The Craig Counsell sweepstakes cost David Ross his job.
But the former Cubs manager isn’t railing against his former team for dumping him to hire the ex-Brewers manager.
“I think the thing that comes over me is that I am extremely thankful for the opportunity, to be honest,” on Thursday.
“There was a lot of people who worked really hard alongside me. … I am really thankful for the four years I got, coming from zero coaching experience to getting the chance to manage such a great organization that has impacted my life in a great way. There’s great people there. I really don’t have a whole lot negative to say, to be honest.
“I get mad from time to time but I have a lot to be thankful for.”
Counsell’s free agency seemed likely to end with him landing a vacant job, with the Mets, Guardians, and the incumbent Brewers all having openings.
It stunned the baseball world when the Cubs emerged seemingly out of the Wrigley Field Ivy to land Counsell on a record five-year, $40 million contract.
That contract meant Ross suddenly no longer had a job, booted by the organization he helped as a player deliver its first World Series title since 1908.
Ross amassed a 262-284 record over his four seasons guiding the Cubs, including a division title in 2020 but missed the playoffs each of the last three years.
The Cubs finished 83-79 in 2023, fading late, but seem like a team trending in the right direction heading into 2024.
Those failures from 2021-23, though, seemingly had more to do with roster construction than managing.
“My job is to figure out how to win as many games as we possibly can in the short term and the long term,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Tuesday, . “There was nothing about this move that I didn’t feel like met that criteria. This is no knock on Rossy, who I think incredibly highly of. I just felt like Craig is at the very, very top of the game.”
Ross said Hoyer spoke to him about the decision.
“If my boss doesn’t think I am a good manager, then he should move on,” Ross told the Tallahassee Democrat. “I don’t fault him for that. If he doesn’t think I am the right guy, that’s his job. That’s his choice. I have my own thoughts and opinions that I will keep to myself.”
The 46-year-old made it clear he’s not going to be resentful and will use this newfound free time to be with his three children.
“Anger and all that stuff is poison for me,” Ross told the paper.
“It’s time for me to figure out what’s next. I have a lot of gratitude. Some of the toughest times of my life, whether it’s getting released or different things in my career, on and off the field, have been blessings at some point. Have made me a better man. There’s been a lot of good things after some really tough times in my life. Hopefully this is another one of them.”