MILWAUKEE (AP) 鈥 Bob Uecker will be back behind the microphone when the Milwaukee Brewers play their home opener Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins.
How heavy a broadcasting workload the 90-year-old Uecker will have the rest of the season remains uncertain.
鈥淏ob Uecker calling the first pitch of the Brewers home opener is the official start of summer in Milwaukee,鈥 Brewers president of business operations Rick Schlesinger said Wednesday the team released on social media. 鈥淏ob expects to be back at the mic on April 2 to call the game on WTMJ and the network, and he鈥檒l take it one day at a time after that.鈥
Uecker has been synonymous with Milwaukee baseball for over half a century. Uecker became the voice of the Brewers in 1971 and has been part of their broadcast team ever since, though he has limited himself to home radio assignments for the last several years.
Last season, Uecker maintained a regular pre-game presence on the field and in the locker room. He even participated in the Brewers鈥 champagne-soaked, locker-room celebration after they their NL Central title.
The Brewers have honored him with two statues, one that鈥檚 outside American Family Field and another in the back row of the terrace level, a nod to the old Miller Lite commercial in which he said, 鈥淚 must be in the front row!鈥 as he was escorted to the back of a stadium.
Uecker had his of broadcasting baseball during that 2020 campaign.
Uecker played in the majors from 1962-67 with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, but he became much more famous during his post-playing career.
He worked as a national colour commentator for ABC and NBC baseball telecasts and earned fame beyond that of the usual broadcaster following his appearances in late-night talk shows, beer commercials and the movie 鈥淢ajor League.鈥
He also starred in 鈥淢r. Belvedere,鈥 an ABC sitcom that aired over 100 episodes from 1985-90.
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