Brewers' Counsell Has High Playoff Hopes

While Milwaukee Brewers fans across the state celebrated the team clinching the National League Central Division title, Whitefish Bay’s own Craig Counsell said he is more focused on the team's future victories.

“From my perspective I think we’ve done that one before, so I’m kind of looking forward to the next celebration. … Not that you don’t enjoy it and it’s not great — because you work seven months and its not easy to do — but you really feel like you want to do more," he said Tuesday in a radio interview with "the D List", a sports talk show on 540 ESPN Milwaukee radio.

Brewers face off against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 1 and 2 of the National League Division Series at home on Saturday and Sunday, after winning home field advantage in a victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday night.

Counsell is no stranger to playoff pressure. In 1997, the then-Florida Marlin scored the game-winning run over the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the World Series. He also helped the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 2001 World Series victory over the New York Yankees.

Counsell grew up in Whitefish Bay and played baseball for the Blue Dukes during his days at Whitefish Bay High School. Earlier this month, Duke Pride, Whitefish Bay's sports booster organization, named Counsell to its .

He said "this is a great time of year" to be a baseball player in the playoffs, but it might be more exciting this time around for his four kids.

"As they get older, if you can take them to a World Series game and dad’s playing in it and they remember it, I think you’re going to be a pretty proud dad," he said in the interview

Some have speculated that Counsell, at 40 years old, might hang it up after this year, but Counsell said his main focus right now is the playoffs. He said any retirement decisions will be made in the off-season.

“I will think about it in the winter,” he told the D-List. “I’m not going to dwell on it right now. You have to get away from it a little bit to make the right decision.”

The radio show hosts, Dan Needles and Drew Olson, wondered if Counsell, a former Diamondback, would get a standing ovation from fans on both sides when the two teams face off Saturday.

"It would be tested in the playoffs for sure," Counsell chuckled. "I don’t think it would happen in the playoffs."

Counsell had a tough 0-for-45 slump this season, nearly beating a 102-year record for consecutive at-bats without a hit by a position player. He ended the streak with a single to right field in an early August game against the Houston Astros.

Earlier in the season, in July, he delivered a game-winning sacrifice fly and RBI to push the Brewers to a win over the Reds.