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Former Diamondbacks GM Joe Garagiola Jr. saw Craig Counsell’s managerial qualities

John Antonoff/Sun-Times

Craig Counsell’s experiences have helped him handle tough news, such as telling veterans that they won’t make the Opening Day roster.

MESA, Ariz. — During the last year of his 16-year playing career, Craig Counsell asked for advice.

Specifically, Counsell sought Joe Garagiola Jr., the general manager who resurrected his once-stagnant career with the Diamondbacks after he was released by the Dodgers with two weeks left in spring training in 2000.

Garagiola knew Counsell as a youth, and both were Notre Dame grads, but Garagiola provided favorable insight over a cup of coffee during the Brewers’ trip to Arizona.