Cubs manager Craig Counsell shares hilarious Jim Leyland story from his playing days

Apart from being a brilliant baseball mind, Hall of Fame-bound manager Jim Leyland is probably most known for his gruff, no-nonsense demeanor and ripping cigarettes in the dugout.

His sense of humor was summed up perfectly recently by Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell, who played for Leyland early on in his career with the then-Florida Marlins. Of course, that relationship culminated in a World Series championship in 1997, but that's not what this story is about.

HOF manager Jim Leyland always told it like it was, for better or worse

Speaking with reporters this week, Counsell talked about his first day with the Marlins. He, as a rookie looking to make a good first impression, headed out to the field to take some early BP. Leyland's response sticks in Counsell's mind even to this day.

"Don't ever do that again. If I have to watch you hit every day, you will never play."

Jim Leyland to Craig Counsell

Of course, Counsell is best known from his playing days for his unorthodox batting stance, when he held his hands high over his head. It was fun to mimic growing up, but I have no doubt it remains, to this day, a hitting coach's nightmare.

But, hey, it worked. Counsell piled up over 1,200 hits in his MLB career and closed his career as a widely respected veteran. That reputation opened doors for him post-playing days, first as the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and, now, the Chicago Cubs. Should his managerial career end with a resume comparable to Leyland, well, that would be a storybook ending.

Leyland managed for 22 years, spending time with Pittsburgh, Florida, Colorado and Detroit, winning 1,769 games - the 18th-most in MLB history. His teams won three pennants and a World Series during his career and his name still carries weight, even more than a decade after retiring. Managers are certainly different now than they were during his time, but that shouldn't negate from the respect we all have for what he did in the dugout.