Major League Baseball commissioner emeritus and former Milwaukee Brewers owner Bud Selig said he is heartbroken by the news of the passing of Wisconsin legend Bob Uecker who succumbed to battle against small-cell lung cancer.
“I can’t begin to describe how much he meant to me, let alone what this loss is for Brewers fans, the state of Wisconsin and countless others worldwide. Bob had the easiest way of making others feel at ease, share a laugh and always left people feeling a little better. Nobody was his equal,” he said in a message broadcasted by MLB Network.
Both Selig and Uecker hail from Milwaukee. The latter was from Menomonee Falls.
Their love for Milwaukee is well-documented.
Selig is credited for making sure that Milwaukee will continue having a baseball team. In 1960s, the majority owners wanted to move the team to Chicago. They were still called Braves then and Selig was just a minority owner.
By 1965, he made sure that the team he grew up watching will stay in the city by founding the Milwaukee Brewers in the minor league baseball and then worked hard to elevate them to MLB.
Meanwhile, Uecker became a legend in Wisconsin not because of his MLB stints but because of entertaining time as a the Brewers’ long-time broadcaster.
Bud Selig calls Bob Uecker a giant loss
The two Wisconsin legends had more than 50 years of friendship.
Selig said Uecker is a giant loss for him and that he keeps his family in his mind in this trying times.
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“I am so grateful that Bob’s friendship was a constant presence throughout most of my life. For over fifty years, rarely did a day pass where we missed a conversation, a sharing of stories, and countless laughs. That cannot be replaced and is a giant loss, but I am lucky to have experienced that kind of enduring friendship. “Sue and I are thinking of Judy, Bob’s children Sue Ann and Bob Jr., and all of Bob’s family during what is a difficult time for all of us.”
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