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  • ESPN News Services

Nov 7, 2023, 10:21 AM ET

Brewers owner Mark Attanasio admitted he was as stunned as anyone by Craig Counsell joining the Cubs but said he did not feel “betrayed” by the longtime manager’s departure from Milwaukee.

The Cubs shocked the baseball world Monday by firing manager David Ross and replacing him with Counsell, who was synonymous with the Brewers after spending the past 17 years with the organization as a player, executive and manager.

Attanasio told reporters that when Counsell informed him of his decision, his response was: “Are you messing with me?”

“We’re all here today because we lost Craig,” Attanasio said. “But I’ve reflected on this — Craig has lost us, and he’s lost our community also.”

Counsell, who led the budget-conscious Brewers to five playoff appearances and three NL Central titles over the past six years, became one of the biggest managerial free agents in recent years when his contract expired at the end of this season.

Although he was expected to either remain with the Brewers or be hired by the New York Mets, Counsell ultimately ended up with the Cubs, agreeing to what sources told ESPN is a five-year deal worth a record-setting $40 million.

“It kind of came out of nowhere,” Brewers ace Corbin Burnes told MLB.com. “I think my reaction is the same as everyone in the organization and the fan base: We’re just shocked initially.”

“I’m still processing it, too,” Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff added. “I was not expecting the Cubs. … But then when you dig down a little bit deeper, you kind of get it.”

Attanasio was asked whether he viewed Counsell’s move to the rival Cubs as a betrayal.

“Definitely not betrayed,” he said. “I’m so high on what we have that I can’t imagine somebody wanting to be somewhere else. … Our goal for our family is for me and my sons to be the stewards for the community for a long time, and then hopefully past 2050, someone else will have the same emotion for the team, the community that’s very special.

“From the first day I got here, there’s no place in the country like Milwaukee.”

Attanasio said the Brewers previously had offered Counsell a contract that “would have made him the highest-paid manager in baseball, both per season and the total package.”

“I felt very good about that, and he made a decision to go another direction,” said Attanasio, who declined to answer whether the Brewers were given the opportunity to match the Cubs’ offer.

Counsell grew up as a Brewers fan in the Milwaukee suburb of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. His father, John Counsell, is the Brewers’ former director of community affairs.

The former Brewers infielder took over as Milwaukee’s manager during the 2015 season after the firing of Ron Roenicke and went 707-625 in eight-plus seasons, giving him the franchise record for wins and games managed.

But Counsell started indicating as early as September that he was open to a change, according to Attanasio, who said he wanted to give Counsell the chance to test the open market.

“He had given a lot of years to the organization, and he asked for the opportunity to do this,” Attanasio said. “I want to support our people.”

Attanasio announced that Counsell’s coaching staff will be back with the team next season and said the Brewers would be “committed to finding a manager who can be as successful as Craig.”

“We have a really good thing,” Attanasio said. “I give Craig credit for helping to build that, and for adding all these coaches — all of whom have stayed.

“So we’re going to look for a manager who can continue having a terrific clubhouse culture and that can help us keep winning and hopefully get over the hump in the playoffs.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Pitt freshman CB Alexander dies in car accident

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4 hours ago

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March 2, 2025

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Pitt freshman CB Alexander dies in car accident

  • Adam RittenbergMar 2, 2025, 11:15 AM ET

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      College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.

Pitt freshman football player Mason Alexander was killed Saturday night in a car accident in his hometown of Fishers, Indiana.

Alexander, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, he was a passenger in a 2016 BMW driving south on Florida Road. The driver of the car tried to pass a 2015 Toyota before a hillcrest and swerved to avoid a head-on collision with another car traveling in the northbound lane. The BMW traveled off the road and eventually hit a tree, catching on fire.

Alexander starred at cornerback for Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, near Indianapolis, and was an ESPN 300 recruit in the 2025 class. He signed with Pitt in December, enrolled early and was set to join the team for the start of spring practice this month.

“I received a call this morning that no parent, teacher or coach ever wants to get — the news of the sudden loss of a young and promising life,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement. “Our entire program is shocked and deeply saddened to learn of Mason Alexander’s passing.

“Mason had just enrolled at Pitt in January following his early graduation from Indiana’s Hamilton Southeastern High School. Even during that short time, he made a great impression on all of us. Mason was proud and excited to be a Panther, and we felt the same way about having him in our Pitt family. He will always be a Panther to us. The Alexander family and Mason’s many loved ones and friends will be in our prayers.”

Peyton Daniels, a high school teammate of Alexander’s who plays at Butler, posted about his friend on X, writing, “Mason lit up every room he was in. Brought joy and playfulness to everything and everyone. He could change the entire direction of your day with one interaction. Mason is the embodiment of exceptional. Rest Easy 15. Love forever.”

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NHL trade grades: Report cards for the Seth Jones blockbuster, other major deals

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6 hours ago

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March 2, 2025

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NHL trade grades: Report cards for the Seth Jones blockbuster, other major deals

  • Ryan S. Clark

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    Ryan S. Clark

    ESPN NHL reporter

      Ryan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.

  • Greg Wyshynski

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    Greg Wyshynski

    Senior NHL writer

      Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

Mar 1, 2025, 09:50 PM ET

The NHL trade deadline for the 2024-25 season is not until March 7, but teams have not waited until the last minute to make major moves.

For every significant trade that occurs during the season, you’ll find a grade for it here, the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks swapping goaltenders, Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues, Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken, the blockbuster deal sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes and Martin Necas to the Avalanche, J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers, and the Canucks staying busy and getting Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

March 1 featured three big trades, with Ryan Lindgren headed to the Colorado Avalanche, the Minnesota Wild adding Gustav Nyquist, and Seth Jones joining the Florida Panthers.

Read on for grades from Ryan S. Clark and Greg Wyshynski, and check back the next time a big deal breaks.

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Trump says he will pardon baseball legend Rose

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1 day ago

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March 1, 2025

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Trump says he will pardon baseball legend Rose

  • ESPN News Services

Mar 1, 2025, 07:31 AM ET

President Donald Trump said Friday that he would pardon baseball great Pete Rose and criticized Major League Baseball for barring the all-time hit leader from the sport’s Hall of Fame for gambling.

Rose, who died last year at 83, was banned from baseball for life. He admitted in 2004 that he had bet on games, though never against his own team. Commissioner Rob Manfred in 2015 rejected Rose’s bid for reinstatement.

“Over the next few weeks I will be signing a complete pardon of Pete Rose, who shouldn’t have been gambling on baseball, but only bet on his team winning,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “He never betted against himself, or the other team. He had the most hits, by far, in baseball history, and won more games than anyone in sports history.”

Trump did not say what the pardon would cover. Rose served five months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion charges in 1990.

In a statement to ESPN, John Dowd, who investigated Rose for MLB in 1989 and served as Trump’s lawyer seven years ago, noted that MLB is “not in the pardon business nor does it control admission to the HOF.”

Rose, who spent most of his 1963 to 1986 career with the Cincinnati Reds, won the World Series three times and remains Major League Baseball’s career leader in hits, games played, at-bats, singles and outs.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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