Brewers name Counsell as next manager

(Reuters) - The Milwaukee Brewers named Craig Counsell as their new manager on Monday and despite never before managing a single inning, the former major leaguer and his boss were confident he was ready for the job. Counsell, who has been working as a special assistant to general manager Doug Melvin, takes over from Ron Roenicke, who was fired on Sunday after posting the National League's worst start at 7-18 this season. I told him he was on the bench for about 800 games that he didn't play, and during those games, I know that he was managing in his mind," general manager Doug Melvin said. "That experience -- the winning experience, the World Series rings, what he's done in the front office working with me over the last three years - is going to be a very big help to him on the field." Counsell, 44, played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball as a versatile infielder with Colorado, Florida, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona and Milwaukee, and on winning World Series teams with Florida (1997) and Arizona (2001).

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