The Chicago Cubs made a major decision on Monday by appointing John Steinmiller, previously with the Blackhawks, as their new senior director of media relations. This is notable news during the Cubs offseason, where President Jed Hoyer has been waiting for the prices of free agents to drop..
It’s This decision doesn't involve bringing back Cody Bellinger, but it's still significant.At least the Rickettses are serious about this important position, which acts as the connection between the local media and manager Craig Counsell and his players.
Steinmiller, taking over from veteran Jason Carr, has been in the industry since 2005, starting with the Milwaukee Brewers. His rapport with Counsell should benefit him, and he is familiar with most of the Chicago media, including me.
It's commendable that Steinmiller accepted the job.
Dealing with media relations for a professional sports team, especially a major market team like the Cubs, is a challenging and often thankless task.
You have to manage managers who may be in a bad mood after a tough loss, players who choose not to talk to the media after hitting a game-winning home run, and writers constantly asking: “Is Jed talking today?”. The dynamics of the relationship between the media and athletes has changed significantly over the past 20 years, with reduced access for reporters, fewer stars feeling obligated to communicate before or after games, and front-office executives prioritizing national writers over their beat writers. The primary responsibility of a media relations boss is to ensure the team is always presented in the best possible light, including managing any potentially controversial news. Steinmiller should be well-prepared after his time with the Blackhawks, where handling such situations has become an art form.
The way in which the media and athletes interact has evolved over the last two decades, resulting in reduced access for reporters and a shift in how front-office executives engage with writers.
The media relations boss must oversee that the team is always portrayed positively, and when necessary, manage any contentious news. Steinmiller is likely well-prepared from his tenure with the Blackhawks, a team known for its adept handling of such situations.
The last time I encountered Steinmiller at a Blackhawks game, I inadvertently stepped on the Blackhawks logo in the postgame locker room. This led to a deserved reprimand from one of his media relations assistants: “Hey, get off the logo!” I received a warning to be more careful instead of facing a lifetime ban. Since then, I've avoided the Blackhawks locker room. Luckily, the floor of the Cubs’ clubhouse has no logo, so there shouldn't be a similar issue unless stepping on Clark the Cub is a concern.
Everyone deserves a second chance, and I've steered clear of the Blackhawks locker room since. Fortunately, the floor of the Cubs’ clubhouse is just a weathered carpet without any logo, so there's no need to worry about a repeat offense unless stepping on Clark the Cub is a concern.
On that day, Steinmiller also reminded me of when I wrote in the Chicago Tribune that Counsell was “tragically unhip,” seemingly poking fun at the new Cubs manager when he was leading the Brewers. I couldn't recall writing something like that, but a quick Google search confirmed Steinmiller’s recollection.
In an August 2018 Cubs-Brewers series preview I authored, I described the competing managers as: ”Hipster Joe Maddon matches wits with the tragically unhip Craig Counsell.” I have no reason to believe Counsell is unhip, tragically or otherwise. The Tribune regrets the error.
Counsell has been in the industry for a long time. He probably doesn’t need any help from Steinmiller on how to handle the Chicago baseball media, which is much larger — and a bit snarkier — than our peers in Milwaukee, except for the Marquee Sports Network, the Cubs-owned outlet that treated former manager David Ross like he was part of the network and therefore blameless during the team’s end-of-season collapse.
Hoyer obviously saw something different and made the right decision to replace Ross with Counsell, whose $40 million contract is the biggest of any manager in MLB history.
Counsell seems to have an unusual sense of humor, which will likely be important as he starts the long grind when spring training begins in two weeks in Mesa, Ariz. As former manager Lou Piniella said in spring training 2007: “This is no push-button operation, I can tell you that.”
After an uneventful start to the offseason, the Cubs have made a couple of big moves since the calendar turned, signing Japanese starter Shota Imanaga and reliever Héctor Neris. Everyone still expects Hoyer to re-sign Bellinger, but until he’s in camp it’s mere guesswork.
“Anyone can do a deal,” Hoyer told fans at the Cubs Convention. “Anyone can say yes to an agent’s asking price. If you do that, you’re going to run out of money really quickly.”
I doubt the Rickettses will ever run out of money, no matter how much they give Bellinger or anyone else. But if Hoyer signs Bellinger at a bargain price, his strategy will have worked and most fans will be satisfied. If Bellinger signs elsewhere, the Cubs could be looking at another 80-win season.
Everything really hinges on one decision.
The 2024 season is almost here, but there’s still time to make a move or two. Hopefully Hoyer gives his new media relations director something to do as Steinmiller begins his new job on Feb. 5.
Those press releases don’t write themselves.
()
