Bob Uecker Statue At Miller Park

Published: 21^st Mar 12 3:35 pm

Michael Terrill
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Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

Bob Uecker, aka “Mr. Baseball” and the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, will be immortalized this summer with a statue at Miller Park.

The statue will stand in front of Miller Park’s Home Plate Plaza and is the perfect way to celebrate Uecker’s 50^th season in baseball.

“The joy that Bob has brought to us over the years is priceless, and with 2012 being the 50th Anniversary of his first Major League game, there’s no better time than now to celebrate his achievements,” said Brewers Chairman and Principal Owner Mark Attanasio, according to Brewers.com. “Bob represents everything that is good about Milwaukee and Wisconsin. He is an iconic figure for the franchise, and his passion for the Brewers is second-to-none. Bob is a national treasure who calls Wisconsin home. I’m proud to have him as a great friend. I couldn’t be happier to add this statue to his legacy.”

Uecker will join Henry Aaron, Robin Yount and Bud Selig as the three other members with statues dedicated in their honor. When Uecker was asked by reporters on Wednesday what took the organization so long to erect a statue of him, he gave the usual quirky response.

“It was kind of a finance thing,” said Uecker, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I couldn’t come up with the right package. I didn’t have enough for the down payment. Once we got that taken care of, the monthly stipend, with the present administration, the way things have been going, I’ve been trying to put away a little on the side because when they put one of these things up, it means you’re getting close to the end. So, to have something available in case I go before this thing gets up is my main concern right now.”

The most hilarious man in baseball never disappoints as the jokes did not stop there.

“I have posed for the statue,” he said. “It’s kind of a Schwarzeneger-type thing. Beefcake, 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).”

Uecker also went on to add his statue will have a unique feature unlike any other.

“We’re going to invite pigeons,” Uecker said. “That’s another enhancement. I’m holding a stand, it’s a feeder-type thing.”

As funny as he was and as much as he joked around Uecker understood the seriousness of the honor. It is no doubt a thrill for him to be immortalized and remembered for ever as generations of Brewers fans walk through the gates of Miller Park.

“It’s an honor,” he said. “It’s unbelievable. Any time you’re thought of in this light, something is going to be put up in your honor, and until we get attacked or something, it’s going to be there forever and ever, as long as Mr. Attanasio keeps it polished and everything. My family, my friends are all excited for it. I’m honored, as I said before, and pleased with it. I thank the whole organization, Mark Attanasio, the players. Who are we without broadcasters, without the guys who make the games to call and make the games exciting.

“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.”

There is no man in the great history of the Brewers that deserves a statue more than Uecker. He is a living legend who decided to stick with Milwaukee even after a playoff drought of 25 years. In fact, the Brewers just recently won their first division title since 1982. He could have gone anywhere and worked for anyone as one of sport’s most famous television personalities. Instead, he remained as the voice of the Brewers which is something the team can never fully repay him for.

Uecker did reveal his pose which will be him standing with his hands in his pockets, no microphone in hand.

“I didn’t want to be holding a mic, not while I’m standing,” he said. “It’s like I’m just standing around the batting cage. The guy told me that people really like this pose.”

I personally like the pose better without a microphone in his hand as well. I understand he is best known for being the Brewers radio announcer but in reality he is so much more than that. Uecker is everything that is great about Milwaukee and then some. Brewers baseball would simply not be the same without him.