Given the measured yet powerful response to Trump’s attack on him Craig Counsell is appropriately named. He schooled not just Trump but MAGA and all the faux Christians out there without being mean-spirited. A Major League baseball manager isn’t the type of person you’d expect to get such a powerful message about Jesus’ teachings from but this ole Cubs fan hopes folks back in my hometown will see this on their FB feeds.
Yes, I grew up in southern Illinois just forty or so miles from where the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers come together. They love their sports and when it comes to baseball it’s ‘Cardinal Country’ to be sure. I was one of the few people back there who grew up as a Cubs fan. In fact I grew to detest the Cardinals, who were as racist as it gets when MLB was being integrated. Naturally, with the Cardinals being the most successful National League franchise and the Cubs never even appearing in, much less winning a World Series I took a lot of grief from friends and baseball teammates my entire life.
Frankly, I’d given up on seeing the Cubs in the World Series in my lifetime. Then in 2016 they not only got there but won! My joy quickly turned to grief as this country turned around and (via the Constitutional Vestigial Organ of the Electoral College) put Trump in the WH. I’ve wondered ever since if the price of the Cubs win was a rip in the space-time continuum that allowed Trump and all the damage he’s wrought since his ‘election.’ Well, Counsell was a thorn in the Cubs side for a long time as he was part of their rival, the Milwaukee Brewers so the Cubs hired him as their manager. He’s not exactly beloved given how the Cubs have done under him but no one doubts he is a good, decent man who believes in things we all should believe – like compassion towards those in need.
Naturally this runs counter to everything Trump stands for and worse for Counsell he works in Chicago – the same city his nemesis Pope Leo hails from. So Trump attacked Counsell, who responded in a manner that flipped the script. MAGAs including the ones from my hometown HATE being called out for claiming to love Jesus but rejecting his teachings. That a freaking manager of the CUBS has pointed out their hypocrisy is an even more bitter pill for them to swallow. I can’t figure out how to embed non-video tweets, so I’ll provide you the text of what I saw on my FB feed. When some MAGA asshat wants to talk about religion and ‘Christianity’ hit them with this tweet from the Windy City Dugout:
LAST NIGHT: Donald Trump Attacks Coach Craig Counsell — and Gets a Brutal “Lesson” He Won’t Forget
Donald Trump thought he could score some easy political points by labeling Coach Craig Counsell an “offender of Jesus,” simply because he spoke openly about compassion, equality, second chances, and the belief that leadership means lifting people up — not tearing them down.
But he picked the wrong target.
Known for his fierce leadership, championship mindset, fearless voice, and deep commitment to the athletes he coaches, Craig Counsell didn’t respond with panic. He didn’t respond with cheap insults. Instead, he delivered a message grounded in discipline, conviction, faith, and the real-life wisdom of someone who has spent decades building winners on and off the field.
“The former President of the United States just said I offend Jesus,” Craig Counsell began, calm but firm. “But I think we need to ask a better question. What actually offends the values so many people claim to believe in?”
“Is it compassion? Is it standing up for young people? Is it telling every athlete, every child, every person who has been counted out that they still matter?”
And he didn’t stop there.
“You know what should offend all of us?” Counsell continued. “Turning your back on the poor. Mocking people who are struggling. Treating families like political talking points. Forgetting that some people are just trying to survive long enough to get a fair chance.”
Then Coach Counsell went deeper, speaking with the weight of a man who has seen pressure, criticism, victory, loss, and the responsibility of leading young athletes through more than just sports.
“What offends faith is not compassion,” he said. “What offends faith is hate. Greed. Division. Cruelty. Pretending to be righteous while refusing to show mercy.”
This wasn’t just a response — it was a full-on moral challenge.
Craig Counsell flipped the narrative completely. Instead of backing down, he grounded his message in the same values that have defined his career: accountability, toughness, humility, loyalty, and love.
“I’m not perfect,” Counsell admitted. “No coach is. No leader is. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve learned. I’ve grown. But I know this — compassion doesn’t make you weak. Compassion gives people the strength to keep going.”
And then came the line that stayed with everyone:
“Jesus didn’t walk only with kings, champions, and powerful people. He walked with the struggling, the hurting, the overlooked, and the people everyone else gave up on. So before we use faith as a weapon, maybe we should ask ourselves who we are refusing to love.”
This wasn’t about insults or outrage.
What began as a political attack quickly turned into something far deeper: a message about faith, leadership, compassion, and what real strength is supposed to look like.
Again, about the last place you’d expect to get such a powerful lesson in morality and good, decent humanity is a freaking professional coach/manager. But Counsell delivered and Trump would do well to let this one go. So would his cheerleaders at Fox and other outlets.
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
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This is one of the best things I’ve heard in a long time from a public person. Strike two for the folks from Chicago.
Get Texas off the 10 Commandments in classrooms hook by sending them this? And copy to all faux Xtians
This was wonderful. Thank you for sharing something positive about our country. It’s desperately needed.
I was a Cardinals fan for a long time when Ozzie Smith was around. I even got to meet him at his restaurant. I wonder what happened with the friend I stayed with up there. Now, I’m a Mets fan. They are overshadowed by the Yankees, and it’s a pity.