Regarded as a beloved icon, Bob Uecker is once again poised to grace the airwaves, returning to the microphone to call the innings during the Milwaukee Brewers’ home opener on Tuesday versus their rivals, the Minnesota Twins. As summer ushers in, so does Uecker’s indomitable voice, marking the unofficial start of the Milwaukee baseball season. However, the level of broadcasting committement that the 90-year-old Uecker will shoulder for the rest of the season is yet a matter of speculation.
“Bob Uecker and the first pitch of Brewers’ home opener, it’s a soulful Milwaukee tradition paralleling the commencement of summer,” stated Rick Schlesinger, Brewers’ President of Business Operations. “And yes, Bob aims for a ‘play ball’ on April 2, eagerly anticipating to narrate the pulse of the game. As for his continuation beyond that, we’re taking it a day at a time,” added Schlesinger, elucidating the team’s release on social media.
For well over five decades, the name Uecker has been tantamount to Milwaukee baseball. Stepping into the role of the Brewers’ championing voice in 1971, Uecker candidly colored the games undeterred, a role he’s never relinquished, albeit confining his contributions to home radio gigs in the recent past.
In the last season, Uecker persistently graced the field prior to games, his presence warming the locker room. He unflinchingly partook in the Brewers’ vibrant locker-room jubilations, drenched in champagne showers when the team clinched their NL Central title.
To celebrate him, the Brewers erected two statues in Uecker’s honor. One at the entrance of the American Family Field and another perched in the back row of the terrace level, a humorous homage to his classic Miller Lite commercial quip, “I must be in the front row!” as he was unwittingly guided toward the back of the stadium.
With a successful 50th season of baseball broadcasting behind him during the 2020 campaign, Uecker’s illustrious career continues.
Uecker’s formative years found him on the field playing in the majors from 1962 to 1967 with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies. But it was his post-playing career that skyrocketed him to fame. Uecker served as a vibrant color commentator for ABC and NBC baseball telecasts, but his fame extended beyond the diamond. His charming demeanor shone through in late-night talk shows, beer commercials, the iconic movie “Major League,” and between 1985 to 1990, he enamored viewers starring in ABC’s sitcom “Mr. Belvedere”.
