This is Milwaukee, and the Packers' preseason schedule starts next Monday night. But before we immerse ourselves in the nuances of punt return units, youthful linebacking corps and the daily line on Brett Favre's retirement, let's allow one more summer afternoon to laze away -- with radio humming, cold drink chilling -- in acknowledgment of a city and American legend.

Bob Uecker became a Baseball Hall of Famer Sunday, and no one is more deserving. The career .200 hitter has devoted his life to the sport and the city of Milwaukee like no other person ... save, perhaps, Bud Selig. Funny how most people love the former and despise the latter.

Selig aside, Sunday finally gave Milwaukeeans reason to smile about the local installment of the national pastime. In fact, Uecker is often the sole reason to smile when it comes to the Brewers.

"Mr. Baseball" has been announcing Milwaukee Brewer games since 1971, the year after the team was born. In that stretch, he's seen exactly three post-season series and one World Series. Since that Fall Classic in 1982, the Brewers have had only six .500 seasons. And while he certainly had opportunities, Uecker never once threatened to leave for greener baseball pastures.

A native Milwaukeean, Uecker breathes Brewer baseball. Arguably, he's the franchise's biggest star, and he's undoubtedly its public face in the 21st Century. His remarks closed down County Stadium and opened Miller Park, and he entertained the baseball nation with his induction speech in Cooperstown this weekend. Uecker is the one Brewer of whom all Milwaukee fans are proud, regardless of the NL Central standings or dwindling attendance at Miller Park.

Uecker has literally seen it all. Harvey's Wallbangers. Sixto Lezcano's game-winning grand slam. Bambi's Bombers. Molly's hitting streak. Easter Sunday. Juan Nieves' no-hitter. Robin's 3,000th. I can trace much of my youth through his memorable calls of these franchise highlights. Today, I consider listening to Ueck describe a Brewer victory on a cool summer night to be the epitome of relaxation and enjoyment.

As far as the Brewers are concerned, he's worked with everybody: Merle Harmon, Tom Collins, Dwayne Mosley, Pat Hughes and now Jim Powell. Nationally, he's known for beer commercials, Mr. Belvedere -- perhaps the one unfortunate mark on his resume -- the "Major League" movie franchise, and countless interviews with Johnny Carson (if the Brewers were visiting the Angels in the '80s, Uecker was sure to be entertaining middle America at some point during the series).

Uecker, undeniably hilarious, is more than a mere jokester. Sure, he injects humor into losing games to keep his audience engaged, but he's also a legitimate Hall-of-Fame play-by-play man. Brewer fans know the team's tendencies by listening to Ueck -- he laments Brewer pitchers falling behind in the count, he lampoons the disparity between baseballs haves and have-nots between pitches, he gently points out the team's shortcomings, he hums in disappointment after blown saves, and he grandly celebrates the team's rare successes.

Uecker is Milwaukee; Milwaukee, Uecker.

"I never wanted to go anywhere else," Uecker said recently. "I've had chances to do other things, but I've never wanted to leave the Brewers, and I've never wanted to leave Milwaukee."

He appreciates the little things about Milwaukee and the Brewers, even if the rest of the country sees them only as fodder for SportsCenter gags.

"The sausage race that they have here. I mean, where else in baseball do they have a sausage race?" Uecker once said. "A guys slides down into a beer mug on home runs ... anything and everything."

Of course, Uecker is at his best when he's calling winning Brewers baseball. Though that has been far too rare an occurrence over the past decade, there are still moments. Eddie Perez's game-winning home run off the foul pole against Cincinnati this May brought out Ueck's trademark home run call and enthusiasm: "Swing and a drive, get up, stay fair, get out of here, GONE! It hit the pole! It hit the pole! Eddie Perez just hit a three-run, walk-off home run, and the Brewers have beaten the Cincinnati Reds! How about that one, folks?!"

The win improved the Brewers to just 15-28, but you would have never known it by the joy in Uecker's voice.

Friends and I were in attendance that Saturday and saw the drama unfold from the stands. Afterwards in the parking lot, we huddled around the car radio to hear Uecker's call on the post-game show. Listening to him describe the victory increased our satisfaction by half. That's Uecker -- he makes good things even better, and bad things seem like nothing at all.

"For all of these years it's been a great run, but No. 1 has always been baseball for me," Uecker said Sunday in Cooperstown. "Baseball was the only way I wanted to go."

That makes perfect sense -- Uecker calling Brewers games is the only way Milwaukee ever wanted to go, too.