Willy Adames was all smiles seeing old friends with the Brewers, and fighting back tears missing another – remembering the loss of Bob Uecker.
“I only played [in Milwaukee] for four years, but it felt like 15 years because the way he made everyone feel was something special,” Adames said. “You’re missing that voice, that energy, that spirit … it’s going to take time for us to realize that he’s gone.”
The last time Adames got to see Uecker was the heartbreaking loss in the Wild Card round, sitting in Ueck’s familiar corner of the clubhouse next to Tony Migliaccio’s office. Fresh off of one of the most devastating losses of his career, he struggled to keep his emotions in around the Hall of Famer.
“The way he was speaking, it was sad, very emotional,” Adames said. “He got me crying right away, he said two words and I was already crying.”
“It was kind of like he was saying goodbye.”
Adames always understood the impact of having one of the legends of the game in the clubhouse. The pair would share a signature handshake that was initiated with a sharp salute, an homage to Uecker’s military service in the 50s.
The connection was so strong that Adames requested to attend Bob’s funeral in Milwaukee in January, but was politely informed it would be limited to family.
“It’s tough, especially with someone like him because everybody loved him,” Adames said. “I think it tells you a lot about a person when nobody had something bad to say about a guy like him … he was an angel on earth.”
The former Brewers shortstop signed a seven-year, $182M free agent contract with the San Francisco Giants this past offseason. His return to Milwaukee will come the weekend of August 22nd to 24th.
