Must Be in the Front Row

That's me on the left.

Bob Uecker, or more correctly, his likeness is seated NOT in the front row way behind home plate against the wall of Miller Park.

The statue is his second at the stadium.  Not bad for a lifetime .200 batter.

After his major league career ended in the mid-60s, Uecker signed up with the home-town Brewers as a scout.

Milwaukee's owner Bud Selig changed his mind the following year and put him on the radio broadcast team.  TV series, movies, commercials (Miller Lite had the commercial with the line, "I must be in the FRONT row.") and national broadcasts of baseball followed.

Jokes peppered his broadcast, but there was serious play by play - telling the story of each game mixed with stories of his baseball career.  There were many, many years that Uecker was the reason most tuned in to the games. 

I ordered the tickets for the Brewers - Marlins game three weeks ago.  At the time, they were in first place.  A team slump created a tail-spinning losing streak.

Losses mounted and the Crew isn't even in the playoffs at the moment.  Trailing St. Louis for the division lead and in third place for a Wild Card playoff that only takes two teams.

Yovanni Gallardo was on the mound.  He's been a very good pitcher for the Brewers since coming up as a rookie.  This year has been up and down, but he's been out giving his all.

Monday was not his night.  I saw one of the longest home runs I've ever seen live.  Unfortunately, a Miami Marlin hit it - the ball stopping only because it ran into the scoreboard in center field.

The result was another loss.  Ugghh!

On the bright side, the Bratwurst tasted real good with the Secret Stadium Sauce, Koop's Mustard, and Pickle Relish (not pictured).  The Brat finished out of the running - trailing the Polish Sausage and winning Hot Dog.

It was a tough night as a fan.  But I sat next to Ueck, watched a game on a beautiful evening, and had a great time.

If the Brewers can manage to put a streak together over the last weeks of the season - that would really be the mustard on the bratwurst!  Go Brewers!