MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bob Uecker, the voice of his hometown Milwaukee Brewers who after a brief taking part in profession earned the moniker “Mr. Baseball” and honors from the Corridor of Fame, has died. He was 90.
The staff introduced Uecker died Thursday morning, calling it “one of the most difficult days in Milwaukee Brewers history.” In a press release launched by the membership, Uecker’s household stated he had battled small cell lung most cancers since early 2023.
“Even in the face of this challenge, his enthusiasm for life was always present, never allowing his spirit to falter,” the household stated.
Uecker was finest often known as a colourful comic and broadcaster who earned his nickname throughout one in every of his quite a few appearances on Johnny Carson’s late evening present.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Uecker signed his first skilled contract with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956 and reached the majors in 1962. He’d final six seasons within the huge leagues as a backup catcher, ending with a .200 common and 14 homers.
He received a World Collection ring with St. Louis in 1964 and likewise performed for Atlanta and Philadelphia.
“Career highlights? I had two,” he usually joked. “I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets.”
Uecker additionally befriended former Brewers proprietor and MLB commissioner Bud Selig, who initially employed him as a scout. Selig appreciated to joke about how Uecker’s preliminary scouting report was stained with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Selig ultimately introduced Uecker to the published sales space. Uecker turned the voice of the Brewers in 1971, within the second yr after the staff moved from Seattle.
Uecker remained with the membership from that time on and have become one of many Brewers’ most indelible figures. Brewers supervisor Craig Counsell grew up within the Milwaukee space and remembered spending summer season days throwing a baseball in opposition to the roof and catching it whereas listening to Uecker’s broadcasts.
“There’s no single person in this franchise’s history who has been as iconic and as important as Bob Uecker,” stated Jeff Levering, a member of the Brewers’ broadcast staff since 2015.
At the same time as his celeb standing grew nationwide, Uecker savored the chance to proceed calling video games to followers in his hometown.
“To be able to do a game each and every day throughout the summer and talk to people every day at 6:30 for a night game, you become part of people’s families,” Uecker as soon as stated. “I know that because I get mail from people that tell me that. That’s part of the reward for being here, just to be recognized by the way you talk, the way you describe a game, whatever.”
Uecker was honored by the Corridor of Fame with the Ford C. Frick award in 2003 and spent practically 20 minutes maintaining the Cooperstown, New York, crowd of about 18,000 in stitches.
“I still — and this is not sour grapes by any means — still think I should have gone in as a player,” he quipped.
“Ueck” acquired his huge break off the sector after opening for Don Rickles at Al Hirt’s nightclub in Atlanta in 1969. That efficiency caught Hirt’s consideration, and the musician set him as much as seem on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson. He turned one in every of Carson’s favourite visitors, making greater than 100 appearances.
Carson was the one who dubbed Uecker “Mr. Baseball.” And the identify caught.
However Uecker’s comedy was simply part of his skills. His heat storytelling and supply made Uecker a pure to turn out to be one of many first colour commentators on community TV broadcasts within the Seventies with ABC. Within the ’90s, he teamed up with Bob Costas and Joe Morgan for the World Collection.
From there, Uecker reached most households as one of many Miller Lite All-Stars in common commercials for the beer model based mostly out of Milwaukee and Uecker later launched his TV performing profession in 1985 on the ABC sitcom, “Mr. Belvedere.”
Uecker performed George Owens through the profitable 122-episode run of the sequence that lasted six years, as the top of the household and sports activities author in a house that brings in a butler who struggles to adapt to an American family.
In a little bit of casting that stored issues fairly near dwelling, Uecker additionally performed a distinguished position within the motion pictures Main League (1989) and Main League II (1994) as crass announcer Harry Doyle for a down-and-out Cleveland Indians franchise that finds a solution to turn out to be playoff contenders.
“I’m part of American folklore, I guess,” Uecker informed The Related Press in 2003. “But I’m not a Hollywood guy. Baseball and broadcasting are in my blood.”
His wry description of a badly wayward pitch — “Juuuust a bit outside!” — within the film continues to be often-repeated by announcers and followers at ballparks throughout.
Uecker’s performing left some to consider he was extra about being humorous than a critical baseball announcer, however his tenure and observations with the Brewers had been spot on, particularly when video games had been tight. Equally pleasant had been video games that weren’t, when Uecker would inform tales about different main leaguers, his personal profession and his hobbies as an avid fisherman and golfer.
“I don’t think anyone wants to hear somebody screwing around when you got a good game going,” Uecker stated. “I think people see ‘Major League’ and they think Harry Doyle and figure that’s what Bob Uecker does. I do that sometimes, I do. But when we’ve got a good game going, I don’t mess around.”
In his later years, he took a critical strategy to his well being, swimming every day main as much as coronary heart surgical procedure in April 2010. Very quickly after the procedures, medical doctors stated Uecker returned to strolling a number of miles and was forward in restoration.
Uecker pushed to return to the sales space and started calling video games once more in July, saying he bribed the medical doctors by permitting them to throw out the primary pitch.
“You talk about all the things Bob has done, he never wanted to leave Milwaukee,” Selig stated. “Above all, he made himself into a great play-by-play announcer. That’s what he did. He’s everything to this franchise and loves every minute of it.”
Uecker’s personal profession supplied him most of his materials. His former teammates stated Uecker would do impressions of different broadcasters on the bus, however Uecker turned the highlight on himself after his taking part in profession was over.
“I signed with the Milwaukee Braves for $3,000. That bothered my dad at the time because he didn’t have that kind of dough,” he stated “But he eventually scraped it up.”
One other traditional: “When I came up to bat with three men on and two outs in the ninth, I looked in the other team’s dugout and they were already in street clothes.”
Uecker additionally presided over the stirring ceremony that closed Milwaukee County Stadium in 2000. When the Brewers’ new stadium opened as Miller Park in 2001, the staff started promoting “Uecker Seats” excessive within the higher deck and obstructed for a $1.
The stadium, now often known as American Household Area, has two statues in Uecker’s honor. There’s a statue exterior the stadium and one other one behind Part 422, a nod to the Miller Lite industrial by which he famously stated “I must be in the front row!” whereas getting taken to one of many worst seats within the ballpark.
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