Ode to C.C.
A lot has been made about all he's given to the team in the second half of this season, how important he has been to the Brewers' unexpected late-season surge into the playoffs. Still, I feel his contributions have been ignored, if not belittled.
It's time we show some love to the man we affectionately call "C.C."
Craig.
Counsell.
Counsell is nothing more than a low-end reserve for the Brewers and the deepest of NL-only leagues at this point in his career. Don't use him in the final Fantasy Week 26 (Sept. 22-28). --- CBS Sportsline
At first glance, his stats don't jump out at you. But dig a little deeper...and they're still pretty bad. If you dig REALLY deep, though, you can see and appreciate the total awesomeness that is Craig Counsell.
* July OBP: .286, 4 BBs in 14 games
* August OBP: .333, 10 BBs in 22 games
* September OBP: .450, 16 BBs in 20 games
In the 12 games since we were deYosted!, Craiggers has walked 10 times. It's like he's pushing the ball out of the strike zone with his mind.
New Brewers manager Dale Sveum has made Ray Durham and Craig Counsell regulars since taking over. Durham ended up having a nice series against the Cubs, but Counsell went 2-for-12 with no RBI and one run scored. He has an absurd total of 12 RBI in 233 at-bats this season. That'd be hideous even if he were hitting leadoff, but less than one-quarter of his at-bats have come with him batting behind the pitcher. We're all for not playing Bill Hall, but if the Brewers were going to make a switch, it should have been to Mike Lamb, who at least has some upside. --- Rotoworld
You may look at his season OBP of .355 and still not be overly impressed. Nonsense, I say.
* In the playoff-clinching win, who knocked in the tying run with a bases-loaded walk? Craig Counsell --- right after Corey Hart struck out on three pitches, I might add.
* Who was on base when Ryan Braun blasted his 10th inning grand slam against the Pirates? Yup --- Counsell.
* Who scored the tying run in the series-opening win against the Pirates? CC, of course.
* The go-ahead run to salvage a much-needed win against the Reds on the 21st, keeping our playoff hopes alive? You know it, dawg.
"That moment is perfect for him," Hardy said. "It's just awesome. You can't say enough about him or about CC. What those guys did today, it's downright ridiculous. It's the most fun I've ever had." --- JJ Hardy
He's a big-game walker, and I daresay as valuable to the team as the "other" CC. He may not get the $150 million free agent bonanza next season, he may be overlooked when we start playing around with the 2009 lineups, and his fansite may not have been updated in almost 2 years, but when you need someone to keep the inning alive without risking a broken bat, Craig's your guy. When passing around the accolades and high-fives, don't forget the player from Whitefish Bay whose walk got the pitcher out of the way the inning before to set up the late-game heroics. He's just doing his job.
Craig Counsell...thank you.
8 recs |
23 comments
Comments
Couldn't agree with you more
With so many free swingers on this team, it’s nice to see C.C. take so many walks.
by brewfan2 on Sep 29, 2008 9:20 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
agree
he has come up BIG. I have given him a lot of crap but its time for me to give him a lot of credit.
The Brewers have won the C.C. Sabathia sweepstakes-Ken Rosenthal
by baseballdan1092 on Sep 29, 2008 9:20 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Counsell's fan club
However, good thing Shouse’s doesn’t follow Counsell’s fan club naming structure.
BrianShouse.com
And neck size to baby eating ratio.
by Jordan M on Sep 29, 2008 9:25 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
If you translate BrianShouse.com using Google you get fun things
Gorgeous, is in the midst of a good chocolate bar.
Sweet caramel chocolate immediate temptation is to buy me a sweet tooth.
10 yen to do this?
見KAKENAI pretty good rod is rare,見KAKETARA I want to eat.
…and…
Staple staple in the noodles taste great.
Otherwise it’s not hard surface of the body is going to taste great.
Taste in a lot of core fans.
Brian Shouse’s 1998 in Japan must’ve been crazy.
Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.
by TheJay on Sep 29, 2008 9:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Your girlfriend agrees
Pretty good rod is rare.
It just happens to be all over BCB.
jeff: but i shudder to think of the bullpen analogy to sending the runner
by battlekow on Sep 30, 2008 10:20 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
He may not get very many hits
But it seems like he averages about thirty pitches/at-bat before each of his trademark weak groundball outs.
And let us not forget C.C.’s playoff pedigree: he has been on base for the winning run in two separate World Series Game Sevens, including a clutch HBP to keep the inning alive and give Arizona their first World Series title in 2001.
Rickie is a run-scorer, Craig is a winning-run-setter-upper.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Sep 29, 2008 9:30 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Today
We salute you Mr. Winning-run-setter-upper guy. Without you, our team would not be in the playoffs. Your uncanny ability to draw the gritty walk when the game is on the line leads the team to victory. We know your 8 pitch at bats drain the pitchers so that the big boys can feast on their meat, and your weak grounders are deceptions to lull the defense into complacency. It is your ability to lay-off the head high fastball and take the unglamorous walk that proves you are a man among boys. So crack open an ice-cold Miller Lite Mr. Hometown-clutch-walker-pitch-taker, thanks to you our team will succeed and the big boys will get their contracts. Mr. Winning-run-setter-upper guy.
My only regret is that I have but one life to give to my blog
by MadJimiBrewha on Sep 29, 2008 10:14 PM CDT up reply actions 10 recs
Well said
This reminds me of Comiskey Park
by brewfan2 on Sep 30, 2008 9:20 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also
I expect battlekow’s ode to Chris Capuano a little later tonight.
And neck size to baby eating ratio.
by Jordan M on Sep 29, 2008 9:31 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
And Christopher Cody
The professionally wrestling Australian pianist acquired in exchange for Jose Capellan.
Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.
by TheJay on Sep 29, 2008 9:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
He has been instrumental in getting us to the post season by not pitching all year.
We've got uniforms and everything, it's really great!
by drezdn on Sep 29, 2008 10:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
So
can he play right field? It would really help the team OBP.
September 15: Not a bad little Monday
by molitorfan on Sep 29, 2008 9:39 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
don't give Dale any ideas.
Also, cheese.
by Jeff Sackmann on Sep 29, 2008 10:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
So the Swami DOES lurk here...?
Let’s straighten up the place, everyone! Ditch the MGD bottles and reefer papers. And pull that shirt out! ;^)
by heybatterbatter on Sep 29, 2008 10:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Counsell's RBI
I saw the same Rotoworld thing and immediately wanted to know who was in Counsell’s low-RBI company. First, I tossed out the deadball era (pre-1920) since the game was so different back then and I don’t really care if Counsell fits into the game of the 1880’s and 1910’s well.
Since Counsell finished with 14 RBI in 302 PA, I looked up the record for most PA with only 14 RBI in a season. Turns out it belongs to a guy surnamed Yost. Unfortunately, it’s not that Yost. His Baseball-Reference ID is yosted01, though. Eddie Yost came to bat 485 times in 1947 but only drove in 14 runs. Counsell’s 302 PA was only three behind Mario Mendoza’s total in 1980.
If you’re curious, the most futile RBI season since 1920 was Dick Howser’s 1965. Howser came to bat 377 times and drove in six runs (including himself once on a homer). His 62.83 PA/RBI is the highest for all players with 300+ PA in a season since 1920.
Counsell’s 21.57 PA/RBI puts him squarely in 195th place on that same list. He was second in 2008, however, trailing only Chone Figgins’ 23.64 (22 RBI in 520 PA). Figgins, of course, is a leadoff hitter, making it harder for him to get RBI in a good deal of his plate appearances. Since Counsell only was atop the lineup ten times this season, his mark is even more impressive.
It’s not the first time Mr. Springy’s made it onto the list. Back in 2004, Counsell drove in 23 runs over 545 plate appearances, good for a 23.70 PA/RBI ratio and 100th place. He batted 2nd most of the time he played that year, with stints in the 7th and 8th spots as well.
The only Brewers player ever to bat more than 300 times in a season and drive in runs at a lower rate than Counsell’s 2004 was Ron Theobald in 1972. Splitting time between the leadoff spot and the #2 spot, Theobald batted 474 times and drove in 19 runs (24.95 PA/RBI). Tim Johnson’s 1976 (306/14) in the bottom of the order sits between Counsell’s 2004 and Counsell’s 2008.

Truly boys among men.
Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.
by TheJay on Sep 29, 2008 10:14 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
local flavor + playoff experience + pitch-watching ability =
well, a lot of stuff for announcers to talk about. I’m not sure what else.
Tararreling our way to the finish line.
by MooseHaas on Sep 30, 2008 12:12 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Fangirl appeal?
I haven’t seen a lot of it since the Original C.C. came over to the Brewers, which may be a dual function of his being over 35 + playing for a team that hadn’t touched playoffs since 1982, but there were a LOT of females squeeing over the guy when he was with Arizona. That Bugs and Cranks parody article hit it right on the head, I think; he looked a hell of a lot younger than he was and a lot of the girls back in ’01 could not believe he was 31.
by morineko on Sep 30, 2008 12:36 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
they probably thought he was sixteen
and wanted to help him buy beer
by Oakland Brewer Fan on Sep 30, 2008 2:43 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bet you didn't know he could catch a ball off the roof




Durham’s reaction is priceless.
Situational Signature (8th/9th inning only): pleasenotkendallpleasenotkendallpleasenotkendallpleasenotkendall
--NoahJ
by PagsBrewCrew on Oct 7, 2008 2:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

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