Two giants of Milwaukee sports media apparently have made up after a spat over the weekend.
Bob Uecker, a legend in the Brewers' broadcast booth as Mr. Baseball, ripped the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel during Saturday's broadcast for what he considered unfair treatment in a story about Friday's power outage at Miller Park.
The MJS execs apparently agreed, because a personal apology was delivered to Uecker between the day and night games on Saturday.
Uecker legitimately was upset about a section in a story that appeared in Saturday's paper concerning an alleged dispute of a female fan who wanted to take an elevator usually reserved for media after the Friday game was suspended by a power outage.
The woman, who was having problems with her asthma, reportedly was told the elevator was reserved for Uecker. She was quoted as saying, "He (Uecker) is not God. I'm sure he wouldn't mind riding with us."
Observers say Uecker was gracious and polite when he joined the woman and others in the elevator. Uecker said he was not aware of any dispute until he read about it in the newspaper on Saturday morning. The elevator is regularly used for media who are on deadlines and need to get to the Brewers' interview room in a hurry.
I understand why Uecker was upset about the few paragraphs. The information was sketchy and full of innuendo. I remember thinking when I read it "why was this included in an overall story about a power outage?"
The Journal Sentinel did run a four-paragraph "correction" regarding the story in Sunday's paper.
I've covered the Brewers for 24 years and have seen Uecker frequently go out of his way to accommodate requests for autographs, etc. In fact, I've often wondered how he can be so patient. He's donated hours of his time to do promos for Wisconsin tourism and charities.
A few years ago, when my father was about to undergo surgery for an aneurysm -- similar to one Uecker had done a couple years earlier -- Ueck sent a note of encouragement to Dad, whom he had never met. So, I can understand why he was angered by the reference in the story and recent letters-to-the-editor critical of him. He certainly doesn't need the publicity and the tone of what has appeared in the MJS does not reflect the fans' overall feelings for him.
The incident also demonstrates that while Journal Communications is the dominant media power in Milwaukee, it is not always one big happy family. Uecker's comments were, of course, on WTMJ-AM -- a Journal Company-owned radio station -- and MJS is owned by the same company.
(Gregg Hoffmann wants to acknowledge that Journal Communications is co-publisher of his book, "Down in the Valley: The History of Milwaukee County Stadium." He has enjoyed good relations with MJS, WTMJ and Bob Uecker. Peace, brothers. )
Rampage in U.S. Open
For the first time since 1998, the Milwaukee Rampage will play in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup competition, considered one of the top competitions in pro soccer.
The Rampage will meet the Utah Blitzz, yes that's spelled with two z's, on June 27 at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex. Milwaukee breezed through qualifying for the Open Cup with a 5-0-1 record.
The Open Cup pits teams from Major League Soccer, Premier Development League and other top leagues from around the country.
With the success of the Rampage and indoor Wave, Milwaukee is becoming known as a mecca for soccer. If a new stadium is built for the game downtown, the city should enjoy premier status in the country in the sport.
Mustangs' Buzz
The latest buzz on the Milwaukee Mustangs Arena Football League team has a local unidentified interest buying the team from the Vallozzi family after the season and keeping the franchise in town. The new owner also reportedly will have to mend some relations with the Bradley Center.
The Mustangs have been told that remodeling of the BC might conflict with their season next year. There reportedly also have been some financial disputes with the BC. Stay turned for further developments.
Meanwhile, on the field, the Mustangs won their first game of the season Saturday, with a 62-50 upset of Grand Rapids.
Pro Golfers Are Coming
Skip Kendall and Steve Stricker failed to make the cut at the U.S. Open, but both will join other PGA players at the Greater Milwaukee Open, July 12-15. Look for advance stories, starting next week, in this column and feature coverage when the tourney is held at Brown Deer Golf Course.
Gregg Hoffmann writes the Milwaukee Sports Buzz column on Mondays. He also publishes The Brew Crew Review column on OMC on Mondays and Fridays, and maintains a special Brewers message board.
