The Milwaukee Brewers paid tribute to franchise icon Bob Uecker with a ceremony worthy of his tongue-in-cheek nickname, “Mr. Baseball.”
The .200-hitting former backup catcher, who went on to broadcast Brewers games for 54 years and become a beloved national celebrity was honored by a sellout crowd at American Family Field on Sunday, Aug. 24, as a cast of dignitaries spanning the worlds of baseball and entertainment gathered to celebrate his life.
“Bob Uecker was a part of their lives as a kid, and they’re 60, 70 years old, here to celebrate him,” Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, as fans were filling the stadium. “That was kind of telling. We think we’re rock stars here – some of us more than others – but he was a truly a spectacle here.”
Uecker died of small cell lung cancer on Jan. 16, just 10 days shy of his 91st birthday.
An hour-long program emceed by Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Costas was the centerpiece of Sunday’s ceremony, highlighted by four video segments recounting Uecker’s life with clips of some of his best and most memorable moments.
From the Journal-Sentinel’s report:
There were cheers, tears and, of course, lots of laughs.
But the most touching moment came toward the end, when Uecker’s family gathered at the mound for a ceremonial first pitch from Bob Uecker Jr. to Robin Yount and the entire Brewers team – all sporting special one-day-only jerseys emblazoned with “Ueck” in place of their names – went out to shake hands, exchange hugs and provide support.
Everyone was on their feet, and plenty of tears were shed.
The final touch following the national anthem was a flyover by a KC-135R from the 128th air refueling wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard – the exact same plane that Uecker, a U.S. Army veteran, flew on for a refueling flight of the Thunderbirds in the summer of 2018.
In addition to the on-field tributes – from Costas, former MLB commissioner Bud Selig, principal team owner Mark Attanasio and Brewers Hall of Famer Ted Simmons – there were many others throughout the ballpark.
There was an illuminated sign above the entrance to the press box, the newly renamed “Bob Uecker Broadcast Center.”
Alongside the retired numbers of Brewers greats, there was a microphone icon accompanying Uecker’s name.
And artifacts from Uecker’s career as a player and broadcaster were sprinkled throughout the stadium.
“This was Bob’s true home, the ballpark,” Costas said during the ceremony. “He was a baseball man through and through, and he could have left to go to a bigger market. Almost any team would have hired him.”
But as much as he accomplished during his life, Uecker remained true to his Milwaukee roots.
“To say he loved this team, this city, and this state would be an understatement,” the Uecker family said in a statement. “Milwaukee 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.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bob Uecker’s life celebrated with star-studded Milwaukee ceremony
