Few announcers in sports can have a distinguished enough career with one team where they can resonate with several generations of fans. Fewer announcers have the honor of being immortalized with a statue at their team’s ballpark. Haray Caray, Ernie Harwell, and Jack Buck are a few of the all-time great announcers to be placed in this category. You can add one more to the list with an announcement made Wednesday by the Milwaukee Brewers – Bob Uecker.
On August 31st of this year, the Brewers will unveil a statue of Bob Uecker that will join Brewers legends Hank Aaron and Robin Yount… and… current commissioner Bud Selig. I wish Bud Selig’s statue at Miller Park would depict his finest moment as commissioner that took place at that same venue. Uecker’s honoring by the Brewers is richly deserved and he flashed his trademark comedic stylings at the announcement from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
“I have posed for the statue,” he said. “It’s kind of a Schwarzenegger-type thing. Beef cake, speedo, pretty buffed. It’s really enhanced. It’s really not my size. It’s buffed.
“I’ve seen pictures of the finished product and I’m very pleased. It’s got a lot of attention. More so than that swimsuit issue (in Sports Illustrated last year).”
Asked about the possibility of attracting pigeons for the rest of eternity, Uecker said, “We’re going to invite pigeons. That’s another enhancement. I’m holding a stand, it’s a feeder-type thing.”
“I hope the fans have enjoyed listening as much as I’ve enjoyed doing the games. I don’t ever go to the park where I don’t have a good day. I don’t like losing. But I don’t think I ever go to the park where I have a bad day. I don’t think once.
“That’s discounting playing. I had a lot of bad days there.”
Uecker famously never did make his mark as a player, but he has been a baseball and a broadcasting icon for decades with a sense of humor that is unmatched. There is probably a wide section of the population that know him from his movie, TV, and celebrity appearances and not as the play by play voice of the Milwaukee Brewers. Uecker’s broadcasting career has been quite decorated though. Aside from his work in Milwaukee, he called the World Series on television for NBC in the 1990s. In addition, he made two memorable playoff appearances behind the mic for the Cleveland Indians.
With Uecker’s honor in Milwaukee taking place in August, still no word as yet on when the Indians plan on honoring Harry Doyle with a statue.
(via Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
