Blue and Gold Illustrated

IRISH IN THE PROS BY ANDREW OWENS F or a pair of clubs that have known for months that the playoffs were not in their 2015 future, it can be tough to produce interesting story- lines amid an otherwise lost season. At least for one mid-Au- gust series, the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers provided reasons for Notre Dame fans to pay attention. That's because the teams' managers, Pat Murphy and Craig Coun- sell, respectively, both boast Irish connections. Counsell, a 16-year Ma- jor League Baseball vet- eran most famous for his contributions to the 2001 World Series champion Arizona Dia- mondbacks, played at Notre Dame from 1989-92 and even played for Murphy, who coached the Irish from 1988-94. "It's a great thrill," Murphy told re- porters. "You think back to the privilege to, one, just coach him back then for four years. I tried to screw him up, but he was such a diligent worker that my crazy ways couldn't screw him up. To watch him get better and better, then watch his ascent to the big leagues after signing for [$5,000], it was just a great journey. "Then to become great friends with him after he got out of school, and to see the way he played, what kind of team- mate he was, he taught me a lot about the game." Counsell's club got the better of Mur- phy's three times in the four-game set. He signed a three-year contract through 2017 in May when Ron Roenicke was fired after a terrible start. Murphy, however, was given the interim tag, mean- ing the Padres are likely to replace him this offseason. A f t e r C o u n s e l l w a s named manager in May, he reached out to the San Diego Padres for permis- sion to interview Murphy as a potential addition to his staff. Murphy, then manag- ing the Padres' Triple-A af- filiate, never got that chance because San Diego rejected Milwaukee's request. It had other plans for him. In June, with the club struggling af- ter an aggressive offseason of additions that the front office thought would help the Padres contend for a playoff spot, they fired longtime manager Bud Black. Murphy was promptly promoted from the minor leagues to the manager's spot in San Diego. "When you go to college, you're growing up, you're learning," Coun- sell said. "It's an impressionable time in your life, and I learned a lot from him. More than anything, he was a person who made me mentally tough, because he challenges you a lot. "It's cool for me that he's got a chance to do this as much as anything. Man- aging against him, I think I could talk Double Domers Former Irish baseball player Craig Counsell (pictured) and former coach Pat Murphy are both managing in Major League Baseball this season. PHOTO BY SCOTT PAULUS/COURTESY MILWAUKEE BREWERS

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