Craig Counsell named the Brewers' new manager, signed to three-year deal

MILWAUKEE (WITI/AP) -- The Milwaukee Brewers named on Monday, May 4th, Craig Counsell the 19th manager in franchise history, signing him to a three-year contract through the 2017 season. Counsell replaces Ron Roenicke, who was relieved of his duties Sunday night. The announcement was made by President – Baseball Operations and General Manager Doug Melvin.

Milwaukee, a Major League-worst 7-18, lost 40 of its final 56 games under Roenicke. The skid included a late-season collapse last year after the Brewers led the NL Central for nearly five months, and a 2-13 start this season.

Counsell, a 44-year-old from Whitefish Bay, spent the final five seasons of his 16-year Major League career with the Brewers, retiring after the 2011 season. A two-time World Series champion, he scored the winning run for Florida in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the 2003 World Series and was MVP of the 2001 NL Championship Series for Arizona.

When he was a little kid, Counsell would come to baseball games in Milwaukee because his dad worked for the Brewers. He played in Whitefish Bay, later at Notre Dame and then for 16 years in the Major Leagues -- six of those with the Brewers. He says he's ready for the next step in his career.

"It gets you more excited about it. It makes you want to work harder for it. It makes you want to work harder at it. Because there is something more. It's not...this isn't a, you know, I'm not looking at this as a job. This is not a second career. This is what just my passion for what I want to do," Counsell said.