I spent the weekend in Salisbury, North Carolina at the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Awards. I was humbled to be named the Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year, an honor I share with all of my colleagues at Sports32 and Time Warner Cable. It also is a reflection of the people I work with on the Bucks and Packers Radio Networks. It’s an award I feel lucky to have won, but I certainly appreciate.

More significantly, Brewers Broadcaster Bob Uecker was inducted into the NSSA Hall of Fame. This is a big deal. I know it may not be the Baseball Hall of Fame (where Bob was memorably inducted several years ago), but it puts him in with the legends of broadcasting, which he richly deserves. Fittingly, Bob was not in Salisbury because he was with the Brewers in Los Angeles. He absolutely hates to be away from his team and miss games. His health scares in recent years have only heightened his loyalty to the Brewers and his radio audience.

While it was meaningful to me to be presented the State honor by National Sportscaster of the Year Mike Tirico, the highlight of the weekend for me was when Bob Uecker mentioned me in his acceptance video. He congratulated the other Hall of Fame inductees (including Brent Musburger) and the national winners. He certainly didn’t have to mention me but I’m very thankful that he took the time. It meant a great deal to me.

By the way, also going into the NSSA Hall of Fame was Boston Globe sportswriter Bob Ryan. I had a great conversation with Bob about his admiration for Marquette Coach Buzz Williams, who he wrote a long column about during Marquette’s Sweet 16 run. Bob also shared some memories with me about the 1974 NBA Finals, when he covered the Celtics as they beat the Bucks. It was a great weekend. My thanks to Time Warner Cable for making it happen!

(**Watch an exclusive one-on-one interview with Bob Uecker here**)