EP 12 Bob Uecker’s Legacy & Tony Barnhart’s College Football Insights

FFEP12UEK_BARN

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Jim Powell: [: 00:00:00

Um, but we got through it, it was a good meal and, uh, ultimately they did hire me. So, a few days after that, we were at spring training in Phoenix and it was time to do some, uh, recordings. We had needed to do some liners for our various, uh, affiliates on the Brewers Radio Network, um, as well as many other recordings.

to help us is really good at [: 00:01:00

And so they were just laughing and they were cutting up about it. And I'm like, I'm still petrified because I barely even know these guys. Um, but anyway, so the gentleman finally does arrive. And we start doing some recordings and he's leaning over people's shoulders to look at the copy and Euchre's giving these knowing glances around the room and all that.

And so everybody was having fun in their own way, except this gentleman didn't, we were careful not to insult him. But, um, anyway, so we, we did some recordings and then we decided we were going to take a break. So the gentleman left the room from the brewers and it was just the three of us. And we chatted for a little bit, then we went back to the recordings, but when he came back in, the, uh, representative from the brewers, um, I wandered over by him and I said, Hey, uh, I just chatted with him for a second and I said, Hey, I'm going to get a breath mint here.

Kent and Bob, those two were [: 00:02:00

That was kind of my icebreaker, um, with the Brewers and the, and the Brewers radio network. Um, shortly thereafter, we did our first spring training game and Bob could see I was very nervous about that. And he, he said something to me that I've never forgotten and that he truly lived the The whole time I knew him in his life, and that is he said, look, it's a baseball game.

We're just going to have a few laughs. We're just going to have some fun. I don't care about nothing. So you just relax. We're going to have a good time. Enjoy yourself. And that's pretty much the edict that I took as my marching orders throughout my 13 years with Bob Euchre and, um, boy, he was, he was true to his word the whole time.

didn't know until we went on [: 00:03:00

And the players get up and they start, uh, you know, disembarking from the bus. And I'm sitting in the back with Kent Somerfield. We're not going anywhere. We're waiting for everybody else. And after a while, we realized that all the players had gotten off. There's huge throng of people. There's, there's autograph seekers, there's cameras.

Um, the fans are all over the place as they always are in New York. And, um, so the players were going out, but I noticed they were just kind of walking by the fans. They weren't really stopping. And then, at some point, I realized all the players were off the bus, and I knew what the fans were waiting for.

They weren't waiting for the players. They weren't looking for the players autographs or the pictures. They were waiting for Bob Euchre. And thus began my education on what it's like to be around someone so good, so talented, and so famous. So a lot of people ask me, you know, why did Bob stay in Milwaukee?

aukee where everybody in the [: 00:04:00

And he asked Bob repeatedly, and Bob was always polite, and he always turned them down. Because one thing Bob never did was he never forgot his roots. He was born and raised in Milwaukee. He's from a blue collar background. And, you know, in this day and age, people are busy, and they're on their phones, and they're not paying attention.

They're disrespectful. A lot of my friends say, you know, I don't even really like to socialize anymore. You just never know what you're going to be talking to or what you're going to bump into. But one thing about Bob is he never thought about things like that. Bob Uecker loves people. And that's why he stayed in Milwaukee.

cause those were his people. [: 00:05:00

Because, nobody can influence that many people on a constant basis, day in, day out, making the world a better place, and not end up in heaven. Plus, I know that God is sitting up there, probably already mad at himself for making Bob wait almost 91 years, and he's, uh, he was ready for his turn. So I'm sure Bob went right to the left hand side of, uh, our Heavenly Father.

hen you're working with Bob, [: 00:06:00

So look for that. episode to be coming up down the road. Um, I want to leave you with this also more of a personal note. Bob was by far the best broadcast teammate that I ever had, but more importantly, he was one of my very best friends in my life. He was also one of my most important and trusted confidants and someone who loved my wife, Emmy, and my three daughters unconditionally, always welcomed them into our booth.

what I loved best about Bob? [: 00:07:00

Anybody can do that, Bob felt. He didn't say it out loud, he didn't articulate, you know, that he looked down on other comedians, but the fact that he could kill a huge crowd over and over. And never utter a profane word, unlike all the other comics that I see anyway. The F bombs flying everywhere. That was not Bob's style, and I think he was very proud that not only was he good at comedy, but he could do it in the right way.

But, uh, please, if you have time, go on the internet. If you haven't, if you're a little, uh, older, you're a little younger, and maybe you're, you didn't, weren't around when Bob was in his heyday, do some searching, laugh your butt off. You'll love it. And in a couple of weeks, we'll have an episode with nothing but Euchre's, uh, thoughts and stories and, uh, it's going to be, it's going to be a classic.

much for indulging me to let [: 00:08:00

So thank you for indulging me again. I'm Jim Powell. Stay tuned in just a moment. Our upcoming episode of Fans First podcast with Tony Barnhart will begin And we're going to talk about it right now. Welcome

, and your love for the game.[: 00:09:00

Jim Powell: Hello and welcome to another edition of Fans First, a sports podcast. I'm your host, Jim Powell, and we're joined today by a man who should have learned the first time, Tony Barnhart. Making his second appearance on Fans First, we had a great time the first time and now we're right on the cusp of the national championship game in college football and Tony is the man.

He's Mr. College Football. Tony, great to see you again. Thanks for coming on. Thanks, Jim. It's always good to be with you. So how excited are you, uh, both in terms of seeing the upcoming game, but also in terms of maybe getting to play a little golf or, you know, do some gardening or something besides college football for a little while?

hio state, two iconic brands [: 00:10:00

It's going to be, I think it's going to be a really good football game and, uh, real excitement. And Hey, I get a home game. I'm home. I don't have to.

Jim Powell: They coming into your backyard for you. That's what you do. I've

Tony Barnhart: got friends. A lot of my media buddies are coming in from out of town. We've got a couple of dinners planned.

So this, this is sort of our end of the year celebration. At the national championship game,

Jim Powell: let's let's go back to. We obviously talked a lot about college football and the way things are evolving and the changes and all of that. The turmoil that that's the way the fans see it is turmoil now in college football with the portal and the NIL and all of that.

opped a couple of years ago. [: 00:11:00

What are we supposed to be doing to make sure we have a authentic rank? What are your thoughts on the way the ranking went either in the, in the very beginning? And then as the season went along, did it, did it smooth out? The

Tony Barnhart: bottom line was that this was never going to be the final product. We knew there were going to be adjustments made and there had to be adjustments made because of the criteria that was set up in terms of who gets the buys.

Yeah. Seating it, the seating in no way represented the quality of the field. Okay. They didn't, they didn't, they may have ranked them one through 12, but they didn't see them one through 12. And I thought that was problematic. It looked, it made the, it really messed up the bracket, but, but all that aside, we're not going to have any major changes in the off season.

But in: 2026

Jim Powell: Even if things were a little rocky through the ranking system and all that in the way you've already, uh, described, do you think in the end that they, they got it right?

I mean, is this the best matchup or were there other matchups that they, uh, should have had more available that, uh, could have supplanted this one?

Tony Barnhart: Well, I don't think they got it right. I mean, in the end, the way it was set up, there was You know, uh, Boise State was going to be your number four seat. We know that Boise State was not the number four seat, but the way the configuration happened, that's.

That's what happened. But how can you argue with the final four that we had and the quality of the games in the final four? So again, more people got involved. We, we in college football tend to make the perfect, the enemy of the good. We do that a lot and that happened here, but I'm, uh, I'm excited about the future and Notre Dame and Ohio state.

How are you going to beat that? That's a great game, and the ratings are going to be off the charts.

Jim Powell: Even people who [: 00:13:00

Tony Barnhart: people who watch the Super Bowl, Jim. They have no interest in football whatsoever, but it's the Super Bowl.

And so, we'll have a big, we'll have a big turnout,

Jim Powell: uh, Monday night. Are you surprised that Ohio State is as big a favorite? Uh, this is not a gambling show, obviously, so I'm not asking you for, to hand out gambling advice. But, are you surprised at the size of that line? I mean, eight plus points? Yes, when I saw it, I

Tony Barnhart: went, my, my reaction was, whoa, nine and a half?

Now, the money's come in, now it's down to eight and a half, and I understand that. But to me, that's still a lot of points in a game like this. But. I told everybody this, I said, if the Ohio state team that we saw in the early rounds of this tournament, if that team shows up Monday night, not going to happen, that's how good they are playing right now and hitting on all cylinders.

e got a combination of who's [: 00:14:00

And I really don't think that number is going to hold up over the course of the

Jim Powell: night. Well, that was my first thought when I saw the lion and I saw where it was settling in. I thought, you know, Notre Dame is all about running the football, shortening games, playing great defense, um, and, and you've already pointed out the intangibles that they have, the, the mystique of Notre Dame, they've got the luck of the Irish on their side, you gotta believe, so I, you know, I'm, I'm not a, I'm not a college football gambler, so I'm not, I have no money in this.

ut I feel like Notre Dame is [: 00:15:00

Tony Barnhart: No, I agree. I agree. I, and that's why I'm, I'm tempted to pay. I haven't made my pick yet, but I'm tempted to pick Notre Dame because. They've just got the intangibles on their side. You just, when it's, when it's one game, one game, one night, you don't have to be better, you just have to be better than them that night.

on many times. I remember the: 1983

ate, of course, has all that [: 00:16:00

It seems that, you know, when they're on. So, um, which team do you think is going to dictate? Is it the defensive minded Lucky Irish? Or is it the overwhelming talent of Ohio State?

Tony Barnhart: Well, I think it's the, the, the defense is going to dictate this game. I mean, they're so good defense, Ohio State, uh, uh, Notre Dame is so good defensively.

I think they're going to keep it. I'm not a gambling guy, but if I were, I would take the under. Uh, because I just think it's going to be that kind of game. And just looking back to what Notre Dame has done in, in the tournament, I think they have been really, really consistent. And found ways to win game.

unanswered points.[: 00:17:00

And so I think those kind of intangibles are hard. They're hard to match.

Jim Powell: Is there a coaching advantage one way or the other between these two coaches? They're both very highly thought of. Obviously, um, you know, I mean, the Bears are already trying to steal Notre Dame's coach and Ryan Day. Always under fire, it seems no matter whether he's, you know, he, he just loses a little too often to Michigan.

If he didn't do that, everybody with Ohio state would just think he was some sort of a college football God, but, um, you know, he's done a great job with this team and he's done a great job for several years in a row,

Tony Barnhart: right? Well, think about where they were on the morning after they lost to Michigan on, on, uh, November 28th and where they were.

mployed about a minute and a [: 00:18:00

He's that good of a coach and everybody who follows football who knows anything about football knows that he's a good coach. But in, uh, I will say this in Marcus Freeman, you got a rising star, just turned 39 years old. Uh, the players are incredibly loyal to him. Uh, he was the guy that the players wanted.

He, they told Jack Swarbrick that they, they told Jack Swarbrick the AD when he was making his search, he said, uh, Mr. Swarbrick, One thing you do, you don't want to do is bring in somebody who's going to change the culture. We, the players have created this culture. Don't bring anybody in who's going to change it.

And I thought that that spoke volumes about the kids who play at Notre Dame.

Jim Powell: Do you think that Coach Freeman will, uh, eschew the pros? I mean, the Chicago Bears come calling, knocking on your door, you're coaching in that neighborhood. I mean, that's got to be something he's got to at least think about.

Sure. And I understand

he obviously loves it there. [: 00:19:00

Jim Powell: I want to ask you about Kirby smart, um, and his Georgia team. Obviously the season didn't go as smoothly for him as we've been accustomed to seeing, uh, happen in Athens. Um, And right all the way to, you get to New Orleans and, and his father passes, um, I don't know what would have happened if, um, you know, if Georgia had made the, the championship game or, you know, had continued to play, I don't know what, how Kirby would have handled that, um, I don't know how I could have handled it, I don't know how anybody could handle it, um, especially consider, considering all we know about, uh, you know, the influence that, uh, The elder smart had on the, on the younger one.

Um, what are your thoughts on that?

it was a very difficult time [: 00:20:00

As talented overall, that's the three teams that came before two, two national championships. And then last year had Georgia made the playoff. They were good enough to win the national championship. You, it was clear that there were missing pieces on this team. Whereas the other one go no further than Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey, those two guys right there were the guys that, that helped, uh, Carson Beck time after time, after time, when he was in trouble, he found one of those guys.

ing to win. And this team is [: 00:21:00

Whereas the last three Georgia teams, I think have been great. And, uh, so Kirby Smart has got to hit the recruiting trail, hit the transfer portal and do something really about his wide receivers. He's got a several on the quarterback. Uh, you know, is it going to be Gunner Stockton? Is it going to be somebody else?

Not going to be Carson Beck. We know that. Uh, and so I, the program is in such good shape. He needs to do some off season tweaking and shore up some positions. But when we start talking about next season, Georgia is going to be right there, just as they have been the last four

Jim Powell: years. Do you think Gunnar Stockton will be the opening day starting quarterback for Georgia?

I know that's one of those unanswerable questions we like to ask. Probably because he's played a good bit.

Tony Barnhart: Uh, but that's not a nice problem to have if you're Kirby smart. I've got, I've got four really good quarterbacks and one of them is going to win the job. And that's, That is, that is where you want to

Jim Powell: be.

at does Mr. College football [: 00:22:00

Tony Barnhart: Well, I do, I do, I do the honeydew list and stuff. My, my wife and I probably going to travel some this summer.

Uh, we've been putting off a couple of big trips we'd like to do. And, uh, and quite honestly, Jim, I don't, Uh, I'm in a situation in my career now. I don't work as hard as I used to. And that's by design. And so I, I tend to, uh, enjoy the off season. I've got two grandchildren that live exactly one mile away from me and I spend time with them.

And so, uh, it's, uh, and you know, you keep one eye on what's going on in college football, but, uh, I am not as, I'm not as busy as I used to be. And that's, uh, that's the way I like it. Do you watch college basketball? I do. I've been to, I love college basketball. I've been to 23 final fours, uh, over the course of my career.

And, uh, [: 00:23:00

Jim Powell: Well, the university of Georgia is actually winning some games in college basketball so far. And that's that they're selling out Stegman.

And I mean, it's like a whole new, uh, deal in, in Athens. I know that happens. You know, on many different campuses, depending on the player personnel. But, uh, you know, Mike White did a great job revamping that roster and they're, they, they have a lot going for them, that's for sure.

Tony Barnhart: Well, there's no reason I've, and I've told this to many folks is there's no reason that the university of Georgia should not be good in basketball.

We've got too many players in the, in metro Atlanta alone. We've got too many good players and they're great players throughout the South, and I think Mike's done a very good job at Georgia. Oh, by the way, though, you are playing in an SCC. That is reached probably it's all time high in the number of great teams that ask.

or [: 00:24:00

Jim Powell: Yeah, that's a great point. I mean, Georgia's reward for, for beating Kentucky and Oklahoma back to back was, you know, take on Tennessee and Auburn now.

So good luck with all that. Um, that's, that's, that's a uphill climb. I want to flip back to football just for a minute to just ask you, I'm sure, I mean, with all the people you talk to and as closely as you follow it, you've got some sense of which direction college football is going to go in the future.

We talked, you know, a couple months ago about what was happening at that time. Now I'm wondering what's going to happen between now and next fall with college football. What changes or tweaks or what, what, what kind of things do you predict will happen?

Tony Barnhart: Well, there's no question that, uh, they the powers that be have trying to figure out a way to get a handle around the NIL situation and how that's going to work.

And the [: 00:25:00

Probably so. Uh, and so that is going to be interesting. The transfer portal is a situation where it's going to be until they get the players under contract. Uh, I don't see what they're going to be able to do about the transfer portal because the courts have been very, very clear if you're not going to restrict the movements of the coaches, you're not going to restrict the movements of the players and, oh, but that's not good for college basketball.

t your school? That's great. [: 00:26:00

But it's not. It's not just gonna happen because people are inconvenienced by players leaving to go somewhere else. That's This, this was the clash we always knew was coming. What was best for college football versus following the law. And what we have found is that the law wins.

Jim Powell: Are Arden fans just going to have to sit back and wait on Congress to do something to try and uh, you know, make them happier about what the state of college football is?

Tony Barnhart: The issue with Congress is, is pretty simple. You, they need an antitrust, uh, exemption that way. The problem is they could come up with the rules to deal with this tomorrow, but they will get sued every time it happens. You will get sued and they have told Congress, you got to help us out so that we're not in court every single day.

g to have to happen. That's, [: 00:27:00

And so until that happens, the NIL, the, uh, transfer portal is not going to change.

Jim Powell: Tony, I promised you I wouldn't keep you all day. I know you've got a lot of stuff going on, but, uh, I do want to ask you for your, I know you said you haven't released your pick yet on the national championship game, but I'm interested if you can give us a hint.

Tony Barnhart: Oh, I'm going to lean toward another name because it's fun. I mean, this is, you know, last time I checked, all of this was supposed to be fun and I don't bet money, so I don't, I don't care who actually who wins. But what an incredible, I root for stories. I'm an old newspaper guy and all us newspaper guys, we root, all I want to know is what's the best story that we're going to get.

They're not supposed to win, [: 00:28:00

Jim Powell: Well, like you, I'm not rooting in particular for either team. I'm not, I've never been an Ohio state fan and I always get mad because Notre Dame, I feel like, and other teams 10. Seem to, to, uh, benefit from some bias on the part of some ranking people, whether it's AP top twenties or, um, or whatever it might be.

Even the, the, uh, you know, the way it was ranked on and off throughout the, the season leading up to the college football playoff. Um, so I, I don't care about either team, but I, I'm with you. I hope it's a thriller right down to the end. Something crazy happens and people are still talking about it 10 years from now.

vited. And, and, uh, we were [: 00:29:00

We get into the summertime and start seeing what's going on in the world of college football. All

Tony Barnhart: right, Jim, it's

Jim Powell: good to be with you. Thank you, Tony. Well, thank you so much for joining us for today's episode of Fans First, a sports podcast. Don't forget to follow us on X and on Instagram, Facebook. Please find us on the YouTube channel.

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ow. We're so glad you joined [: 00:30:00

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