Milwaukee.Brewers.MLB.com

By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com

Listen to the speech

NEW YORK -- Bob Uecker's speech at the Hall of Fame was so good, Hall officials asked him to come back for more.

Uecker, the radio voice of the Brewers since 1971, was presented the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcast excellence during Sunday's ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y. His 18-minute speech was the hilarious highlight of the day, and Hall officials asked afterward if Uecker could do 5-7 minutes of his off-the-cuff stand-up at future ceremonies.

To do it, Uecker would have to miss a Sunday Brewers game each season. Stay tuned.

Uecker and broadcast partner Jim Powell were back in the booth at Shea Stadium on Monday after their weekend in upstate New York. The highlight for Uecker was a private reception Sunday night for Hall of Famers and their significant others, which turned into a late night of story-swapping and back-slapping between one-time opponents.

The highlight for fans was that speech.

"I was just making stuff up as I went along," Uecker said after taping his pregame show with Brewers manager Ned Yost on Monday. "All the guys behind me were yelling, 'Keep going, Ueck! Keep going!'"

Uecker's speech followed an emotional address by Dayton Daily News reporter Hal McCoy, winner of the Spink Award for sportswriters. Former Met Gary Carter was inducted into the Hall along with slugger Eddie Murray.

A fresh start: Bill Hall is having fun this time.

Last year, Hall struggled in Triple-A, then was rushed up to the Majors in September and became the Brewers' everyday shortstop when Jose Hernandez sat out to avoid the all-time strikeout record.

Royce Clayton   /   SS
	Height: 6'0" Weight: 185 Bats/Throws: R/R More info: Player page Stats Splits Hit chart Rockies site

Hall batted .194 in 19 games as a Brewer, struggles he now partly attributes to the overhaul of his swing prescribed by then-hitting coach Gary Matthews. During the winter, Hall went back to his old style, including a toe-tap that helps him stay back on pitches. He batted .338 at Triple-A after moving into the leadoff spot June 9, and is hitting .214 in his first five games back in the Majors, backing up everyday shortstop Royce Clayton.

"It changed my whole game plan," Hall said of the dramatic adjustments that gave him trouble. "I went up there every at-bat thinking about what I was trying to do. I struggled with it and people said, 'He's not ready. He can't hit up here yet.'"

Hall spent time with hitting coach Butch Wynegar in a small batting cage tucked under the third-base stands at Shea Stadium before Monday's game.

Cruz-ing home: Hall's arrival means Yost will probably not get Rule 5 pick Enrique Cruz the 150 at-bats he predicted in Spring Training. Entering Monday's game, Cruz was hitting .086 in 58 at-bats.

"Defensively he can still handle it," Yost said. "He just seems overmatched at times offensively, which is to be expected."

Cruz could play in this year's Arizona Fall League, and he will definitely see action in the Dominican League this winter.

"Pedro Martinez said he's going to make sure of that," Yost said. Martinez, the Red Sox ace, is engaged to Cruz's sister.

He said it: "Leaving there [Sunday], I couldn't figure out if I'd rather go back to Colorado or go to the Bermuda Triangle in the rowboat." -- Yost, after the Brewers were swept in an ugly three-game series at Coors Field. Milwaukee has dropped its last nine games there.

Wes Helms   /   IF
	Height: 6'4" Weight: 230 Bats/Throws: R/R More info: Player page Stats Splits Hit chart Brewers site

Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com based in Milwaukee. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.