MILWAUKEE — Bob Uecker returned to American Family Field to announce the Milwaukee Brewers’ home opener, while the team officials stayed cautious about the 90-year-old's workload for the rest of the season.
This will be Uecker's 54th season broadcasting Brewers baseball, but he has only been covering home games for the past few years.
“Ueck is very focused on maintaining a Hall of Fame level,” Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio said before Tuesday’s game with the Minnesota Twins. “He doesn’t want to just be in the booth for the sake of it. He's very mindful. I suggest to him, ‘Ueck, you don’t have to do the play-by-play for nine innings or seven of the nine. You can do less.’ He seems unhappy about that idea. I propose, ‘You can switch roles with (Jeff) Levering and he can do play-by-play and you can do more color commentary.’ He doesn’t want to discuss that. So, he just wants to see how it goes this year, and we’ll see.”
Attanasio’s remarks essentially echoed a statement Brewers president of business operations Rick Schlesinger had issued on social media a week earlier. Schlesinger noted that Uecker would be part of the Brewers’ radio coverage for Tuesday’s home opener with the Minnesota Twins and that “he’ll take it one day at a time after that.”
Uecker became the voice of the Brewers in 1971 and has been part of their broadcast team ever since. Uecker regularly makes appearances on the field and in the locker room conversing with players and coaches.
He participated in the locker-room celebration last year when the Brewers won their NL Central title, just as he had done when the team secured its other recent postseason berths.
“It’s always great to have Ueck around,” Brewers outfielder and 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich said. “I’ve gotten to know him fairly well over the last seven years. I think each year we’ve gotten closer. Anytime you hear from him, whether it’s via text or just seeing him in person at the ballpark, I think it makes everybody’s day better. I think he loves being around the team, and we love having him. He’s obviously a baseball legend, a Brewer legend.”
Uecker played in the majors from 1962-67 with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, but it was after his playing career that he became a national celebrity.
He worked as a national color commentator for ABC and NBC baseball telecasts and gained fame beyond that of the typical broadcaster following his appearances in late-night talk shows, beer commercials and the movie “Major League.” He also starred in “Mr. Belvedere,” an ABC sitcom that aired over 100 episodes from 1985-90.
Uecker is particularly well known in Milwaukee, where he has become synonymous with Brewers baseball. Attanasio said the first two people he called after buying the Brewers were Uecker and Hall of Famer Robin Yount.
“Ueck’s in the Hall of Fame as a broadcaster for a reason,” Attanasio said. “He’s exceptional at his craft. It’s not just the great stories he tells.”
The Brewers have paid tribute to him with two statues, one that is located outside American Family Field and another in the highest seating area, a reference to the old Miller Lite commercial where he joked about being in the front row and was actually taken to the back.
Attanasio mentioned on Tuesday that Uecker's "voice is as strong as ever."
"I have the same informal agreement with him that I believe (former Brewers owner) Bud (Selig) had, with a handshake," Attanasio stated. "There's no contract. I believe it's his booth and he can do as he pleases in that booth. And that's the case this year. And we'll see. Every year it's always a bit different anyway. This year, I think he's aware of where he is in life. But I'm anticipating a great broadcast today, and we'll see what he wants to do."
Brewers fans cannot envision a season without Uecker behind the microphone.
Nor can Brewers players.
"It wouldn't feel right if he wasn't present," Yelich said. "We enjoy having him and we're looking forward to seeing him back at the ballpark."
