Change is just first step

“I don’t believe that scenario,” Counsell said when asked whether the Brewers were just lucky when they bolted to a huge start last season. “I think we have a chance right here. There’s an opportunity for all those guys in there to decide what we’re going to be. I think that’s a good thing to have and they will welcome that.”

Melvin made a point of saying Counsell played his entire career “with a chip on his shoulder.” Though somewhat modest in physical skills, Counsell used instincts and smarts to forge a 16-year career as a versatile infielder in the major leagues, picking up World Series rings with Florida in 1997 and Arizona in 2001.

Roenicke’s style was to bend over backward for his players to make them feel comfortable. Though club officials wouldn’t say it publicly, some suspected that style eventually worked against Roenicke, that too many players had gotten so comfortable they lost their edge for winning.

How else do you explain the team falling off the face of the earth with a 9-22 finish after leading the National League Central for 150 days last season? When that didn’t change at the start of this season, Roenicke was doomed.

Fair or not, that’s the way baseball works. The very style that made Roenicke successful initially and well-liked by his players eventually came back to bite him. So much for being a players’ manager.

When you don’t have enough leadership in the clubhouse to snap guys to attention and make losing unacceptable, you make a change in the manager’s office and see if that serves as a wake-up call.

Asked if he thought players had become too comfortable and accepting of losing, Counsell said diplomatically, “I think there’s a balance there. I’ve said this for years. I said this as a player. We all want to be led. To some extent, we all want to be told what to do.

“In a team atmosphere, we’ve got to sacrifice a little bit of ourselves. We’ve got to give a little bit of ourselves to take the team in the right direction.”

In other words, yes, Counsell did think some players had lost the competitive edge necessary to win. Whether that came from being coddled or not, he made it clear he expects players to do whatever it takes to win while also having their teammates’ backs.

“On a daily basis, they’ll understand what I expect of them,” he said. “I think the changes are mostly things that you guys won’t see, quite honestly.

“I have a way that I want things to be done. That’s what I’m going to try to explain to the players, things that are important to me. I think those can impart change as well.”

So, Step 1 has been taken. Team principal owner Mark Attanasio and Melvin now will watch to see if the brutal start was primarily the fault of the players or the manager. If the team turns around and plays better, expect only strategic personnel moves going forward.

But if changing managers amounts to changing the furniture in a condemned house, it will soon be time to push the dynamite plunger on the roster. That development would change Counsell’s role to overseer of a rebuilding project, which can be painful in terms of wins and losses.

It was already quite painful in that regard, so what did the Brewers have to lose in trying a new approach from the manager? That was the essence of this move, only 25 games into the season. Send email to thaudricourt@ journalsentinel.com