Chicago Cubs supervisor Craig Counsell wished to take issues slowly after a whirlwind chain of occasions since his preliminary Nov. 1 assembly with President Jed Hoyer.
You actually can’t blame him. There’s rather a lot to be taught in regards to the Cubs group, from the farm system to the present roster to the offseason recreation plan. He’s already begun speaking to returning gamers, studying the names and faces of entrance workplace workers and media relations personnel, and doubtless searching for a spot to dwell in the course of the season.
Fortunately for Counsell, he already is aware of a lot of the native media due to the Cubs-Brewers rivalry and its many controversies, together with however not restricted to rainouts with no rain and roof closings in the course of an inning.
He additionally has long-standing relationships with Marquee Sports Network play-by-play man Boog Sciambi and WSCR-AM 670 analyst Ron Coomer, lessening the ache of leaving previous pal Bob Uecker, the ceaselessly voice of the Brewers.
While the transition from Wisconsinite to Chicagoan could take a while — Counsell wouldn’t go together with one reporter’s facetious request to say “Go Bears” — he’ll ultimately be taught the lingo and customs. Before you understand it, Counsell shall be standing in line at The Wieners Circle getting insulted by “Poochie.”
To assist velocity up the training course of in his first 12 months as Cubs supervisor, we provide Counsell some unsolicited recommendation on make his day-to-day life go easily in 2024:
Move into the neighborhood
The mere sight of Hoyer’s mansion in Winnetka — the place the 2 had their preliminary assembly — and the $40 million contract, might persuade Counsell to develop into North Shore Man. But does he actually perceive Chicago visitors and its stranglehold on our blood stress readings? A greater thought can be to maneuver near Wrigley Field, the place he can get to his workplace earlier than his espresso is chilly and begin serious about win that day.
Former President Theo Epstein used to stroll to the ballpark from his close by residence, taking place facet streets with a Pearl Jam cap pulled down over his eyebrows. “I know how to live in the shadows,” Epstein mentioned.
Walking to work is a pleasant solution to make a dwelling.
Limit workplace entry
It’s almost inconceivable for a modern-day supervisor to get any “me time” earlier than video games due to the regular stream of individuals offering him with data or making an attempt to get data from him, significantly earlier than residence video games.
From game-planning and studying bullpen availability and gamers’ well being points, to schmoozing with broadcast media and listening to media relations folks inform you what the print media is about to ask within the upcoming information convention, it may be an extended slog. (I’m sufficiently old to recollect managers taking pregame naps of their places of work, which appears nostalgic now.)
With all of the reams of information the Cubs accumulate, you’d assume somebody might streamline the method, eradicate just a few layers and save the supervisor a half hour or extra of workplace time for himself. Personally, I’d additionally rent a bouncer to kick out loitering media members from the media rights holders, Marquee and The Score, apart from the pregame present with Coomer the supervisor is contracted to do.
The bouncer can inform all stragglers that Counsell is busy making an attempt to win a baseball recreation.
Come to consider it, perhaps Coomer may be the bouncer.
No soliloquies
A baseball information convention may be carried out in beneath 10 minutes if the supervisor and media are on the identical web page. The supervisor must ship data in a well timed method with out meandering, whereas the media assemblage must restrict the variety of inquiries to related matters. It’s a win-win for each side.
David Ross was a media favourite however tended to present lengthy solutions to questions he favored, and quick ones to these he didn’t, significantly after Cubs losses. That’s high-quality, however not each query deserves a soliloquy, and plenty of others don’t need to be dodged.
Counsell has a status for having a average temperament, getting together with everybody and giving direct solutions to robust questions. He’s already proven that he’s not image-conscious, revealing he joked to common supervisor Carter Hawkins: “I don’t know much about the Cubs.”
Doing pregame information conferences within the dugout additionally would possibly assist, though the Cubs want utilizing the interview room to cater to TV. That’s Cub.
Meet the staff
The Cubs have been rated No. 1 in baseball in visitor expertise in MLB’s Voice of the Consumer survey, a testomony to the group’s concentrate on making Wrigley a enjoyable place to attend a recreation, and the friendliness of the staff who work there every day.
The reality the Cubs have been ranked on the high by followers in a season that ended badly on the sector makes the displaying much more spectacular. There are too many workers to be taught all their names, nevertheless it wouldn’t harm to have Counsell speak at a pregame assembly of ushers, safety, concession staff and the grounds crew to allow them to know they’re all a part of the identical workforce with the identical fundamental objective — to fulfill their followers.
Embrace day baseball
Despite complaints over time by enterprise operations president Crane Kenney and former supervisor Joe Maddon that the Cubs are pressured to play extra day video games than their friends, day baseball video games on weekdays at Wrigley stay one of many few issues that separate the franchise from the opposite 29 groups. It’s often the one recreation being performed on a Friday afternoon, that means the Cubs have the baseball highlight to themselves.
Counsell, an open air sort of man who spends winters in his Wisconsin hometown, is lastly getting outdoors once more after spending the final 9 years managing beneath a retractable dome in Milwaukee.
He ought to really feel energized simply serious about experiencing his first rain delay at Wrigley as Cubs supervisor.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com