Craig Counsell may be new to the Chicago Cubs, but he's not new to managing. This will be his 10th season as an MLB manager, but his first not with the Milwaukee Brewers.
At this point, the 53-year-old Counsell knows how to prepare his team for Opening Day and the upcoming season, especially after leading the Brewers to five playoff appearances in the last six years.
Counsell spoke to reporters at Spring Training on Monday, and he said a big part of his process is turning the page from last year and starting the new season with a clean slate.
"Last year, in a lot of senses, doesn't matter," Counsell said. "It really doesn't. It's not necessarily gonna help us this year. It's not gonna play the games for us."
Counsell stressed the importance of staying forward-looking and continuing to improve. He also doesn't appear concerned by "expert" predictions and forecasts, emphasizing that the Cubs are the ones who control their own destiny and ultimately have a say in where they end up this season.
That's an important message for Chicago to hear.
While the team took a step forward last year, it finished the regular season poorly and missed the playoffs for the third year in a row, leaving a bitter taste in many players' mouths.
The Cubs shook things up in the offseason by firing manager David Ross and bringing in Counsell from their division rivals, hoping he'd be able to help get them over the hump.
Time will tell if Counsell can have the same level of success in Chicago that he did in Milwaukee, but Counsell will be the first to tell you that none of his past achievements matter anymore.
All that matters is what comes next.
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