Brewers voice Jeff Levering on his pennant-clinching call and why he honored Bob Uecker

Twenty-three years ago, Jeff Levering was a designated hitter celebrating a Division III College World Series title at Chapman University, and nothing about that night could have prepared him for where baseball would take him next. Now the longtime TV and radio voice of the Brewers has the best seat in the house as Milwaukee returns to the World Series for the first time since 1982, and he gave the pennant its soundtrack with his call of the final out of Game 4 against the Dodgers in the NLCS.

Awful Announcing recently caught up with him to find out what it has meant to narrate a season like this one.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Jeff Levering: "I got some sleep, but I did not go to the after-party, which I think was a pretty good decision on my part. After being on the air, the trophy ceremony, and the champagne and beer showers in the clubhouse, it was certainly a long night. There's no doubt it was a very fun one for everybody involved."

What was the atmosphere like when the team returned to Milwaukee?

"When we landed, we had the fire department out, and they gave us a water cannon (salute), which was amazing for the airplane. Fire trucks, police cars, and other emergency vehicles with their sirens on were waiting for us. I would say that fans were lined up for a good two miles from the airport until we got to the exit. They were at the ballpark waiting for the team to arrive and were cheering them on. So to say that the next week here in town is going to be crazy with Brewers fever would be an understatement."

Were you nervous at all as a broadcaster heading into Game 4?

"I went into the game treating it just like another game. As the game progressed, you can ramp yourself up for that situation. I always want to be the best I can be on any broadcast, whether it's a random Tuesday in June or a potential World Series clincher. I'm going to treat every game the same. Granted, the juices are going to flow a little differently in a potential clinch situation. But as soon as Garrett Mitchell hit the home run and the Brewers took the lead for the first time, that's when it started to kick in. Get yourself ready for the eighth and ninth innings because this could be it."

"I got the call back in the eighth inning; my partner, Lane Grindle, had the seventh. When he tossed him to me in the eighth, I remember looking up at the top of the radio booth at Dodger Stadium and taking a deep breath. Alright, here we go. For the last 12 outs, I was locked in, making sure I was on every pitch. There was no messing around. I wanted to make sure that if this was the night, I did the call (justice) for this fan base, I would do it. I think I accomplished that."

You got a lot of love for your final-out call in the NLCS. How did that call come about?

"I did not script anything. The only thing I wanted to get across was that the World Series was going to go through Wisconsin, and I thought that was important not just for the fans in Milwaukee but for the state of Wisconsin. They haven't experienced anything like this for 44 years. So, if they were in a situation to clinch and I was on the call for it, I wanted to make sure the fans in Wisconsin got their due credit. 'The Brewers win the pennant' thing. I didn't really think about that, to be honest. First and foremost, I want to get the play right. I wanted to make sure I called the play correctly first, then react in the moment, and that reaction was as authentic as you can get. That's what a lot of people gathered from the Harry Doyle character for Major League , and that's what came out. After I said the 'Brewers in the pennant,' my mind immediately went to 'Oh my god, the Brewers win the pennant,' even though that wasn't what he said in the movie."

Why do you think it was important to acknowledge Bob Uecker?

"Because he never had the opportunity to call his own championship series. He never got to call a World Series clincher. A lot of people don't remember that. He didn't call the clincher in 1982. He was doing TV and had responsibilities downstairs. Dwayne Mosley had the call on them beating the Angels and going to the World Series in 1982. The only clincher he ever called was in the movie Major League. He was on the mic for 54 years in the franchise's history, and I worked with him for ten of those. I had the opportunity to sit next to him. So I thought it was important for me to show how much I cared about him and how much his legacy means to this organization. By doing that in a subtle way through a couple of words, right off the cuff, I think it was appropriate in that moment."

What did you learn from working with Bob Uecker?

"First and foremost, and I mean this is more of a life thing than a broadcasting thing, you treat everybody the same way. And that's something that Bob was always so good at, and I've always tried to be that way. I try to treat everybody the same way and make people feel special. Then, on the broadcasting side, his biggest thing was: don't worry about what's going on on your phone or on a computer. The game will tell you everything you need to know, so look out there. That's where the stories are. You can always find something to talk about. So make sure you're paying attention to everything that's around you, and then tell the story and have fun. Heck, we're going to the ballpark. Might as well have a good time while we do it, and he's right."

People have preconceived notions about Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers, and Cubs fans. What are Brewers fans like?

"This fan base is unlike any I've been around. This is the fourth organization I've worked for. You have passionate fan bases all over the country. But here's something about being in Milwaukee, with the tailgating and the gritty mentality of the people from this city and this state. They've been starving for this moment for so long. That's also something that went into the call at the end of the night for the fan base. They deserve this. They deserve the opportunity to have fun and play for a World Series championship. Almost half of their home dates sold out this year, and that's something they can really hang their hats on. It's been a really special season."

Is it fair to call this the highlight of your broadcasting career so far?

"I would agree with that. As a player, I won a College World Series, but that pales in comparison to having the opportunity to be in a clinching situation for the team you cover and seeing it advance to the World Series. There's nothing close to what this Brewers team did."

How many people have tried to reach you about World Series tickets?

"I've had a handful of people reach out. I have two tickets to each home game, and those are spoken for. But I've had a good number of requests, and even my parents, who live in California, are like, 'Hey, can we sit in the booth with you?' I went, 'Guys, it doesn't work that way. If this was June, maybe. But this is the World Series. We can't just give press passes to people to sit in the booth. It's not going to work that way. This isn't Rancho Cucamonga anymore.'"