Brewers fans make feelings about 'traitor' Craig Counsell clear before looming return

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell will return to his old stomping grounds this week in Milwaukee. Brewers fans aren't ready to forgive Counsell for his sudden heel turn this past winter. Counsell took part in arguably the greatest manager free agency MLB has seen to date. His will not be the last, as manager pay has increased quite a bit in recent years.

The Cubs made Counsell the highest-paid manager in MLB. Jed Hoyer put the Ricketts money on fully display, landing a game-changing skipper from one of their fiercest rivals. Brewers fans are upset -- and some rightly so -- but the Brewers had every opportunity to extend Counsell when he was at the helm in Milwaukee. Instead, the front office balked. This is what happens.

Curt Hogg on the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel polled Brewers fans ahead of this week's Cubs series at American Family Field to see if they had forgiven Counsell, or perhaps cooled on their outlandish opinions about their former skipper.

Brewers fans are still very, very upset with Craig Counsell

The results are mixed, with over 50 percent of 1,000 respondents saying they would never forgive Counsell. Respondents were asked to "rate their feelings about Counsell being the Cubs manager" on a scale of 1-10. Unsurprisingly, 1 was far and away the most common answer.

There were several pro-Counsell responses, the majority of which blamed the front office for not extending the manager, and refusing the increase payroll while he was in Milwaukee. The Brewers aren't as small-market as they claim to be at times, regularly developing top talent in the farm system which, eventually, is dealt elsewhere or leaves in free agency.

Another commenter pointed out the Cubs also offered far more money than the Brewers did to keep Counsell around. Chicago valued him, while Milwaukee didn't. It's that simple.

16 Brewers fans left nothing more than "Traitor" in response to the Counsell poll, which seems to be the consensus of the majority of the fanbase. One fan pointed to his 'born a Brewer' ad campaign, stating that no one 'born a Brewer' could ever leave for the Cubs. Another blasted Counsell for calling the Cubs his "dream job."

One fan even went as far as to call Counsell the "Benedict Arnold of Wisconsin."

It's safe to assume that Counsell will receive plenty of boos in his return this week. The ink hasn't dried on his contract just yet. The heat of an NL Central battle between the first and second place teams in said division will only add to those feelings.