It is reported that Bob Uecker has passed away. Brewer games just won't be the same for a while. RIP MR BASEBALL!!!!!
Great story from MLB https://www.mlb.com/news/bob-u...%20his%20quick%20wit.
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I've been dreading this day. Ueck has been part of the Brewers since I started paying attention in the late 70's/early 80's.
So sad thank you Mr. Uecker for giving us so many good memories of listening to your broadcasts. My one wish would have been for Uecker to announce one more World Series.
RIP and thank you!!
FUCK.
One of a kind. We were so fortunate to be graced with Bob.
Uecker was the Brewers, more than Yount, Molitor, Selig, Attanasio, or anyone else. No one else was even close.
I had the radio broadcast on after the Brewers lost Game 3 to the Mets this fall. Uecker came on to sign off for the year at the end of the broadcast and it was very somber. You could tell he was on the verge of tears and the other guys in the booth were trying to help him through it. I think I posted in the chat at that time that it almost sounded like he knew he was saying goodbye.
I found the sign off. I think these were his last words on the air.
I hope the Brewers have high fidelity recordings of some of the catch phrases and calls. Every time a Brewer player hits a home run for perpetuity, they need to have the scoreboard show a video of Uecker in the booth saying "Get up, get out of here, GONE"
@MichiganPacker2 posted:I found the sign off. I think these were his last words on the air.
This news also has some sting on it
I assume Major League, the Bob Costas profile and some one the more famous Carson’s clips will be scheduled soon. Watch for them
@Pikes Peak posted:This news also has some sting on it
Yes. I always figured I'd feel worse about this death than any other person that I didn't know personally.
I was born in 1969, and some of the first things I can remember are sitting on the porch or in the barn on our farm listening to Brewers games with my parents, uncles, grandparents, or great-grandparents. There was a simplicity and a beauty (mainly because of Uecker and Merle Harmon) to listening to the games on the radio then when you couldn't watch every single one on TV. I saw County Stadium once a year to attend game in person, but I probably listened to about 100-120 games on the radio every year. I also loved growing up listening to Jim Irwin, Max McGee, Eddie Doucette, and Johnny Mac do Bucks, Badgers, and Packers games (although the Packers were always on TV so the radio broadcast was less of a thing). We were spoiled by having great announcers for all the state's sports teams, but none of them were on Uecker's level. Maybe only Vin Skully, Ernie Harwell, and Harry Carey were on that level, but Uecker told better stories than any of them.
@Pikes Peak posted:I assume Major League, the Bob Costas profile and some one the more famous Carson’s clips will be scheduled soon. Watch for them
You missed the Mr. Belvidere reruns?
Uecker's hall of fame induction speech is also one of the best I've ever heard.
@MichiganPacker2 posted:Yes. I always figured I'd feel worse about this death than any other person that I didn't know personally.
in the barn on our farm listening to Brewers games with my parents, uncles, grandparents, or great-grandparents.
When one of my daughters got married her 2 sisters had to make their customary speeches. They all agreed one of their best memories growing up on the farm was listening to Bob do Brewer games while we were milking the cows. I must say it brought a tear to my eye. I often wondered how may cows heard Bob calling Brewer games while being milked. And Bob was always very complimentary and sympathetic to farmers talking about how it was too dry or too wet. A very sad day indeed.
@MichiganPacker2 posted:I hope the Brewers have high fidelity recordings of some of the catch phrases and calls. Every time a Brewer player hits a home run for perpetuity, they need to have the scoreboard show a video of Uecker in the booth saying "Get up, get out of here, GONE"
Easter Sunday.....Rob Deer & Dale Sveum.....listening to game on the radio at Grandma's house.
The best of times.....I'll never forget.
https://www.mlb.com/news/brewe...k-of-1987-c225084992
Watch the 2 video clips
It seems like he knew this was likely his last year when he signed off in the fall. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2023.
Others close to him knew - I can't find it with a quick search but when Jeff Levering signed off after the playoff loss last year he was literally in tears on air. He knew it was Ueck's last game.
So many great memories with him announcing.
1987 in particular was a fun year. The Easter Sunday walk off HR and win streak, Paul Molitor’s 39 game hit streak, the Juan Nieves no hitter (with leaping Yount catch).
The lead up in 2008 to the playoffs with several Ryan Braun huge moments and of course the 2011 playoffs - including the walk off against the D Backs.
From when I was a little kid he gave me reason to follow the Brewers. Especially in the period from mid 80s up through 2008 and there was a lot of bad baseball in there.
RIP Ueck!
@Cheezers posted:Others close to him knew - I can't find it with a quick search but when Jeff Levering signed off after the playoff loss last year he was literally in tears on air. He knew it was Ueck's last game.
I posted the link to the sign off earlier in this thread. I was driving at the time and it Uecker just sounded different and there were these long pauses where you could tell they were trying not to break down on air.
@Boris posted:Easter Sunday.....Rob Deer & Dale Sveum.....listening to game on the radio at Grandma's house.
The best of times.....I'll never forget.
https://www.mlb.com/news/brewe...k-of-1987-c225084992
Watch the 2 video clips
This article mentions that 16 year old Craig Counsell was at this game in the stands.
Counsell was never going to approach Uecker in importance for the franchise, but if he would have stayed and managed for another 10 years, he might have been the second most popular Brewers employee ever over Yount.
F Counsell. Especially after being quoted as saying the Cubs were his "dream job."
@Cheezers posted:Others close to him knew - I can't find it with a quick search but when Jeff Levering signed off after the playoff loss last year he was literally in tears on air. He knew it was Ueck's last game.
In retrospect, it's also pretty clear that Yelich knew as well.
@Tschmack posted:So many great memories with him announcing.
1987 in particular was a fun year. The Easter Sunday walk off HR and win streak, Paul Molitor’s 39 game hit streak, the Juan Nieves no hitter (with leaping Yount catch).
RIP Ueck!
I may be the only one, but I always consider the Yount catch to save the no hitter Bob's greatest call during a game. As best as I can remember, "Long run Robin, long long run, heeeeessss got it!!!" Ball was hit by Eddie Murray.
It's a sad day for all of WI and baseball. RIP.
@ammo posted:I may be the only one, but I always consider the Yount catch to save the no hitter Bob's greatest call during a game. As best as I can remember, "Long run Robin, long long run, heeeeessss got it!!!" Ball was hit by Eddie Murray.
The Lezcano call on the walk grand slam on opening day in 1980 is up there too (about 25 seconds into this clip)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oK-7fn1rGo
My favorite Brewer game was one that I can't any audio from. It's from July 1979 against the Yankees. It's a game where Reggie Jackson charged the mound to tackle Mike Caldwell and Cecil Cooper homered three times (including a walk off). The walk off was against Goose Gossage. We were listening on the radio and I think Harmon and Uecker were almost hoarse by the end.
Found the call and video of the end of the no hitter.
Sad day. I like so many other Wisconsinites grew up listening to Bob. He was and always will be the best.
What a gut punch today.
Thanks Ueck for all the great memories.
We listened to Uek call games while milking cows. I'll never forget the odd stories that popped up, like when he explained or origin of "can of corn" or how you can convert Celsius to Fahrenheit by doubling and adding 30. The odd shit he could riff on and make any game entertaining
Here's Levering signing off last year.
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19pP5fTuDP/
I post this, with tears in my eyes...
The Brewers have been relevant the last few years as they were back in the day. Plenty of exiting ball was played with many fun guys to comment on. But just think how many meaningless September and late August games Bob called over the years. Often the team was way out of it yet Bob still managed to make listening fun and interesting.
Quite the talent.
Still one of the best sports-related commercials ever.
@Pikes Peak posted:The Brewers have been relevant the last few years as they were back in the day. Plenty of exiting ball was played with many fun guys to comment on. But just think how many meaningless September and late August games Bob called over the years. Often the team was way out of it yet Bob still managed to make listening fun and interesting.
Quite the talent.
I grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin and then moved out to the East Coast for 8 years for graduate school and post-doctoral training. I eventually landed back in Michigan 26 years ago.
I'm not kidding when I say that other than being closer to our families (my wife is from Lodi and I am from Wild Rose), I was probably the most excited about the fact that I was close enough to Milwaukee that I could get Brewer games on the radio and listen to Uecker. I unfortunately never got the chance to meet him, but like many of you, there are probably only about 15 people in my life that I have heard talk more than Uecker. And it was never boring.
He was the perfect combination in terms of how you could tell he was probably the biggest Brewers fan in history, but he still could broadcast a game without seeming like he was sucking up to ownership or the teams' players for access. Maybe he could do that because the Selig, Attanasio, and the players knew he was more popular than they were ever going to be. Or it just might be that every Brewers player that ever played seemed to love the guy.