A baseball institution: Bob Uecker excited for his 45th season as the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Bob Uecker is a baseball institution and a national treasure, but home is where his heart is. That's why he's been with the Milwaukee Brewers for going on five decades.

Bob Uecker is a Milwaukee Brewers icon. He doesn't look 81 years young, and he doesn't act it either. No matter what he's done, he's had fun -- mostly at his own expense.

As Uecker enters his 45th season as the voice of his hometown team, he seems in great health and super spirits. One of the great things about Uecker is the stories he tells -- like the time he was allowed on the sideline at County Stadium to watch the Green Bay Packers play. The weather was terrible, so at halftime, Uecker decided to go into the locker room to warm up. Coach Lombardi's team was behind, and St. Vince wasn't in the best of moods.

"When he saw me, I turned around and I mean, he screamed. Asked me in so many words what I was doing there, and all I could say was 'getting warm.' He kicked me out. He threw a security guy out -- Clarence, who had been there a long, long time. He threw him out too," Uecker said.

But all's well that ends well. The Pack won the game. Uecker went back in to take a few of the players to a dinner in Kenosha.

"When I went back in there, it was like nothing happened. He says 'hey Bob, how ya doin'? It was a good game, huh?' 'Yeah, it was great Coach. It was great,'" Uecker said.

Uecker's life in and out of the game has been a blast. His desire has always been to make others feel the same way.

"I enjoy making people laugh -- whether it be at my expense, I don't worry about stuff like that. I love my job. I love making people feel good, whether it be through a charitable thing I do, or just through the broadcasts, or shows that I've done, films that I've done," Uecker said.

Uecker could have left for national jobs countless times, but Brewers baseball and the players have kept him in Milwaukee.

"The players still treat me like I'm one of the guys -- like one of the players. I'm with them more than I'm with my family. It's like old times for me every time I go in there -- meetings that they have -- they actually allow me to be in a closed-door meeting," Uecker said.

Like all of the great ones, Uecker shines when a game has been decided, or when the team is losing.

"When you're not winning, then you really got to work. You gotta work to keep people listening. Whether I make up stories or tell stories from years ago, that's what kept me listening, and that's what kept me interested too," Uecker said.

Unlike many of the rich and famous, Uecker isn't about to lose touch with reality. It is part of his success story.

"I don't treat anybody differently. I hope I haven't (changed). I hope so. That's one thing -- I wanted to be like everybody else, despite what I do. I know I have a little higher profile sometimes than somebody else, but the bottom line is I really want to be like everybody else. That's really how it is," Uecker said.

Uecker says he wants to be remembered as "one of the guys."

"Who are we without people? That's what I always thought. Who am I without people?" Uecker said.

Uecker says slowing down and missing out on some of the Brewers road games has been hard, but he says he's excited about another Brewers season, and he has no plans to leave, as long as he remains in good health and he can continue to call the game.