Modified stance helps Counsell heat up at the plate

Nice feature story by Anthony Witrado on the Milwaukee Brewers' (and Whitefish Bay's own) Craig Counsell:

Modified stance helps Counsell heat up at plate

As he rounded first base, having just watched a ball off his bat clear the right-field fence, Craig Counsell pumped his fist.

He immediately regretted the gesture.

"I shouldn't have done that," Counsell said. "Matt Williams always used to get on me (when we played for Arizona) because he said I fist-pump every home run. And I always said that's because I don't hit enough home runs. I'm always so excited when I hit one."

Counsell, the Milwaukee Brewers' utility infielder not known for his pop, had just hit his first home run of the season against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday to inspire the hand motion. At the time of that home run, Counsell had already scored a run and set up another by moving a runner over earlier in the game, so he figured into three of the team's four runs at that point.

It isn't surprising Counsell didn't approve of his own spur-of-the-moment action. He is soft-spoken, low-key and not great at talking about his own success.

Continued

And, if you like a little baseball humor, check out The Onion's satirical story:
Turns Out Craig Counsell Was Actually Best Baseball Player of the Steroid Era

Moms & Baseball

Q. What's does a baseball player usually say when a TV camera catches him by surprise during a game?
A. Hi, Mom.

Both the big boys of Major League Baseball and the little boys of Little League know that Moms make baseball possible. Mom gave us life, and Mom also took us to a million practices, celebrated victories with us and consoled us after losses. In many families, Mom gets out on the field and helps with the game. (I can't tell how proud I was to see Karen get out on the field and play in the season-ending Mother's Game at Water Tower Park.)

In Whitefish Bay, we honor this day for Moms by not having Little League! In recent years, Major League Baseball has collaborated with Susan G. Komen for the Cure on Mother's Day breast cancer awareness and fundraising. In 2006 cooperating MLB players started using special pink bats on Mother's Day; the game-used bats were auctioned off later on.

The Brewers' Bill Hall is both a leader and a star of this new tradition. In 2006, he swung a mighty pink bat in the 10th inning to beat the New York Mets. TV cameras showed his proud mother Vergie in the crowd. Here is a low-quality (but still enjoyable) fan video of that moment:



Hall hit another pink bat homer on Mother's Day, 2007. As has become his tradition, Hall is also making a $25,000 contribution to Komen this year.

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"The Chicken Runs at Midnight"
On a day devoted to family, I commend to you a heartwarming, yet sad, story from the Palm Beach Post of a major-league coach and a player from another team (and country) who bonded over their lost children:

"They met for the first time on a cold morning in an empty baseball stadium — the 62-year-old coach from Steubenville, Ohio, and the 25-year-old pitcher from Maracay, Venezuela.

"Rich Donnelly and Anibal Sanchez had spoken once before over the phone.

"They knew enough about each other to understand they share a common bond that extends beyond baseball.

"Both are fathers who lost a child."

Continued

The special bonus in this story for us is that Whitefish Bay's Craig Counsell plays a key role in the middle of it.

Happy Mother's Day, Everyone

Jim Higgins