MILWAUKEE — Bob Uecker’s Hall of Fame broadcasting career began only after the Milwaukee Brewers initially hired him as a scout.<\/p>\n
Former Brewers owner and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said it didn’t take long to realize Uecker might be better suited for a different role.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first scouting report Bob sent back here had mashed potatoes and gravy all over it,\u201d Selig recalled Sunday during a pregame ceremony honoring the man who broadcast Brewers games for 54 seasons, became a national celebrity for his trademark sense of humor and died Jan. 16<\/a> at the age of 90.<\/p>\n The star-studded celebration preceding Milwaukee’s 4-3 loss<\/a> to the San Francisco Giants was hosted by former NBC broadcast partner Bob Costas and featured Hall of Famers George Brett, Ted Simmons and Robin Yount as well as Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich.<\/p>\n \u201cTo say he loved this team, this city, and this state would be an understatement,\u201d the Uecker family said in a statement.<\/a> \u201cMilwaukee was his home, and the Brewers were an extension of his family. Seeing that love reflected back means more than we could ever put into words. There is something truly special about this community, and Bob felt it every single day.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you for welcoming him into your lives, for making him part of your families, and for holding him in your hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n All the Brewers players wore special tribute uniforms<\/a> with \u201cUECK\u201d instead of their own names on the back of their jerseys for Sunday\u2019s game to honor the man who probably is more synonymous with the franchise than any particular player.<\/p>\n The entire team joined Uecker\u2019s relatives behind the mound before Bob Uecker Jr. threw out the first pitch to Yount. The game featured commemorative baseballs and bases<\/a> honoring Uecker.<\/p>\n The celebration of life comes with the Brewers owning the best record in baseball<\/a> as they chase their first World Series title.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody would have enjoyed this more,\u201d principal owner Mark Attanasio said. \u201cI believe he\u2019s still with us, but I really miss him.\u201d<\/p>\n American Family Field\u2019s broadcast wing above the press box was renamed the Bob Uecker Broadcast center. Uecker\u2019s name already appeared on a medallion alongside all the Brewers\u2019 retired numbers, but it was updated Sunday to include his name and a single microphone.<\/p>\n Memorabilia<\/a> including photos and various examples of his plaid sports coats were displayed all over the concourses.<\/p>\n John Colson, a partial season ticket holder from Milwaukee, was already waiting outside the ballpark entrance well over 3 1\/2 hours before first pitch.<\/p>\n \u201cBob Uecker was my entire childhood,\u201d Colson said. \u201cJust memories of listening to the games on the radio, coming to the games. Bob Uecker\u2019s Mr. Baseball. He was Mr. Brewers. It\u2019s not the same without him.\u201d<\/p>\n Colson wore a T-shirt with the message, \u201cJuuuust a bit outside,\u201d honoring Uecker\u2019s famous line as broadcaster Harry Doyle in the movie \u201cMajor League.” Other fans in the sellout crowd wore plaid blazers or Brewers jerseys with Uecker’s name.<\/p>\n Uecker also was beloved by players who treasured his regular appearances in the locker room to swap stories or offer encouragement.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether it was your first day in the big leagues or you\u2019d been there for 10 years, he treated you as though you were his friend his entire life,\u201d Yelich said. \u201cI think that was one of his real gifts, making people feel like they were best friends and he\u2019d known them forever.\u201d<\/p>\n That meant treating even a player coming up from the minors no differently than an American president.<\/p>\n At a news conference before the pregame ceremony, Costas told the story of how former President Richard Nixon was watching a Brewers-Yankees game and asked Yankees owner George Steinbrenner if it would be possible to meet Uecker. After Uecker spoke to Nixon, broadcast partner Pat Hughes asked what it was like to meet the president.<\/p>\n \u201cUeck says, \u2018You know, Richie\u2019s not a bad guy,\u2019” Costas recalled.<\/p>\n Uecker was best known nationally for the dry wit he showed on talk-show appearances with Johnny Carson and in the \u201cMajor League\u201d movies, Miller Lite commercials and the television show \u201cMr. Belvedere.\u201d Some of his \u201cMr. Belvedere\u201d and \u201cMajor League\u201d colleagues were on hand for this ceremony.<\/p>\n But the people honoring him Sunday also paid tribute to his baseball knowledge.<\/p>\n Although Uecker made his career .200 batting average a frequent target of his self-deprecating humor, Simmons said the broadcaster’s status as a former backup catcher gave him remarkable perspective. After the Brewers acquired him before the 1981 season, Simmons said Uecker offered pointers on handling Milwaukee\u2019s pitching staff.<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018You\u2019ve got to tell me how these guys think, where they\u2019re at because they need help and I need help,\u2019” Simmons said. \u201cThat\u2019s how we started out. From there, it was great.\u201d<\/p>\n Costas and Selig said Uecker’s broadcasting skills were underrated. Selig said it was a treat to listen to the ninth inning of Uecker\u2019s broadcasts in games the Brewers were winning.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of the country outside of Wisconsin knows him from Johnny Carson and the \u2018Major League\u2019 films, but if he never said one thing that was funny and you just judged him as a baseball announcer \u2014 especially on the radio \u2014 Hall of Fame-caliber baseball announcer,\u201d Costas said.<\/p>\n Costas specifically mentioned Uecker’s final sign-off after the Brewers allowed four runs in the ninth inning of a 4-2 loss<\/a> in the decisive game of their NL Wild Card Series loss to the New York Mets. Uecker, who had battled small cell lung cancer throughout last season, closed the broadcast<\/a> by saying \u201cthat one had some sting on it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you hear Ueck signing off \u2014 he didn\u2019t always wear his heart on his sleeve \u2014 but it was so poignant,\u201d Costas said. \u201cHe was disappointed for the team because it was such a heartbreaking loss. But he also knew these were the last words he\u2019d ever speak as the voice of the Brewers, and his voice was not as strong, and he wasn\u2019t quite as sharp, but it was still Bob Uecker. When you listen to that, even though he doesn\u2019t frame it that way, that\u2019s about as poignant a valedictory as any broadcaster has ever given.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n