Has anyone else watched the first two Brewers/Cubs games? It has been unbelievable. The first game, for the Brewers, was one of the worst games I have ever seen played, on any level of baseball. Seriously, I haven’t seen ball played worse since JV baseball. Everything went wrong. The Brewers hitters made Rich Hill look like an All-Star. The second game, played today, was better, but it just seemed like nothing went the Brewers’s way. Every ball that was hit hard was right at the Cubs, every little squeaker the Cubs hit managed to find some green, it was almost unbearable to watch. Geoff Jenkins did hit his first homer of the season, which was a BOOMING home run to right. Rickie Weeks also hit his first, which I am thankful for, as he is not off to a very good start. Corey Hart also hit his first HR in last night’s game, a monster shot to left-center. This guy can definitely hit some long ones, just watch him once in BP and you’ll know. Ben Sheets pitched okay, nothing like his Opening Day masterpiece, he just couldn’t shut the Cubs hitters down. Dave Bush pitched well after the horrendous first inning last night. Let’s hope that Cappy throws a great game tomorrow afternoon, because I would really like to get back to .500 for the season. You can’t get swept by a division rival at home. Just can’t.

I just finished watching the Brewers Opening Day game against the Los Angeles Dodgers via MLBTV.com. It was great. The biggest question coming into today was Ben Sheets’s health. If today was any indication of this season, the rest of the National League should watch out for the Brewers. The hitters tore the cover off the ball, particularly J.J. Hardy, who finished with three hits. The best part was watching Benny throw a complete game 2-hit, 1-run masterpiece. After a 3-1 fastball down the middle that Jeff Kent barely hit over the centerfield wall, Sheets dominated everyone and didn’t allow another baserunner until Brady Clark managed a double down the line in the top of the ninth. He didn’t score. So, right now, that puts the Brewers at the top of the division on pace to win 162 games. Let’s hope it stays that way. Go Brewers!!!

Of course, I saved the best division for last. Naturally, I am partial to the Central, as it has the Brewers. However, I do believe that the Central has some very good teams in it, and it will be a struggle for power between all of the teams for the title of Division Champion come October.

1. Cardinals – Even though I dislike the Redbirds very much, especially since I live in St. Louis, it would be dumb to not pick the World Series Champions to win their division this season. They still have the best hitter on the planet in Albert Pujols, and he will have another MVP-caliber season. Scott Rolen figures to have another outstanding season, if he can remain healthy. I’d also like to interject here that I absolute do NOT like Jim Edmonds as a center fielder. He is probably the one guy I dislike the most of any in the Majors. The reason he has so many Gold Gloves is that he has to make amazing catches to make up for his awful judgement of flyballs. That, and the fact that he plays so shallow. Torii Hunter and Andruw Jones are camped under the flyballs that Edmonds has to dive for. Just thought I’d share that. One guy in the outfield I do like is Chris Duncan, son of the pitching coach Dave Duncan. The guy has great power, and plays a decent left field. David Eckstein is your prototype leadoff hitter, not much power, but gets on base a ton, and a pesky hitter. It is very hard to strike him out. The Birds won’t have much trouble scoring. It is the pitching that will decide if they repeat as Champs again. Chris Carpenter is still his CY-caliber self, but after him it gets dicey. Jeff Suppan went to Milwaukee (YEAH!!!), and Jason Marquis went to the Cubbies. St. Louis did sign Kip Wells and Ryan Franklin to take their places, but I don’t see either of them in star roles. Adam Wainwright will also join the starting rotation after being the star of last year’s playoff run in the pen. Time will tell if this will be a good idea or not. Jason Isringhausen looks to be healthy and will return to his closer role. Whether or not his outings become iffy is still up in the air. The rest of the pen is very solid, with Tyler Johnson and Braden Looper anchoring those late innings. Oh, did anyone else laugh when they heard about Tony La Russa’s DUI in Florida? I just think it’s funny, being that most of my friends down here are Cards fans and adore him. But, if St. Louis can rely on the rest of the starters for quality games, look for the Birds to be in the running again.

2. Brewers – Ah, my beloved Brewers. The only reason I don’t have them first is because St. Louis won the Series. Of course, I truly believe that the only thing keeping the Crew from being on top is that darned injury bug. If they can stay healthy all year long, the Brewers have an excellent chance of not only being above .500, but winning the division. Like usual, the Brewers are going to rely on Ben Sheets to get them there. If he is healthy, he is CY-caliber. Not only does he have the best K/BB ratio in the Majors, but if he can throw his curveball for strikes, he’s nearly impossible to hit. Following him are Chris Capuano, Jeff Suppan, Dave Bush, and Claudio Vargas. Capuano was an All-Star last year, and had 18 wins two years ago. If he can go back to his pre-break form of last year, he’ll be good for another 18 wins. Jeff Suppan has always been a Brewer-killer, so Ned Yost did the sensible thing and signed him. He is a workhorse with quality stuff. Look for Dave Bush and Claudio Vargas to both have good seasons this year, Bush is another good K/BB guy like Sheets. The bullpen will be almost unhittable if Francisco Cordero and Derrick Turnbow are at the top of their game. The rest of the pen is decent, with fireballer Jose Capellan and sidearm thrower lefty Brian Shouse. The pitching will be there for the Crew, what they will need is runs. They were near the bottom in most of the major offensive categories last year, but look for the young hitters to get better this time around. Billy Hall emerged as a power threat and will move to CF this season. Time will tell how he does defensively. Rickie Weeks has the capabilities to be a 30/30 guy. Prince Fielder will only improve on his power numbers, and look out for Corey Hart. I drafted him on my fantasy team for a reason. Johnny Estrada was also signed via trade to improve the hitting in the catching position, meaning former Viterbo V-Hawk star Damien Miller will be the backup. All in all, if the Brewers can score some runs, and most of all, stay healthy, they will compete for the division title.

3. Astros – Houston managed to pick up one of the biggest names on the free agent market this winter in Carlos Lee. He will provide a lot of power in the middle of the lineup, providing Lance Berkman with some much needed protection. He’s also helped by the short porch in left in Minute Maid Park. Craig Biggio is an almost lock for the 3000 hit club, and Morgan Ensberg will improve his power numbers greatly. The Astros will definitely hit. However, like St. Louis, other than Roy Oswalt, there really aren’t any great pitchers in the rotation. This is, of course, dependent on what Roger Clemens decides to do. If he comes back to Houston, he is still one of the best. They did sign Woody Williams, but he is average at best. Brad Lidge still remembers that HR he gave up to Pujols two years ago, it still hasn’t landed. Lidge is still a good closer with great stuff. Look for him to improve his numbers. Behind him are good relievers like Dan Wheeler and Chad Qualls. The bullpen is a strength for this club. But, they still need the starters to get the game to the pen. That may be the problem for this club.

4. Pirates – The Pirates are just chock-full of young talent. Jason Bay will continue to be an All-Star for years to come, he can crush the ball. Freddy Sanchez won the NL batting title last year, and Adam LaRoche came over from HOTlanta to bring some more power to the lineup. Pitching is much the same, very young, but with stellar talent. Zach Duke is most likely the ace, with guys like Ian Snell and Paul Maholm behind him. They are above-average, but not stars. In the pen, Pittsburgh took a hit when they traded away Mike Gonzalez for LaRoche. Taking his place as closer is probably Salomon Torres. The rest of the pen is above-average as well, with John Grabow and Damaso Marte leading them. Look for the young talent to lead this club places. It is this talent that will improve the club to staying out of the cellar, but not quite to the top…..yet.

5. Cubs – My least favorite team in the Majors. The Cubs. I rejoiced last year when they finished dead last in the division. Since Chicago didn’t feel the same as I did about last year, they went ahead and spent $300 million in the offseason to bring the likes of Alfonso Soriano and Jason Marquis to the Windy City. They also resigned 3B Aramis Ramirez to a 5-year, $75 million deal. We’ll see if all that money will be worth it in October. Once again, Carlos Zambrano will anchor the rotation. He has filthy stuff, CY-caliber. Look for him to be a quality ace. Following him are newly signed Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis. Both are average pitchers in their careers, don’t look for anything surprising there. As always, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood have injuries. Prior will start his season at Triple-A, and Wood is on the DL. There’s some words you never ever hear, "Kerry Wood on the DL." Lol. The pen is going to be okay, with Ryan Dempster as the closer and guys like Neal Cotts and Scott Eyre in the rotation. The Cubs have some very good hitters, with the likes of Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez. Look for Soriano to have a down year from last year. The rest of the lineup is okay, with some promising hitters, but the big three will carry the bulk of the load. Like usual, the Cubs will live and die by their pitching, and this year, it will be the latter.

6. Reds – Cincy was a big surprise for the majority of the season, being in the running for the playoffs until late. Aaron Harang will be great this season, he just keeps getting better and better every season, so look out. Bronson Arroyo showed flashed of brilliance last year, and will remain solid. The rest of the rotation however, will be a downfall. Eric Milton and Kyle Lohse just can’t seem to find themselves. The bullpen is much the same. David Weathers continues to age, and isn’t even a true closer. Mike Stanton will relieve him in some situations as the closer, too. The rest of the pen is up in the air, with a mix of vets and newbies. Adam Dunn continues to anchor the middle of the lineup as the second coming of Rob Deer. Seriously, the guy usually either strikes out or hits the ball 500 feet. Ken Griffey Jr. may have lost a step in the outfield, but his swing is one of pure beauty, look for him to approach 30 homers again, and up his average. Ryan Freel can play anywhere, and that may take its toll on him. The player I would watch for is Brandon Phillips, this kid can hit for power, hit for average, and has base-stealing speed. But, all of this added up still won’t bring the Reds over the hump of the rest of the division.

Seeing as how Opening Day is tomorrow, I figured that now would be a good time to run down the last two divisions. I only have the AL West and NL Central left, so, here ya go with the A.L West.

1. Rangers – I think that Texas can be scary good if they remain healthy. Their bullpen is a definite strength, adding former CY award winner Eric Gagne. However, he is going to start the season on the DL. Surprise surprise. Not to worry though, Akinori Otsuka did a superb job of closing last year, so he’ll take over til Gagne comes back. The starting rotation is anchored by ace Kevin Millwood, a workhorse. Vincente Padilla also has above-quality stuff, so look for him to get better, if he can just stop hitting batters. The Rangers also picked up young Brandon McCarthy from the White Sox to be a quality starter. However, the main strength of this ballclub is the hitting. Their 3-4-5 looks like Michael Young, Mark Teixeira, and Hank Blalock. Look for Blalock to have a monster season, MVPish. We all know how good of a hitter Young is, and Teixeira is a masher. Oh, and don’t forget about Ian Kinsler, the kid can hit. If the starting rotation throws well, look for Texas to be in the playoffs.

2. Angels – By now most everyone has heard about Gary Matthews, Jr. and his HGH ordeal. If he can forget all about that, the Angels have one of the best outfields in the Majors. Left to right, Garret Anderson (who can still hit with some power), Gary Matthews Jr. (had a breakout season last year, look for him to continue it) and Vladimir Guerrero (strongest arm in the Majors, and his strike zone is 20 feet wide). Up and down this lineup, all of the guys can hit. Scoring runs shouldn’t be a problem. John Lackey is a stud as the new ace of this rotation. Look for him to have a CY type season. Behind him is Jered Weaver, Jeff’s little brother. He had a great season last year, but watch out for him to falter a little this summer. Of course, Bartolo has a CY to his name, but he is perenially injured. He is starting this season off on the DL again, and who knows when he will return. In the pen you have Francisco Rodriguez, one of the best closers in all of baseball. K-Rod will once again be in the CY running. Rounding out the rest of the pen are veterans like Scot Shields and Darren Oliver, all looking to keep the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the race for October.

3. Athletics – I just seems like Billy Beane and Oakland find ways to keep winning by playing Moneyball (which, by the way, is an excellent read). This season, I believe that the A’s will fall in the division. They just won’t score enough runs. Their hitters have power, but are lacking in the averages. Their leading home run hitter last season, Nick Swisher, hit 35 HR, but only batted .254. It is the same up and down the lineup. They need Eric Chavez and Milton Bradley to regain the form they once had to gain any ground on the Angels and Rangers. Dan Haren is the new ace, now that Barry Zito swam across the Bay. He has quality stuff, and will have a good season. Rich Harden and Esteban Loaiza are both excellent starters, so the rotation will keep the A’s in many games. Huston Street has emerged as a top-tier closer in the game, but will need the other relievers, like Alan Embree and Kiko Calero to chew up some quality innings. While the pitching is great, it’s the scoring runs that will ultimately decide whether or not the A’s are playing in October again.

4. Mariners – Seattle has some great hitters in the lineup. Look for Richie Sexson (former Brewer) to have another typical power season. Adrian Beltre may have finally regained his stroke. Kenji Johjima is a great hitting catcher, and Ichiro is still Ichiro. However, don’t count on Raul Ibanez to have the caliber of season he had last year. Still, the Mariners will hit and score plenty of runs. It is the pitching that will doom Seattle. Felix Hernandez has great stuff, he just needs to control it. Another 12-14 season just won’t cut it. He’ll be better this season. The rest of the rotation, however, is mediocre at best. Jarrod Washburn (WI native) just does not live up to his potential. The likes of Miguel Batista and company need to have outstanding seasons for the Mariners to have a chance. The pen is steady, with J.J. Putz closing out games when he gets the chance. Chris Reitsma was also signed to be the setup man. He brings some good veteran experience. Don’t look for Seattle to overcome the other three teams in this division quite yet, but they may be a sleeper team, so do keep an eye on them.

Well, it looks like I was wrong. The Brewers logjam in the catcher’s spot is of no more. Luckily, Mike Rivera has cleared waivers and will be sent to Triple-A Nashville. I think this is absolutely great for the club. Not only is Rivera is a great catcher, but he can hit too. I thought for sure another club would have picked him up off of waivers. But, he will join J.D. Closser down in Nashville. However, in some new news, the Brewers traded Minors veteran Ben Hendrickson to the Kansas City Royals for catcher Maxim St. Pierre. He will also report to Nashville. So, this means that if either Johnny Estrada or Damien Miller go down due to injury, the Brewers have more than enough talent to rely on at Triple-A. And, all the best of luck to Hendrickson, hopefully he can become a star in KC. Only 6 more days to Opening Day!!!!!!

At long last, I am back again. School has been killer on my schedule, allowing me ZERO time to post anything. But, I have some time now, so I thought I’d run down the A. L. Central for ya’s.

1. Twins – The Twinkies boast of THE best pitcher in the game right now. I’m talking about Boof Bonser, of course! Just kidding, hehe. Although Boof does show promise, you know who I am talking about. Johan Santana is not only the best pitcher in the Majors, he will continue to be for a few years yet. The only thing that may slow him down is the fact that he also either leads or is close to leading the Majors in innings pitched. Those tend to wear a pitcher out. After Santana in the rotation is Carlos Silva, a veteran who needs to pick up after last season’s 11-15 record and 5.94 ERA. Joe Nathan is an absolute STUD in the pen. This guy is sparkling, if you don’t believe me, just look at his numbers last year. How many closers were 7-0 with 36 saves and a 1.58 ERA? Just one. Oh, did I forget to mention the fact that the Twins have in their hitting arsenal not only the reigning batting champ, but also the reigning A. L. MVP? Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau will once again rise to the challenge and put up monster numbers. I do, however, predict that Mauer’s average will drop some as he hits for more power. They also have Michael Cuddyer out there in right field. Make a steal of him in your fantasy draft, he will lead the team in homers this year. Overall, the Twins are still very young and will continue to contend for the lead in the very tough Central division.

2. White Sox – The South-siders went 90-72 last year, and finished third, that’s right, THIRD in their division. That’s how tough the Central is. This year, the Sox are going to have to figure out how to just a few more games to jump ahead of the Twins and Tigers (and possibly the Indians) and make the playoffs. The rotation is anchored by their ace, Mark Buehrle. He suffered a down year last year, and is hoping to come back strong. Jon Garland won 18 games for the second year in a row, yet no one knows about it. I’m thinking he won’t win that many this year, but will come close. They also have workhorses Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez starting. Bobby Jenks is nasty on the mound in the 9th. His setup guys, Mike MacDougal and Matt Thorton are equally as tough. The lineup is extremely powerful, with Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye, and Paul Konerko in the middle crushing balls into the bleachers at the Cell. Of course, my "pick to click" is always Joe Crede. What can I say, I love the guy, he is continuing to get better at the plate, and is Gold Glove material at 3rd. If you don’t know what the "pick to click" is, watch and listen to Hawk and Darrin (a former Brewer) on WGN. It’s great. The big question mark however, is if Scotty Podsednik (another former Brewer) can hit for average while he steals his bases. If he can, look out for the Sox to take over 1st place.

3. Tigers – The first thing the Tigers worked on in Spring Training is pitcher’s defense. It was horrible in the Series. But, it’s a new season, and the Tigers are looking to hold on to that pennant. Pitching is what got them that pennant in the first place, and the offseason held no changes for the Tigers. Justin Verlander is coming off a ROY season, but look for his to falter some. Kenny Rogers Chicken is looking more and more like Roger Clemens, getting better as he ages. Jeremy Bonderman is also getting better every season, look for him to do the same, possible Cy Young here. He’s got that good of stuff. In the pen, the Tigers acquired crafty veteran Jose Mesa to add to the already superior staff. Todd Jones continues to rack up the saves, even though he doesn’t have much on the fastball (he’s tricky with the offspeed stuff), and Joel Zumaya can throw about Mach 5. Nasty stuff there. At the plate, the Tigers improved in the power category, adding one of my least favorite players, Gary Sheffield. Anyone who remembers him from the Brewers in the late 80s and early 90s knows why. He was a team cancer. Joining him in the middle of the order is Magglio Ordonez and Pudge Rodriguez. Pudge is one of the greatest to ever play the 2, and Mags will have an even better year power-wise this season, watch for him. The only thing that will keep the Tigers from keeping that penant will be if the stellar young starters falter and when (not if) Sheffield isolates himself.

Indians – Two years ago, the Tribe looked like they might have a chance to make the playoffs. Last year they were 6 games below .500. This year, they try to jump out of 4th place again. Unless they can pull some rabbits out of their gloves, that won’t happen. The starters will win games, with C.C. Sabathia and Jake Westbrook at the front. Both are veteran workhorses with good stuff. Cliff Lee is also in the mix, look for him to improve on his 14 win season last year. The bullpen, however, isn’t looking too pretty. They signed Keith Foulke in the offseason. Look for him to do absolutely nothing this year, mainly because he retired a month after they signed him. After him, their is Joe Borowski, a veteran way past his prime. The offense will be good again, with Pronk (Travis Hafner) crushing the ball. Grady Sizemore will be in the All-Star game this year too. He’s only getting better. Victor Martinez is a great offensive catcher, but can’t throw anyone out. Look for him to play some first. With the shady defense and only mediocre bullpen and 4th and 5th starters, look for the Tribe to hold onto 4th place again.

5. Royals – One can’t help but wonder, is this the year that Kansas City FINALLY jumps out of the cellar? I’m putting my money on "no." They signed Gil Meche, the definition of mediocrity, to a $55 million contract, hoping that he will become an ace. Although he has talent, I’m just not sure he has enough to justify that much $$$. Joining him are other talented-but-just-not-star pitchers, such as Odalis Perez and Luke Hudson. Jorge De La Rosa (a former Brewer) looks to join the staff. The best pitcher, in my mind, is Zack Greinke, who had to take time off of baseball last season to deal with personal issues. I hope he has taken care of those, because he is an excellent pitcher if he can control himself. Once again, there won’t be much run-scoring going on in KC this season. Mark Sweeney is still the dominant hitter he has always been, but needs to stay healthy. Mark Teahen has the potential to be a regular All-Star, though. You might want to think about drafting him in your fantasy league, he’s eligible at 3rd, even though he’s moving to the OF this year. The bullpen got an upgrade from last year’s awfulness (it’s a word) with Octavio Dotel becoming the closer, although he hasn’t pitched in more than 15 games since 2004. They also signed David Riske and John Bale to help in the pen. Although they probably won’t lose 100 games this season, don’t count on the Royals to move anywhere out of the bottom of the division

Okay all of you couch GMs out there, I pose a question for you. Most of you who follow the Brewers know of their problem of the logjam in the outfield. But, do you also know of their problem in the 2? (That’s baseball speak for the catcher position) You see, they currently have 5 catchers in camp on the roster. I am going to go ahead and assume that Johnny Estrada is going to be the starting catcher for most of the games in the regular season. That’s why they got him from AZ. But, you have Damian Miller, a veteran who exercised his team option for this year to be the backup. Miller is more than happy to step down as the #1 catcher to make way for Estrada. Oh, and you also have young Vinny Rottino waiting in the wings down at Triple-A. Now, my question to you is, what do you do with Mike Rivera and J.D. Closser? Rivera did an excellent job last year at the end of the season filling in for Damian when he was injured. Yet, he is out of Minor League options. For those of you who aren’t sure what that means is, if the Brewers want to keep him, they need to sign him to the Major League roster. For, if they want to send him down to Triple-A, he would have to clear waivers. This means that any other team can pick him up. And, as good as Rivera is, that would almost certainly happen. I’m pretty sure Closser is out of options as well. So, what do you do if you are Doug Melvin? Do you go ahead and put Rivera on the Major League roster as a backup 1B or backup backup C? That would only further the logjam of hitters on the bench from the outfield. Yet, if you don’t sign him, he’s sure to be gone through waivers. And then you won’t have the chance to sign him. What do you think?

I would like to commend the Wisconsin Badger men’s basketball team. They were ungodly awful in the first half of their opening, but managed to pull it together in the second half and win. As most of you know, I am a diehard Badgers fan, and would have been most upset had they lost. Of course, I have UW going quite a ways in my brackets. So, my congrats go out to Bo Ryan and his boys, nice job. Especially good job by Kammron Taylor and Jason Bohannon. You two are going to have to excel for Bucky to make it further. Marion is definitely proud of its hometown boy. That’s you Jason. Awesome ball Badgers, keep it going!

In my not-so-humble opinion, Bob Uecker is the greatest announcer in all of sports, not just baseball. No one comes close to how funny he is on the air. I was lucky enough to be able to listen to him night after night back in Wisconsin for the Brewer games. In 2003, Mr. Baseball was inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame as a broadcaster, and what follows is his inductance speech. I think it is hilarious, just an example of what it is like listening to him on the radio. If you ever get the chance to listen to a Brewers game this season, I recommend you do it, if for no other reason than to hear Uecker announce. Enjoy.

"Thank you, Joe, thank you very much. And thank you ladies and gentlemen. And my congratulations to Hal (McCoy / winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award in 2003), Gary Carter, Eddie Murray, and to all of the members of the staff of the Hall of Fame, thank you very much. This has been a wonderful, wonderful time.

I, in deference to Hal McCoy, was asked to quit many times. I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Actually, I was born in Illinois. My mother and father were on an oleo margarine run to Chicago back in 1934, because we couldn’t get colored margarine in Wisconsin. On the way home, my mother was with child. Me. And the pains started, and my dad pulled off into an exit area, and that’s where the event took place. I remember it was a nativity type setting. An exit light shining down. There were three truck drivers there. One guy was carrying butter, one guy had frankfurters, and the other guy was a retired baseball scout who told my folks that I probably had a chance to play somewhere down the line.

I remember it being very cold. It was January. I didn’t weigh very much. I think the birth certificate said something like ten ounces. I was very small. And I remember the coldness on my back from the asphalt. And I was immediately wrapped in swaddling clothes and put in the back of a ’37 Chevy without a heater. And that was the start of this Cinderella story that you are hearing today.

I did not have a lot of ability as a kid, and my dad wanted me to have everything that everybody else had. I think the first thing that he ever bought me was a football. And I was very young. He didn’t know a lot about it, he came from the old country. I mean, we tried to pass it and throw it and kick it, and we couldn’t do it. And it was very discouraging for him and for me. Almost, we almost quit. And finally we had a nice enough neighbor, came over and put some air in it, and what a difference.

I got a lot of my ability from my father. As a lot of these other guys did. My father actually came to this country as a soccer player. He didn’t play, be blew up the balls is what he did. And they didn’t have pumps in those days. And to see a man put that valve in his mouth and insert it into a soccer ball, and blow thirty pounds of air. And then have the ability to pull that thing out without it fracturing the back of his mouth was unbelievable. You had to see his neck and his veins popping. It was unbelievable. How proud I was as I watched him do it time after time.

My first sport was eighth grade basketball. And my dad didn’t want to buy me the supporter johnny, you know, to do the job. So my mother made me one out of a flour sack. And the tough thing about that is, you put that thing on, you whip it out of your bag in the gym. You know all the guys are looking at it. And you start the game. The guy guarding you knows exactly where you’re going since little specks of flour keep dropping out. And then right down the front it says ‘Pillsbury’s Best.’

I signed a very modest $3,000 bonus with the Braves in Milwaukee, which I’m sure a lot of you know. And my old man didn’t have that kind of money to put out. But the Braves took it. I remember sitting around our kitchen table counting all this money, coins out of jars, and I’m telling my dad, ‘Forget this, I don’t want to play.’ He said, ‘No, you are going to play baseball. We are going to have you make some money, and we’re going to live real good.’ My dad had an accent, I want to be real authentic when I’m doing this thing. So I signed. The signing took place at a very popular restaurant in Milwaukee. And I remember driving, and my dad’s all fired up and nervous, and I said, ‘Look, it will be over in a couple of minutes. Don’t be uptight.’ We pull in the parking lot, pull next to the Braves automobile, and my dad screwed up right away. He doesn’t have the window rolled up far enough and our tray falls off and all the food is on the floor. And from there on it was baseball.

Starting with the Braves in Milwaukee, St. Louis, where I won the World’s Championship for them in 1964, to the Philadelphia Phillies and back to the Braves in Atlanta where I became Phil Niekro’s personal chaser. But during every player’s career there comes a time when you know that your services are no longer required, that you might be moving on. Traded, sold, released ,whatever it may be. And having been with four clubs, I picked up a few of these tips. I remember Gene Mauch doing things to me at Philadelphia. I’d be sitting there and he’d say, ‘Grab a bat and stop this rally.’ Send me up there without a bat and tell my to try for a walk. Look down at the first base coach for a sign and have him turn his back on you.

But you know what? Things like that never bothered me. I’d set records that will never be equaled, 90% I hope are never printed: .200 lifetime batting average in the major leagues which tied me with another sports great averaging 200 or better for a ten-year period, Don Carter, one of our top bowlers.

In 1967 I set a major league record for passed balls, and I did that without playing every game. There was a game, as a matter of fact, during that year when Phil Niekro’s brother (Joe) and he were pitching against each other in Atlanta. Their parents were sitting right behind home plate. I saw their folks that day more than they did the whole weekend.

But with people like Niekro, and this was another thing, I found the easy way out to catch a knuckleball. It was to wait until it stopped rolling and then pick it up. There were a lot of things that aggravated me, too. My family is here today. My boys, my girls. My kids used to do things that aggravate me, too. I’d take them to the game and they’d want to come home with a different player. I remember one of my friends came to Atlanta to see me once. He came to the door, he says, ‘Does Bob Uecker live here?’ He says, ‘Yeah, bring him in.’ But my two boys are just like me. In their championship little league game, one of them struck out three times and the other one had an error allowed the winning run to score. They lost the championship, and I couldn’t have been more proud. I remember the people as we walked through the parking lot throwing eggs and rotten stuff at our car. What a beautiful day.

You know, everybody remembers their first game in the major leagues. For me it was in Milwaukee. My hometown, born and raised there, and I can remember walking out on the field and Birdie Tebbetts was our manager at that time. And my family was there: my mother and dad, and all my relatives. And as I’m standing on the field, everybody’s pointing at me and waving and laughing, and I’m pointing back. And Birdie Tebbetts came up and asked me if I was nervous or uptight about the game. And I said, ‘I’m not. I’ve been waiting five years to get here. I’m ready to go.’

He said, ‘Well, we’re gonna start you today. I didn’t want to tell you earlier. I didn’t want you to get too fired up.’

I said, ‘Look, I’m ready to go.’

He said, ‘Well, great, you’re in there. And oh, by the by, the rest of us up here wear that supporter on the inside.’ That was the first game my folks walked out on, too.

But you know, of all of the things that I’ve done, this has always been number one, baseball. The commercials, the films, the television series, I could never wait for everything to get over to get back to baseball. I still, and this is not sour grapes by any means, still think I should have gone in as a player. Thank you very much.

The proof is in the pudding. No, this conglomeration of greats that are here today, a lot of them were teammates, but they won’t admit it. But they were. And a lot of them were players that worked in games that I called. They are wonderful friends, and always will be. And the 1964 World’s Championship team. The great Lou Brock. And I remember as we got down near World Series time, Bing Devine, who was the Cardinals’ general manager at that time, asked me if I would do him and the Cardinals, in general, a favor. And I said I would. And he said, ‘We’d like to inject you with hepatitis. We need to bring an infielder up.’ I said, ‘Would I able to sit on the bench.’ He said, ‘Yes, we’ll build a plastic cubicle for you because it is an infectious disease.’ And I’ve got to tell you this. I have a photo at home, I turned a beautiful color yellow and with that Cardinal white uniform. I was knocked out. It was beautiful, wasn’t it, Lou? It was great.

Of course, any championship involves a World Series. The ring, the ceremony, the following season in St. Louis at old Busch Stadium. We were standing along the sideline. I was in the bullpen warming up the pitcher. And when they called my name for the ring, it’s something that you never ever forget. And when they threw it out into left field. I found it in the fifth inning, I think it was, Lou, wasn’t it? And once I spotted it in the grass man, I was on it. It was unbelievable.

But as these players have bats, gloves…I had a great shoe contract and glove contract with a company who paid me a lot of money never to be seen using their stuff. Bat orders…I would order a dozen bats and there were times they’d come back with handles at each end. You know, people have asked me a lot of times, because I didn’t hit a lot, we all know that, how long a dozen bats would last me? Depending on the weight and the model that I was using at that particular time I would say eight to ten cookouts.

I once ordered a dozen flame-treated bats, and they sent me a box of ashes, so I knew at that time things were moving on. But there are tips that you pick up when the Braves were going to release me. It is a tough time for a manager, for your family, for the player to be told that you’re never going to play the game again. And I can remember walking in the clubhouse that day, and Luman Harris, who was the Braves’ manager, came up to me and said there were no visitors allowed. So again, I knew I might be moving on.

Paul Richards was the general manager and told me the Braves wanted to make me a coach for the following season. And that I would be coaching second base. So again, gone.

But that’s when the baseball career started as a broadcaster. I remember working first with Milo Hamilton and Ernie Johnson. And I was all fired up about that, too, until I found out that my portion of the broadcast was being used to jam Radio Free Europe. And I picked up a microphone one day and my mic had no cord on it, so I was talking to nobody. But it’s such a wonderful, wonderful thing today to be here. And one of my first partners was mentioned earlier, Merle Harmon, and Tom Collins, he’s here today. All of those who I have worked with from Merle to Lorn Brown to Dwayne Mosley, Pat Hughes, who now works for the Chicago Cubs, and my current partner today, Jim Powell and Kent Summerfeld. My thanks to all of you.

To my good pal Bob Costas out there. Thank you, Bobby. All of the network people, that has been as much a part of broadcasting for me as anything. The days with ABC and ‘Monday Night Baseball’ with the late Bob Prince and Keith Jackson and Al Michaels and my great pal, Don Drysdale. All of those people have played such a big part in me being here today. **** Ebersol, the head of NBC Sports. All of them are a big part of what I am. My family is seated over here. I love them very much.

Ulice Payne is here, the president of the Brewers. The commissioner of baseball is a guy that gave me my start. He said, ‘I want to bring you back to Milwaukee.’ And I said, ‘I’ll come.’ And here I am, 33 years later. Thank you, Al. I call him Al, Bud Selig. Wife Sue is here. To all of my Brewer family, Wendy, Laurel Selig… Wendy Selig-Prieb, Laurel Prieb. Tony Migliaccio, one of my great friends. Mike LaBoe, all my people. Jon Greenberg, I didn’t even know you were here. You took care of Hal McCoy, what the ****’s going on. But all of these people play such a big part in all of our lives.

And to all of you baseball fans around America and any place else, for your letters, your thoughts, your kindness for all of these years, it’s been a great run, but number one has always been baseball for me. No matter what else I ever did, baseball was the only way I wanted to go. I thank you very much for your attention today, thank you for having me, and congratulations to everybody here. Thank you very much everybody, thank you."

I am EXTREMELY ANGRY at Major League Baseball at the moment. If you haven’t heard, they sold the rights to the cable package of MLB Extra Innings to DirecTV for a gigantic sum of money. Something like $700 million if I remember correctly. What this means is that the thousands to millions of people who have cable are out of luck. Cable stations would have had to match the offer of DirecTV in order to keep the package. So, for people like me who live in an area of the country not near their team’s television stations, we can’t watch our teams anymore. That is, unless you are willing to switch your viewing from cable to satellite. And, in my case, I live in an area that just switched from having DirecTV to having Charter Cable. I was happy to get Charter because of the cable internet that they have. DirecTV has no such cable internet, only dial-up. But, now I’m irked since I am no longer able to watch the Brewers on the Extra Innings, and there is no way for me to get DirecTV back either. I’m S-O-L. And, seeing as how I live 400 miles from Milwaukee, the games don’t exactly come in on the FM. I’m stuck either having to watch the games on MLB.com, or listening to em on MLB.com. I haven’t made up my mind yet, what do you suggest?