Although he has now been gone (six years) longer than he was here (five), Matt Vasgersian remains a Milwaukee favorite.
Saturday afternoon, he reminded us why.
Vasgersian, who became the TV announcer for the San Diego Padres in 2002 after spending five years in a similar post with the Brewers, called the Brewers-Padres game for the Fox regional broadcast.
When second baseman Rickie Weeks hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth, Vasgersian called the action and paid homage to Brewers radio icon Bob Uecker.
I couldn't hear it live in the press box, but co-worker Andy Tarnoff, who was watching the broadcast at home, provided the transcript"
"Weeks swings and sends a high drive to left center ... Get up ... get out of here ... gone ... for Weeks ... his 35th ... his 16th of the year."
Vasgersian messed up Weeks' total, but quickly corrected himself.
"Thank you, Bob," color commentator Eric Karros said.
"My little homage to Bob Uecker," Vasgersian said.
Vasgersian ran into Uecker before the series opener Thursday and asked the Hall of Famer's permission before the tribute.
"I didn't want him to think I was goofing on him," Vasgersian said. "He said ‘Go ahead.'"
Vasgersian now works with another Hall of Fame broadcaster, Jerry Coleman.
"My Jerry Coleman isn't as good as my Uecker. And that's really saying something."
Vasgersian does a dead-on impression of Reds radio broadcaster Thom Brennaman, who also does football for the Big Ten network.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.