A recent social media post asked: When the naming rights run out on Am Fam in, like, 2035, what should it be? There were plenty of great suggestions. I am wired differently. Do a GoFundMe and make it Bob Uecker Stadium. Why wait til 2035, let the fans buy in today!! I bet we could raise the funds in a weekend. American Family Field AND Bob Uecker Stadium. Who would you rather be associated with? What a great and meaningful name. He is us. He knew he was us, but he never wanted to play that role…and you can’t blame him. Let’s embrace the “small market” label. We can petition the business that names our baseball stadium and simply ask to buy in to honor Uke. And they’ll get it. Who knows if they will buy it…but they’ll get it…they are a local business. They know what makes people here tick. Think about it Am Fam folks…American Family Field AND Bob Uecker Stadium. Sounds catchy, don’t it?
And I’m going against the “it will always be Miller Park to me” crowd. It was that way for me for a while…it ain’t any more. I think they have done a great job of branding, great with the drone shots, marketing…..American Family…a lot more than the name of a successful business and sponsor of the stadium. I’m the first guy to lead with “I’m very OK with a beer as our sponsor”….but I’m equally ok with…maybe even more OK with…”an American Family at the ballpark”. Embrace it all. Now is not the time to draw attention to this small-market heaven we’ve been in…it is just time to enjoy it for what it is. Last year we got a ball from Sal…this year myself, my wife and both my brothers were standing dead centerfield, in that little opening headed towards our seats in right and we stopped to watch Miz go 105.5! There will be plenty said about MKE, the team, the culture….yea, so? We get to live it…and I can’t imagine anything better for a day-to-day, grind-it-out, baseball fan.
I’m sending a copy of this to Rick Schlesinger…a man I’ve known for many years and the top of the heap on the inside for the Brewers…and at the end of the day, a guy from WI living his own dream. Can never overstate his importance. And I’m sending a copy to the folks at American Family Insurance. I’ve had dumber ideas.
