Craig Counsell on COVID-19 quarantine: 'We'll be thankful for time we got to spend with our families'

MILWAUKEE -- As a husband, father of four and Major League baseball manager, Craig Counsell is pretty good at budgeting his time, even in spring 2020, with no baseball due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I think this is where we are all in a very similar place," said Counsell. "It's been great in that you get exposed to different things. I told you earlier, I am teaching my son how to drive. I am getting the chance to spend some time doing that. Been working out a lot with the boys, my older boys, so I think we are looking at new hobbies with the kids that we are doing. For sure, some cooking. Really, you are spending time with them. I know it is a tough situation in a lot of ways, but I think we will be thankful for the time that we got to spend with our families here."

Counsell is also a Milwaukee sports fan, and said he knows it is incredibly tough for the NBA leading Milwaukee Bucks to be on hold amid COVID-19.

"For the Bucks, it is obviously, as much as any team, and probably team-wide in professional sports, is that what has happened has hurt a team like that, as much as anything, and it is on hold," said Counsell. "You don't know what is going to come of it. The other way to look at it is, these are things that, not everything is under our control. The Bucks did everything that they possibly could to put themselves in that position, and I think that is what you kind of lean your hat on right now. That get's you through with the unknown ahead of us."

For the Brewers, instead of being almost 20 games into the regular season, they haven't started, and their manager said he wonders how they will do when they do.

Craig Counsell

"It's a good question," said Counsell. "I don't have an answer for you because I think we don't have any idea what our season is going to look like. I think we are pretty certain that we know it is going to look different. I think we know there are rules changed because of what has happened, and I think that is a really important part of how the season goes down. We were in a great spot with about 10 days to go before we left Phoenix. It is going to take some work to get back to that spot, but that will be our focus when we are told to show up."

With a retractable roof at Miller Park, baseball is always a possibility in Milwaukee, except when the coronavirus pandemic is threatening to move games to Arizona stadiums or spring training facilities in the Cactus League and the Grapefruit League.

"We have to throw out ideas and kind of vet the ideas," said Counsell. "We know things are going to be different. I like that we are throwing out ideas. I don't think they all have to be the one that happens, but I do think this is the time to be open to new things and to changes and to things that feel a little bit different, and that is all that is happening right now. None of this stuff is exactly what is going to happen."


For now, Counsell can only manage the waiting game.