Last year’s shiny new toy met this year’s shiny new toy.
In 2024, Craig Counsell was the highly anticipated first-year Chicago Cubs manager after experiencing great success with the Milwaukee Brewers.
He was the guy Cubs fans were salivating over, the guy who was going to help turn this team around and turn it into a consistent power.
On Saturday, he had a chance to sit down in his office with new Bears coach Ben Johnson before Johnson threw one of the ceremonial first pitches before the Cubs’ 6-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field.
Johnson is the guy Bears fans are salivating over, the guy they hope is going to turn the team into a consistent power.
So, the two bosses of two of the most popular teams in town spent a few minutes together.
“He came in the office before the game and I met his family,” Counsell said of Johnson. “He has a great, beautiful young family.
“It’s all in front of him and that’s what’s kind of cool. That’s what you kind of think when you are meeting him. You are thinking, ‘You have a great, great future in front of you and you have challenges in front of you and you have a lot of fun in front of you.’”
Counsell said that Johnson, recently the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, has fallen in love with Chicago and looking forward to the draft and getting started.
Johnson was not available for interviews Saturday, and while there was talk he was going to sing during the seventh-inning stretch, that didn’t happen.
But at 1:05 p.m., he dazzled an adoring crowd by zinging a fastball to reliever Brad Keller.
“I thought it was pretty good,” Counsell said of the pitch. “I hope he told Brad that was coming, because that was some gas.”
