MILWAUKEE -- It was right around the time current Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell was in a record 0-for-45 streak at the plate that he was approached by general manager Doug Melvin about his post-playing career plans.
Counsell, who was 40 at the time, had seen his numbers plummet, and he realized the end was near. At least, that's how Melvin remembers it.
"Actually, in 2008, he was hitting about .220, same in 2007, so around then I was thinking about it," Melvin recalled at Miller Park last week. "Then he slumped in 2011. At that point, he probably started thinking of another career.