In March of this year Craters & Freighters was selected to prepare, crate and transport a Bob Uecker statue destined for Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI. The bronze statue designed by Brian Maughan, pays tribute to an All Stars television commercial for Miller Lite beer in which Uecker famously exclaims “I must be in the front row” when in reality he’s nearly in the last row. True to the commercial, the statue of Bob Uecker would ultimately rest high up in the last row of Miller Park’s Terrace Level – Section 422.
Independent of what row Bob’s statue would finally reside in, safe and timely transport from Colorado to Miller Park in Milwaukee was mission one.
Bob’s journey began in its “birth place” of Philadelphia, PA. Representatives of Craters & Freighters of Philadelphia, carefully transported the statue to their facility for packing, crating and shipping to Milwaukee.
The Craters & Freighters packaging and crating specialists crafted a custom reinforced wooden shipping crate that would protect the Uecker statue throughout its travel.
A special custom mat was located at the base of the crate to cushion the statue, minimize vibration, and prevent abrasion to the statue base. Padded cross bars were strategically located in the crate to prevent any movement of the statute and provide additional structural strength to the shipping crate.
The crate was then sealed using recessed latches to reduce risk of breaking off in transit, and provide reliable, positive closure. “Bob” was now ready for the road. Expedited shipping was coordinated between Philadelphia and Milwaukee.
As promised, the shipment arrived intact and on time at Miller Park.
Your Craters & Freighters Greater Milwaukee team arrived early to supervise and assist with crate opening. Each crate was opened and inspected closely to verify the condition of Bob, a bench, and related hardware. All items were in excellent order. The Bob Uecker statue was in place for the dedication ceremony on Friday, April 25, 2014.
Since finding a home in Miller Park, the Uecker statue has become a must-see destination within the stadium — local fans as well as visitors from afar gladly hike up to Section 422 for a photograph with Bob. Fans can voluntarily make donations targeted for local Milwaukee charities in exchange for the photo opportunities. It’s just another way that Bob Uecker’s presence and impact upon Milwaukee will be known for generations of baseball fans to come.
“Craters & Freighters was humbled to be entrusted with the care and safe delivery of the Bob Uecker statue to the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park and the loyal hometown Brewer fans. It is truly an honor to play a small part in bringing this timeless likeness of Bob Uecker to our hometown of Milwaukee” – Dave, Pat and Mike Mansmith of Craters and Freighters Greater Milwaukee.