expect a direct route to get there.

View full article

[Seth Stohs]

100% true. If a manager got mad every time there was a questionable call or every time one of his players didn't do something right, you would lose the team completely. The yelling wouldn't mean anything. Calm is a good thing for a manager. That way, when they do get upset and yell, it means something. It's far too long of a season to expect everyone to be perfect all the time.