GRAND CHUTE, Wis. — When radio announcer Chris Mehring was growing up, he tuned his radio to Wisconsin sports broadcasting legends.
“Merle Harmon, Bob Uecker doing Brewers games, Jim Paschke, listening to Eddie Doucette doing Bucks games in my bedroom,” said Mehring.
When Mehring recently crossed the twenty-year mark for not missing a Timber Rattler’s broadcast, he got an on-air shout out from one of his heroes.
“He hasn’t missed a game in 20 years,” said Bob Uecker over the Brewers Radio Network. “How about that? Nice going, Chris.”
Mehring would have heard it live, but he was, of course, busy working a Timber Rattlers game.
“I had a few people text me, and Tweet at me. You just got props from Lane and Bob on the broadcast,” Mehring explained. “I listened to it. It was pretty awesome.”
The last time he missed a Timber Rattler game was on April 28, 2002. He’s come close a couple of times. A 2011 bout with laryngitis forced Mehring to get creative to preserve his voice and streak.
“I was walking around the office during the day with a legal pad so I wouldn’t have to talk to anybody,” he said. “If they asked me a question, I would write what I needed to say on the pad.”
He still laughs about a scratchy home run call he made during that time.
Another more serious near miss occurred just before the beginning of the 2014 season when his father passed away.
“The season started two days after my dad’s funeral, and I did the game,” said Mehring.
He credits the game he loves for helping him push through.
“My dad and I watched Brewers games when I was growing up, and baseball helped a lot,” Mehring said.
He’s announced a myriad of other sports as well, but since he was 8 years old, Mehring wanted to call baseball games. Timber Rattlers President and CEO Rob Zerjav said Mehring’s knowledge of the game makes him a great fit for the team.
“Chris is from Wisconsin. He wants to stay here,” Zerjav said. “The fact that he can now tell stories on today’s broadcast about the team fifteen, twenty years ago, I think that makes our broadcasts so much better.”
Zerjav said Mehring became a team and Midwest League historian. He also noted the hours Mehring spends on his craft.
“The rest of the full-time staff, we work the home games, but Chris goes on the road,” said Zerjav.
Mehring said he puts in six-day workweeks during the season, sometimes up to 18 hours a day.
“It would be a grind if I hated it, but I love doing this,” Mehring said. “Corbin Burnes and Felix Hernandez are two Cy Young award winners, and I called their games here. I’ve seen Albert Pujols and Mike Trout come through on opposing teams. That’s the fun thing about baseball. There’s a new memory being made almost every inning. A lot of them are really good ones.”
The 2012 Midwest League Championship stands out as one of his favorite memories.
“A lot of those guys on that team went on to the major leagues,” said Mehring.
Another favorite is an improbable three-run walk-off strikeout.
“I don’t think I will top it for a walk-off call. I’m just glad I didn’t screw that up,” said Mehring.
He’s called over 2,900 total games with the team. If he keeps going, he’ll surpass the 3,000 mark this summer.
“I joke with him. I don’t know if we’re going to look for another 20 years out of him, but we’ll take him as long as he wants to be here,” Zerjav said.
If they’re playing ball, it’s a good bet you’ll find Mehring calling the game.