Name: Robert George Uecker
Nickname: Mr. Baseball
Born: Jan. 26, 1935, in Milwaukee
Resides: Menomonee Falls and Scottsdale, Ariz

Bob Uecker has probably seen more baseball games at County Stadium than anyone. He played two seasons for the Milwaukee Braves (1962-63) and is in his 30th season as a broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers. Uecker recently talked with TSN correspondent Emmett Prosser about his memories of County Stadium.

TSN: Can you go through some of your top memories at County Stadium, both as a player and as a broadcaster?

Uecker: As a player, this was the first big-league field I ever walked out on. To walk out here as a player was a big kick because I was born and raised here. I was brought up about a half a mile from the stadium. I saw this place when it was being built. I used to come down with some of my friends and watch what was going on. There were guys that I used to watch play, that I ended up becoming a teammate with. Guys like Aaron, Matthews, Spahn, Joe Adcock, Burdette, Johnny Logan and Felix Mantilla and many others. To have played here and then to get to come back as a broadcaster and work here is the ultimate kick for any guy. Anybody would want that kind of a life. To work in your hometown and be able to come back and broadcast big-league baseball, with all the other stuff I’ve done, this is still No. 1. County Stadium has been my home for a long time. The 1982 season here when the Brewers played the Cardinals in the World Series was probably the highlight of anything that has happened in the Brewers organization. I still think the Brewers were the better team but they didn’t win it. They didn’t have their full complement of players.

TSN:Is their any truth to the myth that County Stadium isn’t a good hitter’s park?

Uecker: I’ve always liked this park. A lot of players today say it’s not a good hitter's park. I find that totally unbelievable. There have been some amazing hitters who have played in this park. There were a lot of guys on visiting clubs who loved to hit in this ballpark. Look at all of the guys who have hit well here. Henry Aaron played here twice. Robin Yount and Paul Moilitor are Hall of Fame players. I don’t buy it when people tell me it’s tough to hit here.

TSN: On April 19, 1987, Rod Deer and Dale Sveum hit home runs in the ninth inning to extend the Brewers' winning streak to 12 games. Is that one of your biggest memories?

Uecker: It was a day that no Brewers fan would ever forget. It was chaotic and it was fun. When Sveum hit the homer in the bullpen to win it, the place just went nuts. Nobody could ever touch the 1982 club, but the 1987 club had a lot of talent and they were a lot of fun. There are a lot of other games I remember: Sixto Lezcano’s grand slam on an opening day against the Red Sox. Don Money hit a home run to win the game and New York Yankees manager Billy Martin complained to the umpires that time had been called. Paul Molitor’s 39-game hitting streak was great. Robin Yount’s 3,000th hit, Henry Aaron’s last home run, Henry Aaron’s last base hit and RBI -- those things stay with you all the time.

TSN:What about Yount’s 3000th hit? You and Yount have always been close so calling that must have been an honor for you?

Uecker: That was a big thrill. Anytime you can call something that’s a part of history; it’s something special. I’ve seen Robin from the beginning, and he was a fantastic player.

TSN: You must have seen a lot of unusual happenings here both as a player and as a broadcaster.

Uecker: We used to do a lot of wacky stuff here in the 1970s to help boost attendance. We did a pregame show from a hot air balloon here once. I fell out of it and the pilot fell out of it. (He’s just kidding.) I used to milk cows but I stopped because the cows kept following me up to the booth. Where else in baseball do you have a sausage race? It’s become a part of any game that’s played here. There was a rock concert here once, and about a week after the band was here, there were marijuana plants growing in center field. I couldn’t figure out why all the outfielders were standing in one spot.

TSN: Will you be pleased to move to Miller Park?

Uecker: I’m not sad that we’re leaving. It’s time to move on. I don’t know how they keep this place going. I don’t know how they keep the scoreboard plugged in everyday. So many things go wrong with this stadium every day. It’s time to go. What makes any stadium a part of your life is not only calling the action, but also hanging out with and working with the people who are not involved in the front lines, the people who are backstage. This has been a great place. It’s been a big part of my life. I’ve seen a lot come through here and a lot leave here.

--Sporting News

Quotable Uecker

"The biggest thrill a ballplayer can have is when your son takes after you. That happened when my Bobby was in his championship Little League game. He really showed me something. Struck out three times. Made an error that lost the game. Parents were throwing things at our car and swearing at us as we drove off. Gosh, I was proud."

"I led the league in 'Go get 'em next time.' "

"In 1962, I was named Minor League Player of the Year. It was my second season in the bigs."

"I look at this magnificent ballpark, Helfaer Field, and I wonder if I could have hit one out of here."

"Wait until it stops rolling and pick it up." -- on how to catch a knuckleball.

"When they asked me about this Walk of Fame, they said we can do it now or later on and put you in one of them boxes like they did for Lennon and Stalin and put you over there and out in front of the main enterance. Pack you in ice. I don't want to do that. You know I figure someone's going to write graffiti on that thing: "Get up, get up, get outta here."

"Anybody with ability can play in the big leagues. But to be able to trick people year in and year out the way I did, I think that was a much greater feat."

"I hit a grand slam off Ron Herbel and when his manager Herman Franks came out to get him, he was bringing Herbel's suitcase."

"I set records that will never be equaled. In fact, I hope 90 percent of them don't even get printed."

"When I looked at the third base coach, he turned his back on me."

"I didn't get a lot of awards as a player. But they did have a Bob Uecker Day Off for me once in Philly."

"Career highlights? I had two. I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets."

"I remember one time I'm batting against the Dodgers in Milwaukee. They lead, 2-1, it's the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two outs and the pitcher has a full count on me. I look over to the Dodger dugout and they're all in street clothes."

"In 1962 I was named Minor League Player of the Year. It was my second season in the bigs." "I signed with the Milwaukee Braves for $3,000. That bothered my dad at the time because he didn't have that kind of dough. But he eventually scraped it up."

"Career highlights? I had two. I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets."

"People don't know this, but I helped the Cardinals win the pennant. I came down with hepatitis. The trainer injected me with it."

"I signed with the Milwaukee Braves for $3,000. That bothered my dad at the time because he didn't have that kind of dough. But he eventually scraped it up."

"If a guy hits .300 every year, what does he have to look forward to? I always tried to stay around .190, with three or four RBI. And I tried to get them all in September. That way I always had something to talk about during the winter."

"I had slumps that lasted into the winter."

"One time, I got pulled over at 4 a.m. I was fined $75 for being intoxicated and $400 for being with the Phillies."

"The highlight of my career? In '67 with St. Louis, I walked with the bases loaded to drive in the winning run in an intersquad game in spring training."

"When I came up to bat with three men on and two outs in the ninth, I looked in the other team's dugout and they were already in street clothes."

"I knew when my career was over. In 1965 my baseball card came out with no picture."

-- various sources including JSOnline, ESPN.com, and BrewersRadioNetwork.com

Bob Uecker, the longtime voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, was named the 2003 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award.

Recognized five times as Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year, Uecker joined the Brewers broadcasting tandem of Merle Harmon and Tom Collins in 1971. The illustrious "Voice of the Brewers," the catcher-turned-broadcaster's self-effacing personality and eternally optimistic outlook made him an instant fan favori

te. He has broadcast the World Series, League Championship Series and All-Star Game, as well as ABC's "Monday Night Baseball" in the 1970s and 1980s.

A world-renowned comedic voice in broadcasting, Uecker earned his break after opening for Don Rickles at Al Hirt's nightclub in Atlanta in 1969. Hirt was so impressed with Uecker's dead-pan comedy that he arranged for him to appear on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show." His instant success led to some 100 appearances with Carson, and appearances on ABC network television shows, including a starring role in "Mr. Belvedere" beginning in 1985. Uecker also hosted a pair of syndicated television shows, appeared in popular commercials, was cast as a radio announcer in the films "Major League" and "Major League II" and authored the hilarious book entitled "Catcher in the Wry," which recounts his major league career. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2001. Uecker spent six seasons in the major leagues with the Braves, Cardinals and Phillies, hitting .200 with 14 HR and 74 RBI.

He played on one World Series winner with the 1964 Cardinals.

--Baseball Hall of Fame

-- baseball-almanac.com