“I’m more concerned with the well being of the country, of course,” the typically jovial but now-subdued Uecker shared in an exclusive one-on-one interview with Gene Mueller on Wisconsin’s Morning News Thursday, hours before the rebroadcast of the 2019 Brewers Opening Day thriller at 6 p.m. CT on WTMJ.

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Uecker said he was extra excited for an early Opening Day on March 26, but then the pandemic truly hit America.

“When the news came that baseball may shut down, I don’t think any of us realized how bad this thing was going to be,” he shared.

“I’ve been around long enough for World War II, polio, things that came after that. I don’t think any of us were prepared for the devastation, the damage.”

Many of you have asked how you can help in this time of great need. At this point in your education, each of you has demonstrated that you possess the knowledge and clinical skills to play a vital role in this effort. With this in mind, and given the urgent need for additional physicians, Columbia University has decided to move up the VP&S graduation to April 15. For those of you who have not yet taken the capstone Ready for Residency (R4R) course, it will be given in an accelerated format.

We will then give all graduates the option to be employed by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) until you depart to start your residency (or longer, if you wish, for those who will be staying at NYP). If you are leaving the NYC area for residency, you will also be able to volunteer at your new institution. Because of residency credentialing requirements, we currently do not anticipate that this employment will count toward your overall time in residency. For those of you who do not choose this option, we may also have a variety of non-clinical volunteer needs, especially for those in the NYC area.

We recognize that early graduation raises issues about financial aid, housing, and travel arrangements. We will guarantee that you will not be adversely affected in terms of any documented financial aid commitments, even if from outside of Columbia University, because of this one-month advancement in your graduation date. Graduates will also be able to remain in their student housing through their current lease if they do not volunteer. Those who opt for this employment will be able to remain in housing for the duration of their current lease or the duration of their temporary NYP employment, whichever is longer. You will soon hear more about a virtual VP&S graduation celebration.