Half a season without Uecker

I experienced an extremely Wisconsin moment this week when I found myself getting teary-eyed over sausages. Usinger’s sausages, to be exact. A new spokesperson for Usinger’s sausages, to be even more exact.

Yes, Milwaukee Brewers legend Robin Yount is the new spokesperson for Milwaukee’s storied sausage-making company. “Robin Yount is taking over the commercial spokesperson duties at Usinger’s Sausage,” Usinger’s announced on Monday. “Robin is a longtime friend of Mr. Baseball Bob Uecker. We are honored to have another member of the Baseball Hall of Fame pitching for us.”

It was that bit about Bob Uecker that got me. Uecker was the Usinger’s spokesperson for decades, gamely appearing in their radio and TV ads and dutifully singing their praises on-air. Uecker died this past January, at the age of 90.

Having Yount succeed Uecker in the all-important role of Usinger’s spokesperson is more than fitting. As noted, the two were buddies. Uecker started his career as Brewers broadcaster in 1971; Yount began his Brewers career just three years later, in 1974. The two men shared a deep love of baseball and a bone-dry sense of humor. I recall a game broadcast, long ago, when Uecker playfully ribbed his pal. “I know Robin is listening,” Uecker said. “He sits in his car while it’s parked in his driveway.”

All this sausage succession business, along with Tuesday’s All-Star Game, made me realize that the Brewers and the Brewers faithful have now gone half a season without Ueck. More than half, actually. The Crew is currently 56-40 at the All-Star break, with 66 games remaining in the regular season. They’re second in the National League Central, a single game behind the Chicago Cubs.

I’ve listened to a good chunk of those initial 96 games on the radio. At first, it was jarring. There was simply…no Uecker. There were plenty of heartfelt and humorous Uecker remembrances from his former broadcast partners—Jeff Levering, Lane Grindle, and Josh Maurer—but no Uecker. No stories. No chuckles. No hair-raising home run calls. No ribbing. Nothing.

As the season progressed, things settled into a comfortable rhythm, as all things baseball tend to do. I’ve enjoyed listening to Levering, Grindle, and Maurer. They do a stellar job of calling the games and they posses a natural and easygoing chemistry no matter how they’re paired up. (Levering spends most of his time calling play-by-play for the Brewers’ TV broadcasts.) They’re seasoned vets at this point—Levering has been with the Brewers for 11 years, Grindle for 10, Maurer for four—and it shows. They’re funny. I get a kick out of their Gen X- and Millennial-friendly references and jokes. My personal jury is still out on Grindle’s “Bye bye baseball” home run call.

BYE BYE BASEBALL

Christian Yelich goes the oppisite way to break the game open with a 3 run home run to give the Brewers a 5-1 lead.
Hear the call from @lanegrindle and the Brewers Radio Network#ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/zbW4o25pBm

— 620 WTMJ (@620wtmj) May 31, 2025

Strangely, I’ve found the thing I miss most isn’t necessarily Uecker’s presence in the booth (though that’s still hugely missed, of course), but his presence in the overall broadcasts. The last few years before his death found Ueck calling fewer and fewer games. Away games were the first to go; soon, home games were on a “case-by-case” basis. But even without Uecker calling the games themselves, his voice was still part of the radio broadcasts. “The soundtrack of summer isn’t complete without Mr. Baseball!” numerous commercials and bumpers would proclaim before cutting to Uecker’s iconic “Get up! Get up! Get outta here! Gone!” There were audio clips of him saying random things like “Oh baby!” There were those Usinger’s ads.

And then there weren’t. Those clips and commercials are gone now, replaced with ones featuring the current broadcast team. That’s the way it has to be, of course, but oh baby, it stings.

A “Celebration of Life” for Bob Uecker is scheduled for Sunday, August 24 at American Family Field, before and during a 1:10 p.m. game against the San Francisco Giants. Bob Costas will present a pregame program. There will be special guests, videos, Uecker-themed giveaways and merch, and more. My family and I bought tickets the second the event was announced.

So will that be it? Will that be the final word on Uecker? Of course not. He’ll continue to live on in the various tributes scattered throughout AmFam Field: the multiple statues, the plaques, the numbers, the banners, and more. He’ll continue to live on in videos and movies. He’ll continue to live on in calls both iconic and infamous.

And even though Usinger’s spokesperson duties have passed to Robin Yount, Uecker will live on there, too. A tradition carried on by a friend. A tradition that is silly, sure, but a tradition that is nonetheless peak Milwaukee, peak Wisconsin. A tradition started by a true original who may be gone but who will not be forgotten. Spokespeople change. Seasons pass. Legends don’t.