Obviously, this is a Milwaukee Bucks blog. However, today, it’s more than that. Today, it’s not just a Milwaukee Brewers one as well, but a Milwaukee one.

Today, we lost an absolute legend in Bob Uecker.

Let me be frank. I don’t know where to start with this, so I’m just going to type out whatever comes into my head.

Bob Uecker embodied baseball to perfection. In its simplest form, baseball is a children’s game where all that’s needed is a ball and a stick.

When Ueck talked baseball, everyone felt transported back to that euphoric, childhood state where so many of us first found our love for the game.

Ueck achieved that in such an easy way — by being himself. Whether it was a close nail biter of a finish or the Brewers were getting trounced 14-1, it was always a must-listen. You never knew what stories would unfold with him behind the mic.

In a day and age where stats and accolades are endlessly analyzed and arguments of who’s the GOAT are overwhelmingly debated, Bob Uecker was the exact opposite.

By constantly making himself the butt of every one of his jokes, he brought not just laughs, but a sense of nostalgia association with the game of baseball from childhood, where smiles and laughter are the synonymous definitions of the game.

When I think of Ueck, that’s what I think of — my childhood.

Growing up, my family didn’t have cable. In fact, we’d finally get cable in 2008, which was the year the Brewers made their first playoff appearance since 1982.

Contrary to what my then 7th grade-self was thinking, I’m glad we didn’t have cable up until then. It allowed me to listen to Ueck on the airwaves.

It created an endless amount of memories that I’ll cherish the rest of my life.

I’ll never forget Eddie Pérez’s walk-off HR against the Reds in 2003 and Ueck’s, ““It hit the pole!” call. And then Wes Helms’ walk-off HR against the Expos in 2004. For that one, my brother and I were listening to a radio under our bed after we had been told it was bedtime, only to jump out of bed and run around the house (the excitement began before Ueck even started his second “Get up!” call.).

Then, you have the shared experiences that so many of us will treasure together. Sitting outside on a warm summer night, crickets chirping, the radio on, a warm breeze hitting your face, the smell of the grill tickling your nose, and Ueck’s voice gracing the airwaves.

When you sit back and remember those moments, you think back to the simplicity of it all. Bob Uecker, by being himself and just speaking words into a microphone, crafted himself as the voice of summer. And to me (and I’m sure many of you), that exact scene is, and will remain, the definition of summer.

So tonight, I welcome you all join me by heading out and to grabbing a pack of Usinger’s bratwurst and a pint of Cedar Crest ice cream to go along with it. That’s what I’ll be having for dinner.

And afterwards, I’ll be headed down to Miller Park (yes, I still call it that) to lay flowers by Ueck’s statue. If you’re in the Milwaukee area, please join me in doing so.

Ueck was Milwaukee. He was Wisconsin. Milwaukee Brewers games will never be the same. However, it’s through conversation with fellow fans that we’ll mourn, celebrate, smile, and joke about Ueck’s life — because that’s what he’d want us to do.

So, with that being said, I welcome you all to leave comments about some of your favorite Uecker calls. I know it’ll help me and I hope it’ll help you too.

RIP, Mr. Baseball. We’ll never forget you.

MILWAUKEE — For years, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents have worked out of an office in Downtown Milwaukee. 

That will change in the near future as the Department of Homeland Security plans to move its office on Knapp and Broadway to Lake Park Drive, just off Interstate 41 on Milwaukee’s northwest side. 

Documents obtained by TMJ4 state that the government office would be used to process non-detained report-ins and detainees for transport to holding facilities.

Wednesday afternoon, city and county leaders, along with community members, gathered outside the new ICE office.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: https://www.tmj4.com/news/milwaukee-county/milwaukee-ice-office-being-relocated-to-north-west-side

Fernanda Jimenez, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, is dedicated to advocating for immigration reform alongside her organization, Comite Sin Fronteras. 

“What we’ve been working mostly on is making sure that we protect our immigrant community but also fight for a pathway to citizenship,” she said.

Currently, a significant concern for Jimenez and her group is the planned relocation to a new processing facility on Milwaukee’s northwest side.

This issue dominated their discussions on Wednesday, as Jimenez understands the implications of such a move.

Brought to the U.S. as a child, Jimenez is undocumented but protected from deportation by federal policy (DACA). Despite her protections, she remains anxious for friends and family who do not share the same status.

Watch: Advocates sound alarm over ICE office relocation in Milwaukee

Advocates sound alarm over ICE office relocation in Milwaukee

“Even though it’s not considered a detention center, it’s just a place where they’re going to process people. It gives them the ability, they’re closer to the highway, and they’re able to take them to a detention center. That gives them more expansion to be able to process anybody,” she explained.

The proposed facility has ignited fear for some within Milwaukee’s Latino community, according to fellow DACA recipient Mario Rubio and Cesar Hernandez, who lives on Milwaukee’s south side.

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“Some people, with this happening, are afraid to work. So you’re losing out on income. You’re losing out on groceries. You know, you’re slowly putting yourself in this corner where it just becomes more lonely,” Rubio said.

Mike Beiermeister

In response, an ICE spokesperson told TMJ4 that no ICE detention facilities are planned for the location in question.

“I call BS,” said Cesar Hernandez, a Milwaukee resident. “I think that it’s a line they’re feeding to the media as well to try to keep some of the outrage or some of the outcry and response and organizing to a minimum, but I think we know better.”

Mike Beiermeister

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He shared his concerns over the facility in question.

“I was disgusted. It didn’t surprise me that DHS didn’t so much as reach out to the local elected officials as an act of good faith, or at least work in collaboration with the local elected officials that they would have to be working with if they plan to implement those facilities,” he said.

As discussions continue, it remains unclear when the Department of Homeland Security plans to move into the new building.

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MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee man accused of driving the wrong way toward Vice President Kamala Harris’ motorcade in October pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. 

Wrong-way driver

The backstory:

It happened on Oct. 21. Harris had just wrapped up a rally in Brookfield when the wrong-way vehicle passed her motorcade on I-94 near the Marquette Interchange. Prosecutors said 55-year-old Wayne Wacker was behind the wheel.

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Court filings said Wacker appeared to be driving at “close to highway speeds.” He was stopped near 13th Street, and deputies said he “had a very strong odor of intoxicates emitting from his person, bloodshot and glassy eyes, and extremely slurred speech.”

Wacker told deputies he was on his way home from a Walker’s Point bar and was “unaware” he was driving the wrong way on the interstate, the complaint states. He was taken to the nearby Milwaukee Intermodal Station for field sobriety tests, and the complaint states a preliminary breath test had a BAC reading of .252.

While waiting for a blood draw as part of the OWI investigation, prosecutors said Wacker told deputies he “had no recollection” of entering the freeway or almost striking another vehicle. He also said he had no idea Harris was in Milwaukee and had no intention of harming her or any member of her campaign. 

In court

What’s next:

Wacker is charged with second-degree recklessly endangering safety. Court records show his next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 18.