Brewers manager Pat Murphy tried again Monday to convince Wisconsin fans to appreciate Craig Counsell.

It didn’t work, and Murphy didn’t really expect it to. Fans inside American Family Field continued to boo loudly when Counsell was introduced, just like they have since the start of last season after Counsell crossed the state border.

“I hate it,” Murphy said before the game. “It’s none of my business, but I know this: They never boo a bum. You’re getting booed, you’re good at something.”

Counsell and Murphy’s long history is well-documented. Murphy was head coach at Notre Dame and recruited Counsell to play for the Irish. Counsell became manager of the Brewers in 2015 and a year later hired Murphy to be his bench coach.

When Counsell joined the Cubs in 2024, Murphy almost certainly would have joined him on the North Side had he not been offered Milwaukee’s head job.

“I hate it because I know how much he loves Milwaukee,” Murphy said of the booing. “I know how much he loves this city. He loves this state.”

Counsell not only grew up in Milwaukee, he also spent countless hours at County Stadium as a kid because his father worked in the Brewers front office. Even while working in Chicago, he keeps a permanent home in the Milwaukee suburbs.

“Fans will be fans,” Murphy added. “They’re fanatics, so they do what they do, and people pile on and that type of thing. It doesn’t affect the great ones. I think the fans will come around someday, I do.”

Turner gets turn:

The Brewers used left-handed reliever Aaron Ashby to start Game 2. So Craig Counsell jumped at the chance to start right-handed hitting Justin Turner at first base instead of lefty Michael Busch.

Turner opened the game with a flyout to left field on the fourth pitch he saw from Ashby.

“Justin, he’s kind of the godfather of playoff experience for our guys, right? He’s got a ton of it,” Counsell said before the game. “I’m happy Justin is getting this opportunity. He’s meant a lot to this team, and it’s a good spot for it.

“He has impacted every single player on this team in a good way, absolutely. These are kind of the matchups that we signed him for.”

Veteran guidance:

With Monday’s leadoff at-bat, Justin Turner, 40, has played in 87 postseason games, with 369 plate appearances. He played against the Cubs in both the 2016 and ’17 NLCS and made it to the World Series three times with the Dodgers.

Even while playing infrequently this season, he’s gotten plenty of praise from younger teammates for his mentoring skills.

“I think with this group, it’s so many guys that don’t think they have it all figured out,” Turner said. “There’s a ton of curious players in the room who want to show up and work and want to get better every single day.

“Those kind of conversations kind of happen naturally. You don’t really have to seek anyone out. There’s guys having conversations constantly, not just with me but with everyone in the room. That’s what makes this group so special, and that’s why it’s been such a fun year for us.”

Unscripted comedy:

Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy has a tradition of asking any new faces in the media to introduce themselves during his pregame availability. It takes a bit longer during the postseason, with more people in the room.

He also has an excellent sense of humor, which seems to fit his team well. But he denied any of it being calculated to keep pressure away his players.

“It ain’t about me, let’s make it clear,” Murphy said. “Anything like that is just me being light, and I think authentic. I don’t have a strategy behind it. I’m nervous just like everyone else is nervous before games.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251006/chicago-cubs/murphy-again-pleads-with-fans-to-stop-booing-counsell/