Milwaukee pays tribute to Bob Uecker in Brewers' first home game since his death

MILWAUKEE (AP) — As the Milwaukee Brewers conducted a moment of silence before their home opener to honor Bob Uecker, one fan decided keeping quiet wasn’t the best way to pay tribute to the lovable loquacious broadcaster.

“We love you, Ueck,” the spectator shouted.

Fans, players and executives simply couldn’t hold back their appreciation for Uecker, who died Jan. 16 at the age of 90 after broadcasting Brewers games for the last 54 seasons and arguably becoming the most recognizable figure in franchise history.

The tributes to him were all over American Family Field as the Brewers lost 11-1 to the Kansas City Royals on Monday in their first home game since Uecker’s death. It was apparent from Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio’s decision to wear one of the plaid blazers that Uecker often favored.

“I did my best to find a jacket in my closet that would be something he would wear,” Attanasio said.

The grounds crew had Uecker’s signature decorated on the outfield grass. The Brewers wore patches honoring Uecker on their jersey sleeves, something that they’ll do all season. The first pitches were thrown by representatives of the Wounded Warrior Project and the ALS Association, two of Uecker’s favorite causes. The pro shop sold a line of Uecker-themed clothes, with portions of the proceeds benefiting charities Uecker had supported.

Outside the press box entrance was a banner with the message “We’ll Miss You, Bob,” that included thank-you notes from fans who had signed it after Uecker’s death.

Way over in the upper right-field corner of American Family Field in a section where tickets aren’t sold, the Brewers placed a giant blue tarp bearing the message “I must be in the front row,” a nod to a famous Uecker line from one of his Miller Lite beer commercials.

“Obviously we all miss him and wish he was here,” said outfielder Christian Yelich, who had worn a plaid blazer to honor Uecker before Thursday’s season opener at Yankee Stadium. “I think he’ll be with us for this season and many seasons going forward.”

Brewers fans came up with plenty of different ways to pay tribute to Uecker, who continued to broadcast home games last year even as he battled small cell lung cancer.

Many spectators spent the minutes before the game lining up to get their photos taken flanking a Uecker statue in Section 422. Another statue outside the stadium honoring Uecker was decorated with a sign featuring his trademark home-run call: “Get up! Get up! Get out of here! Gone!” Other fans lined up Miller Lite beer cans at the base of the statue.

“He was the voice of our childhood summers,” said David Horton of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, who placed one of the beer cans at the base of the statue. “We had him on in the garage with our dads in the back yards. He was just a staple. We just wanted to pay our respects in a small way and show some love.”

This wasn’t the first time fans had placed Miller Lite cans at the base of that statue to pay tribute to Uecker. Many of them also had done so after Uecker’s death, even though the freezing temperatures assured the full beer cans wouldn’t stay that way for long.

“They said the beer cans started popping, and they thought it was Uecker doing it because he was thirsty, getting ready for opening day,” quipped Paul Stainbrook of Racine, Wisconsin.

The tributes continued around town.

Kopp’s, a local burger restaurant known for its frozen custard, offered a special “Mr. Baseball” flavor for Monday’s home opener. It included beer nuts, chocolate-covered peanuts and a splash of Miller Lite. Kopp’s donated 20% of the custard sales to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, in honor of Uecker’s career batting average of .200.

Milwaukee loved Uecker because of what he meant to the city. He stayed true to his hometown and continued working Brewers games even as his star rose from his Miller Lite commercials, his chats with Johnny Carson and his featured roles in the movie “Major League” and TV’s “Mr. Belvedere.”

“There’s nobody who was more loyal or genuine,” Attanasio said.

He also was beloved by players and made regular pregame appearances in the Brewers’ locker room. Milwaukee’s players loved him so much that manager Pat Murphy took time out from the Brewers’ division-clinching celebration last season to recognize Uecker so that the team could give him an ovation.

When that season ended with a heartbreaking loss in the NL Wild Card Series, Uecker walked into a silent locker room and comforted players such as Devin Williams, who had given up a two-run, ninth-inning lead. Yelich said the toughest part of the night was speaking to Uecker afterward and knowing how badly the longtime broadcaster wanted to see the Brewers win that elusive World Series title.

He would have been the ideal voice to help settle a team that just got outscored 36-14 while opening the season with three straight losses to the New York Yankees.

“Ueck just had a way to put things in perspective,” Murphy said. “He had been through so much. He knew he had. So he could calm you down. He could put you in the right frame of mind. He could joke about it. He had a beautiful way about him.”

But as Yelich noted, Uecker’s spirit will remain here long after his voice isn’t heard on Brewers broadcasts anymore. That thought provided comfort to fans such as Heather Floyd-Gabrysiak of West Allis, Wisconsin, who made sure to arrive for Monday’s game wearing a Brewers jersey with Uecker’s name on the back.

“He’s always going to be here,” Floyd-Gabrysiak said. “Even if he’s not here, you’ll still feel him here. He’ll still be a part of it always.”

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Cans and bottle of beer, along with other items, adorn the base of the the Bob Uecker statue in front of American Family Field following a baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals on Opening Day, Monday, March 31, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

A fan kneels in front of the Bob Uecker statue outside American Family Field following a baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals on Opening Day, Monday, March 31, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

A Milwaukee Brewers fan wears a Bob Uecker jersey as he walks to his seat during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, March 31, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

A Bob Uecker memorial patch adorns a Milwaukee Brewers jersey at a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Monday, March 31, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Milwaukee Brewers players and coaches walk across Bob Uecker's signature in the outfield prior to a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals on Opening Day Monday, March 31, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

A tribute to Bob Uecker is displayed prior to a baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals on Opening Day Monday, March 31, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Sean Woods, left, and David Woods observe the memorial at the Bob Uecker statue in front of American Family Field prior to a baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals on Opening Day Monday, March 31, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Bob Uecker bobbleheads adorn the dashboard of Joshua Stanelle's Milwaukee Brewers themed van prior to a baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals on Opening Day Monday, March 31, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Milwaukee Brewers fans gather near the Bob Uecker statue outside of American Family Field prior to a baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

A Milwaukee Brewers fan observes the memorial at the Bob Uecker statue in front of American Family Field prior to a baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals on Opening Day Monday, March 31, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)