azdad1978
Championship!!!!
By Dan Zeiger, Tribune
TUCSON - When Craig Counsell was one of six players the Diamondbacks dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers for Richie Sexson in the winter of 2003, he was, in many ways, stepping into an ideal situation.
The veteran infielder was going home to play for the team he loved as a boy, when his father worked in the Brewers front office and Robin Yount and Paul Molitor were building Hall-of-Fame careers.
But after one season in Milwaukee, Counsell felt his baseball future was elsewhere. While studying his free agent options, another ideal situation developed — a return to Arizona, where he earned one of his two World Series rings and had the greatest individual success of his career.
“There were other options, and some were very attractive,” said Counsell, the D-Backs’ new starting second baseman. “But I felt that this was where I wanted to be. My gut told me that this was the best spot.”
Though he was absent for just one season, the Arizona team Counsell returned to has been overhauled, from the front office to the manager’s office to the clubhouse. Keeping with the theme of change, Counsell’s role on the new D-Backs will be different.
While with Arizona from 2000-03, Counsell was a utility infielder deluxe, seeing action at all four positions. But with new acquisitions Troy Glaus at third base and Royce Clayton at shortstop figuring to be entrenched at their positions, there is less need for Counsell to move around.
As a result, Counsell should spend almost all of his time at second, where he has not played regularly since 1998 with the Florida Marlins.
“Craig is a chameleon. He can adjust to any particular role,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Now, we’re not going to bat him in the cleanup spot, but this is a guy who knows baseball and has a good feel about the game. I have no concerns about him at second base.”
Counsell plans to spend the next six weeks getting acclimated to playing a position on a daily basis, a process he has gone through before. Last spring with Milwaukee, he took a crash course on playing shortstop exclusively.
When the 2004 regular season started, Counsell looked like a veteran at the position. He committed only nine errors and was fifth among National League shortstops with a .983 fielding percentage.
“It’s going to take some time this spring,” Counsell said. “There’s a little work to be done. Before last year, I had not played shortstop every day for six or seven years, and it took the whole spring to get the feel of it.
“But I’ll be ready to play every day at second when the season starts. I’m not worried about it. It’s just a matter of getting the repetition in, making the plays. It will come back to me. I just haven’t done it in a while.”
After last year, the Brewers — who have J.J. Hardy, a Tucson Sabino High School product, preparing to take over at shortstop — declined to pick up Counsell’s $4.25 million option for 2005. Soon afterward, he inked a two-year, $3.1 million deal with the D-Backs.
“I enjoyed playing in Milwaukee,” said Counsell, whose offseason home is in Mequon, Wis. “But I think they are in a stage where they are trying to develop a core of young players. They just aren’t ready to win yet. When you get a little older, that’s what you want.”
Counsell’s place in Arizona franchise history is secure, with his most vital contributions coming in 2001. His career highs in most batting categories are from that season, and he was the Most Valuable Player of the D-Backs’ National League championship series victory against Atlanta.
In the World Series, Counsell’s first-inning home run off Mike Mussina in Game 1 jump-started Arizona against the New York Yankees. Eight nights later, the D-Backs were world champions.
“I have always liked the feeling in the organization,” Counsell said. “You feel like a part of the organization, and that is important to me. I feel like I’ve been a big part of the short tradition that they have here, and I hope to be here again for a while and be part of re-establishing that tradition.”
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=37035
TUCSON - When Craig Counsell was one of six players the Diamondbacks dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers for Richie Sexson in the winter of 2003, he was, in many ways, stepping into an ideal situation.
The veteran infielder was going home to play for the team he loved as a boy, when his father worked in the Brewers front office and Robin Yount and Paul Molitor were building Hall-of-Fame careers.
But after one season in Milwaukee, Counsell felt his baseball future was elsewhere. While studying his free agent options, another ideal situation developed — a return to Arizona, where he earned one of his two World Series rings and had the greatest individual success of his career.
“There were other options, and some were very attractive,” said Counsell, the D-Backs’ new starting second baseman. “But I felt that this was where I wanted to be. My gut told me that this was the best spot.”
Though he was absent for just one season, the Arizona team Counsell returned to has been overhauled, from the front office to the manager’s office to the clubhouse. Keeping with the theme of change, Counsell’s role on the new D-Backs will be different.
While with Arizona from 2000-03, Counsell was a utility infielder deluxe, seeing action at all four positions. But with new acquisitions Troy Glaus at third base and Royce Clayton at shortstop figuring to be entrenched at their positions, there is less need for Counsell to move around.
As a result, Counsell should spend almost all of his time at second, where he has not played regularly since 1998 with the Florida Marlins.
“Craig is a chameleon. He can adjust to any particular role,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Now, we’re not going to bat him in the cleanup spot, but this is a guy who knows baseball and has a good feel about the game. I have no concerns about him at second base.”
Counsell plans to spend the next six weeks getting acclimated to playing a position on a daily basis, a process he has gone through before. Last spring with Milwaukee, he took a crash course on playing shortstop exclusively.
When the 2004 regular season started, Counsell looked like a veteran at the position. He committed only nine errors and was fifth among National League shortstops with a .983 fielding percentage.
“It’s going to take some time this spring,” Counsell said. “There’s a little work to be done. Before last year, I had not played shortstop every day for six or seven years, and it took the whole spring to get the feel of it.
“But I’ll be ready to play every day at second when the season starts. I’m not worried about it. It’s just a matter of getting the repetition in, making the plays. It will come back to me. I just haven’t done it in a while.”
After last year, the Brewers — who have J.J. Hardy, a Tucson Sabino High School product, preparing to take over at shortstop — declined to pick up Counsell’s $4.25 million option for 2005. Soon afterward, he inked a two-year, $3.1 million deal with the D-Backs.
“I enjoyed playing in Milwaukee,” said Counsell, whose offseason home is in Mequon, Wis. “But I think they are in a stage where they are trying to develop a core of young players. They just aren’t ready to win yet. When you get a little older, that’s what you want.”
Counsell’s place in Arizona franchise history is secure, with his most vital contributions coming in 2001. His career highs in most batting categories are from that season, and he was the Most Valuable Player of the D-Backs’ National League championship series victory against Atlanta.
In the World Series, Counsell’s first-inning home run off Mike Mussina in Game 1 jump-started Arizona against the New York Yankees. Eight nights later, the D-Backs were world champions.
“I have always liked the feeling in the organization,” Counsell said. “You feel like a part of the organization, and that is important to me. I feel like I’ve been a big part of the short tradition that they have here, and I hope to be here again for a while and be part of re-establishing that tradition.”
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=37035
