PHOENIX, Ariz. (CBS 58) -- The Brewers' first preseason game is coming up tomorrow and of course, the missing voice will be that of the late Bob Uecker, who died a little more than a month ago.
CBS 58's Lance Allan sat down with announcers Jeff Levering and Lane Grindle to get their emotions.
"For us? I mean Opening Day is Opening Day," Brewers' Announcer Jeff Levering said. "It's a new season. It's exciting. There's just going to be one giant piece that's not going to be there. His presence will be felt. Wherever we go. You felt it when he walked through the doors in spring training here to the facility. He's everywhere. He's always on your shoulder. No matter what."
"He was like that when he was still around too. But I think for both of us? What he would want is us to talk about the Brewers. He wants us to talk about baseball. He wants us to talk about what's going on this season. He doesn't want to make it about him. There will be references. There will be conversations. We'll talk about it because he's always going to be with us. But at the end of the day? He wants us to talk about the Milwaukee Brewers and what they're going to be like this year," said Levering.
"We're here to do a baseball game and it's going to be way different, because there's a massive void for not just us, but for everybody associated with this organization and all of its fans," Brewers Announcer Lane Grindle said "And we're aware of that. But it's not just going to be tomorrow. It's going to be five days after that. It's going to be opening day. It's going to be the home opener."
"It's going to be a Wednesday in June. This is going to be an ongoing process of learning to be around Brewers baseball without Ueck's presence. We've called a lot of games without Ueck. Especially over the last couple of years. But there was always the understanding that there was that next game with Ueck. Now we don't have that. And that's going to be the part that I can't honestly say how I'm going to feel about it. Until we're into it and we go through it," said Grindle.
Both say they have nothing scripted for the game against the Reds to open Cactus League play. But both will speak from the heart.
The Brewers' first preseason game is coming up tomorrow and of course, the missing voice will be that of the late Bob Uecker, who died a little more than a month ago.