SPORTS LINE
The Milwaukee Brewers.
The team reveals a new uniform patch to honor Bob Uecker. Brewer’s fans showed their appreciation for Uecker after his death by putting baseballs, flowers in cans of the Miller Lite beer he endorsed, and various other mementos at the base of a statue honoring him outside Milwaukee’s American Family Field. The 2025 season will be filled with tributes for Bob Uecker, who passed away last month at the age of 90. One of those will be a uniform patch that the team will wear throughout the season. The patch will appear on the sleeve of the Brewers’ uniforms. The patch has Uecker’s signature over a baseball. Behind it is a background of plaid, which is a throwback to Uecker’s plaid sports coats he wore for years. The patch is on the sleeve with the wheat ball logo (or the M logo on the road jersey), which likely will switch around based on the player’s dominant arm (that has the Northwestern Mutual patch on it).
It will make its debut when the Brewers open their preseason schedule Feb. 22 by facing the Cincinnati Reds in Phoenix. The uniform tribute is just the beginning of the Brewers’ plans to remember their beloved broadcaster. The Brewers plan to hold a public celebration of life honoring Uecker sometime this year. The organization is talking with the Uecker family about having a day of celebration at the stadium later this summer. Details will be announced later.
The Milwaukee Bucks.
The team has a superstar player in Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is one of the best players in the NBA. When he’s healthy, which is certainly not all the time, he might be the single hardest player to play and work in the league. The Milwaukee Bucks made a couple of big moves at the trade deadline in hopes of keeping top star player Antetokounmpo happy, which appears to be, sadly, at times a bit difficult as big stars make so much money and gain so much influence in how the team is managed (note: Rogers, Favre, and now Love with the Packers). The big star said he would stay with the Bucks “as long as they are competing to win titles.” He’s dedicated to playing for a winning team (know any players in the league dedicated to playing for losing teams?) and his consistent play so far would seem to indicate that (when he’s able to play, which is certainly not that consistently).
Kuzma was brought in to help lift the scoring burden off Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. The Bucks like his ability to score the ball and pull down rebounds. Kuzma played his third game for the Bucks and he finished with 21 points and six rebounds while shooting 6/9 from the field in 34 minutes of playing time. Kuzma is averaging 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per contest while shooting 42.0% from the field and 28.0% from the three-point range in 35 games. While Kuzma was the biggest name that the Bucks traded for during the trade deadline, he wasn’t the only player they brought to Milwaukee. Kevin Porter Jr. was also brought in from Los Angeles. Porter Jr. is someone that the Bucks wanted to bring in because of his ability to score the ball. They needed more reliable help at the backup point guard spot, so they targeted Porter Jr. That isn’t the thing that has impressed Doc Rivers, though. Rivers mentioned something else that impressed him the most. “His guts,” Rivers said when asked what he liked about Porter’s performance. Rivers is an old-school coach who loves his players to play with a lot of effort and confidence at all times. He also wants them to leave their drama off the court. The quickest way to his heart would appear to be playing while leaving personal stuff off the court.
Porter Jr.’s ability to calm everyone down is also something Rivers values since his style is anything but calm. Without Antetokounmpo in the lineup because of a calf injury, the team needs more players who have a calming presence on the rest of the roster. Bringing Kuzma in could not have happened at a better time because Antetokounmpo will be out through the All-Star break with a calf strain, so it is reported. Kuzma can help share the offensive burden with Lillard. Milwaukee wanted to bring him in for injury insurance against both Antetokounmpo and Lillard which appears to be a wise move given just how often the biggest star gets injured or needs time off the court.
