Brewers Honor Bob Uecker: Baseball and Microphone Legend

Bob Uecker’s Hall of Fame broadcasting career began unexpectedly. Initially, the Milwaukee Brewers hired him as a scout. Bud Selig, former owner of the Brewers and former MLB commissioner, didn’t take long to realize that Uecker might be better suited for another role.

The first scouting report Bob sent had mashed potatoes and gravy all over it.

Bud Selig

The star-studded ceremony was hosted by Bob Costas, a former NBC broadcast colleague, and was attended by Hall of Fame members such as George Brett, Ted Simmons, and Robin Yount, as well as Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich.

Christian Yelich’s Post

To say that he loved this team, this city, and this state would be an understatement. Milwaukee was his home, and the Brewers were an extension of his family. Seeing that love reflected means more than we could express in words. There is something truly special about this community, and Bob felt it every day.

The Uecker Family

All Brewers players wore special tribute uniforms with “UECK” instead of their names on the back of their jerseys in Sunday’s game, honoring the man who is probably more synonymous with the franchise than any particular player. The entire team joined Uecker’s family behind the mound before Bob Uecker Jr. threw the first pitch to Yount. The game featured commemorative balls and bases in honor of Uecker. The celebration of life comes when the Brewers have the best record in baseball as they pursue their first World Series title.

Nobody would have enjoyed this more. I think he’s still with us, but I really miss him.

Mark Attanasio

The broadcast wing of American Family Field, above the press box, was renamed the Bob Uecker Broadcast Center. Uecker’s name already appeared on a medallion alongside all the retired Brewers numbers, but on Sunday it was updated to include his name and a single microphone. Memories, including photos and various examples of his plaid sports coats, were displayed all over the esplanades. John Colson, a Milwaukee partial season ticket holder, was already waiting outside the stadium entrance more than 3 and a half hours before the first pitch.

Bob Uecker was my whole childhood. Just memories of listening to the games on the radio, coming to the games. Bob Uecker is Mr. Baseball. He was Mr. Brewers. It’s not the same without him.

John Colson

Colson wore a t-shirt with the message “Juuuust a bit outside”, in honor of Uecker’s famous phrase as announcer Harry Doyle in the movie “Major League”. Other fans in the sold-out crowd wore plaid sports coats or Brewers jerseys with Uecker’s name. Uecker was also loved by the players who appreciated his regular appearances in the locker room to swap stories or offer encouragement.

Whether it was your first day in the big leagues or you had been there for 10 years, he treated you like you were his lifelong friend. I think that was one of his true gifts, making people feel like they were the best of friends and that he had known them forever.

Christian Yelich

That meant treating a player coming up from the minor leagues the same way as a U.S. president. In a press conference before the pre-game ceremony, Costas told the story of how former President Richard Nixon was watching a Brewers vs. Yankees game and asked Yankees owner George Steinbrenner if it would be possible to meet Uecker. After Uecker spoke with Nixon, his broadcast partner, Pat Hughes, asked how it was to meet the president.

Ueck says, ‘You know, Richie isn’t a bad guy’.

Bob Costas

Uecker was best known nationally for the dry wit he displayed in his appearances on talk shows with Johnny Carson and in the films “Major League”, Miller Lite commercials, and the television show “Mr. Belvedere”. Some of his colleagues from “Mr. Belvedere” and “Major League” were present at this ceremony. But the people who honored him on Sunday also paid tribute to his knowledge of baseball.

Although Uecker turned his .200 batting average into a frequent target of his self-deprecating humor, Simmons said the announcer’s status as a former backup catcher gave him a remarkable perspective. After the Brewers acquired him before the 1981 season, Simmons said Uecker offered him advice on how to handle Milwaukee’s pitching staff.

I told him, ‘You have to tell me how these guys think, where they are, because they need help and I need help.’ That’s how we started. From there, it was great.

Ted Simmons

Costas and Selig said that Uecker’s broadcasting skills were underestimated. Selig said it was a pleasure to listen to the ninth inning of Uecker’s broadcasts in the games that the Brewers were winning.

Most of the country outside of Wisconsin knows him from Johnny Carson and the movie ‘Major League,’ but if he never said anything funny and you just judged him as a baseball announcer, especially on the radio, he’d be a Hall of Fame caliber baseball announcer.

Bob Costas

Costas specifically mentioned Uecker’s final farewell after the Brewers allowed four runs in the ninth inning of a 4-2 loss in the deciding game of their National League Wild Card Series loss to the New York Mets. Uecker, who had battled small cell lung cancer throughout last season, closed the broadcast by saying: “That had some sting.”

When you hear Ueck say goodbye, he didn’t always wear his heart on his sleeve, but it was so moving. He was disappointed in the team because it was such a heartbreaking loss. But he also knew that these would be the last words he would say as the voice of the Brewers, and his voice wasn’t as strong, and it wasn’t as sharp, but it was still Bob Uecker. When you hear that, even though he doesn’t frame it that way, that’s the most moving farewell any announcer has ever given.

Bob Costas