In Memoriam: Honoring Mr Baseball Bob Uecker on AM 1250 The Fan in Milwaukee
23Over the years I have spoken about being from Wisconsin, being from Milwaukee, and being a Milwaukee Brewers Fan. One of the things that has influenced me so much has been the broadcast stylings and persona of the one and only Mr Baseball Bob Uecker. On January 16, 2025, we lost a legend in Bob, who passed away after a private battle with Small Cell Lung Cancer. As news of his passing broke, I made an appearance on AM 1250 The Fan in Milwaukee, the station I used to actually be a co-host on. I wanted to share my segment with you here on the channel because Bob has impacted my life and my career in so many ways that it truly feels like I lost a family member.
I only ever met Bob one time, while I was working in the Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa, Wi. He had come in the mall for something, hat pulled down, sunglasses on at night, but even still Mr. Baseball was easy to recognize. I didn't say much to him, just a "Hi" and "Thank You Mr Baseball". I know it seems lame, but I loved that he was just a guy that night, heading to get something from the mall.
Back in the 90’s, my mother went through 2 bouts of cancer, one breast and one ovarian. At the time, Uke didn’t autograph many things, but my mom was a huge Brewers fan until the day she passed in ’95. Well, my aunt was able to relay the story of my mom’s battle with cancer to Robb Edwards, and Robb reached out to Uke to see if he could do something. So he grabbed a baseball, personalized it to my mom, got it to Robb who got it to my aunt, who surprised my mother with it. When she passed, my middle brother kept it protected, but in 2009 he started his own bout with cancer. Eventually, he handed it down to me, and he himself lost his cancer battle in November 2023.
One of my favorite things about this ball, isn’t that it’s autographed by Bob which, don’t get me wrong I cherish, but it’s the fact he signed it to “Christie” (my mom was Chris or Christine). To me that's the most Uecker thing ever. That always made me smile. That and the fact that it was something passed along and shared in our family for many to enjoy.
Words can't describe the loss that those of us from Wisconsin are feeling now. Thank you Uke, for everything, God Bless and God Speed.
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