When it comes to hometown heroes who have made a mark on the worlds of sports and entertainment, who continue to delight and amuse on a daily basis, and who starred in a watershed ’80s sitcom alongside a cheese-hungry Christopher Hewett, there’s no one better than Bob Uecker. The beloved “Mr. Baseball” has been the play-by-play announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers for nearly 45 years, giving radio listeners a voice to rally around when the team is doing well, and a witty distraction when the team is doing poorly. Lengthy soliloquies on furry conventions may figure into the latter.
But don’t kid yourself: Uecker’s job is a dangerous one, as evidenced by an incident Wednesday night at the Brewers-Dodgers game at Miller Park. It seems Uecker and his crew—including sideman/sounding board Joe Block—were briefly trapped in their radio booth when the outside handle to the booth door broke off. According to the Journal Sentinel, “desperate times called for desperate measures and a ladder was brought in to facilitate the rescue.”
Looks like Uecker & Co. are indeed locked in the radio booth. Help appears to be on the way. pic.twitter.com/Ii3isuuBqI
— Matt Velazquez (@Matt_Velazquez) May 7, 2015
We are getting saved in the booth. pic.twitter.com/3GInvWOm6s — Jeff Levering (@JLevering4) May 7, 2015
Uecker, of course, had plenty of wisecracks for the unusual situation. The JS piece includes this quip: “A man just came up the ladder right in front of us. I’m serious. You’re the next contestant on Brewers Hits!” A Fox News report, meanwhile, includes this one: “People who are listening to the ballgame, I know what you’re thinking: ‘He’s ready for the (nursing) home. He’s cooked. It’s finally happened. He’s seeing ladders and doors without handles.’”
Happily, the ladder rescue was a success, and after the hinges of the faulty door were removed from the inside, Uecker and company were free to get up and get out of there. No word yet on whether producer Kent Sommerfeld was allowed to escape.