By RICK SOLEM
ricks@mwfbroadcasting.com
If there’s one thing I love about baseball, it’s listening to Bob Uecker talking about everything but baseball during a Milwaukee Brewers game.
And maybe he sprinkles in some in-game action, but I simply enjoy his humor and his stories, because 162 games is just a lot of the same to me when it comes to broadcasts.
And 162 games seems to be a bit too much for the 80-year-old announcer, as well. This season, Uecker plans to scale back on the games he’ll call.
“Fifty-nine years is going to be enough, where I think I want to kick back and relax a little bit,” he told 620 WTMJ in Milwaukee on Thursday. “I’m going to make some of the trips … a lot of the trips, but I’m going to spend most of my time, probably, at Miller Park.
“The West coast trips, I think, I’m gonna, kind of cut back on.”
Calling 162 games a season, along with spring training and postseason – oh wait, the Brewers aren’t going to the postseason, are they? – games for anyone is a bit rough – in the world of broadcasting – but it’s hard to imagine all the travel and time spent working as an 80 year old.
“I never really wanted to do it,” Uecker continued. “I always enjoyed the trips and being around the guys and having been an ex-player or sitter if you will, I know what it’s like and I’ve had enough of it now to last me for the rest of my time.”
The Hall of Fame broadcaster has been calling Brewers games since 1971. If he wants to take a couple days of here and there, who’s going to argue with him?
You can hear the interview here, and it’s just as amusing as listening to Uecker during a game.
In referring to the second statue that’s going up of him at Miller Park, Uke said this: “As long as I’m still top side to see it, I like that.”
Uecker does his broadcasts with Joe Block, but there’s no word yet who will fill in for him.