The commencement of the 2025 MLB season for the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday marks a poignant moment, as it is the first time since 1971 that the legendary radio broadcaster Bob Uecker will not be present to call the team’s opening game following his passing in January. In honor of Uecker’s enduring legacy, ESPN compiled a selection of his greatest calls over the years. ESPN play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, returning to a national baseball audience for the first time since the 2021 World Series, shared heartfelt remarks leading into the tribute, describing Uecker as the “patriarch” of the Brewers organization.
“As we welcome you back to Yankee Stadium, we at ESPN are going to start this game the best way we can,” said Buck. “By paying tribute to the wonderful Bob Uecker, in some ways, the patriarch of the Brewers family and organization. The beloved Milwaukee-born voice of the team passed away in January at the age of 90.” Joining Buck and Joe Girardi on the broadcast, Bill Schroeder, the TV color analyst for the Brewers and a longtime friend of Uecker, shared insights about the lessons he learned from him over their 40-plus years together.
“For over 40 years, I knew Ueck,” said Schroeder. “No one loved the game, nobody loved the Brewers, nobody loved Milwaukee more than Bob Uecker. He cherished every day at the ballpark. Had integrity, loyalty, class, and time for everyone. He taught us to respect the game, the players, and to always cherish what we do for a living—coming to the ballpark and doing baseball games. He is missed; there is a big hole in the heart of the Brewer family. And you know he is looking down upon them, hoping for a World Series.”
ESPN honored Bob Uecker before the start of the Brewers vs. Yankees game.
“No one loved the game, nobody loved the Brewers, nobody loved Milwaukee more than Bob Uecker,” Bill Schroeder. pic.twitter.com/0aQTUS4G61
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 27, 2025
Numerous members of the Brewers organization have spoken about the impact Uecker had in the clubhouse following his passing. This public tribute from ESPN, shared with a national audience, underscores how deeply Uecker touched the lives of everyone he encountered.
