Brewers players voted to pay Bob Uecker like a player during 2018 playoff run

Milwaukee Brewers sportscaster Bob Uecker speaks at a news conference before Game 1 of the National League Championship Series baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Milwaukee Brewers sportscaster Bob Uecker has been broadcasting games since 1971. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

It’s been a long time since Bob Uecker wore the uniform, but Milwaukee Brewers players still treat him like he’s part of the roster.

Uecker caught in the big leagues from 1962-1967, including with the Milwaukee Braves, before returning to town as a broadcaster in 1971. Now 85 years old, Uecker still works as the beloved radio play-by-play man for the Brewers.

And when the Brewers made playoffs last fall, the players voted to give Uecker a full playoff share worth $123,000. Uecker, a man known for his sense of humor, couldn’t help but get choked up when he heard the news.

“To include me in that, I couldn’t believe it,” Uecker said via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I said, ‘I don’t believe it. Really?’ I’ve tried to make sure I thanked every one of them.”

The money was put to good use, too. Uecker donated it all to his favorite charities, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of Milwaukee, Wounded Warriors and the Froedtert Cancer Center.

‘Bob belongs in a baseball clubhouse’

It was apparent how much the Brewers love Uecker when they doused him in champagne after they clinched their first playoff spot in seven years. Uecker told the Journal Sentinel that the players made sure he joined them in the clubhouse to celebrate. Otherwise, the champagne would have made its way up to the broadcast booth.

Uecker had a few more celebrations to go. From there, the Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs to capture the NL Central title before sweeping the Colorado Rockies in the NLDS. However, the Brewers came up a game short of the World Series, falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a seven-game NLCS.

During the playoff run, Brewers manager Craig Counsell explained what Uecker means to the team.

“Bob belongs in a baseball clubhouse. He fits. He gets it. His sense of humor doesn’t have an age span. It plays to all audiences. The guys love having him around,” Counsell said.

And when Milwaukee opens up the 2019 season later this month, it will be Uecker’s 49th with the club. He calls every Brewers home game, but has limited the amount of road trips he takes. He has no plans to call it quits anytime soon, either.

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