- Bob Uecker
Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=#263473
bgcolor2=#A50024
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Bob Uecker
position=Catcher
birthdate=birth date and age|1935|1|26Milwaukee, Wisconsin
bats=Right
throws=Right
debutdate=April 13
debutyear=1962
debutteam=Milwaukee Braves
finaldate=September 29
finalyear=1967
finalteam=Atlanta Braves
stat1label=Batting Average
stat1value=.200
stat2label=Home Runs
stat2value=14
stat3label=RBI
stat3value=74
teams=
* Milwaukee Braves (1962–1963)
*St. Louis Cardinals (1964–1965)
*Philadelphia Phillies (1966–1967)
*Atlanta Braves (1967)
highlights=
* Ford C. Frick Award (2003)
*World Series champion (1964)Robert George "Bob" Uecker (pronEng|ˈˈjǀõkeǀur)(born
January 26 ,1935 inMilwaukee, Wisconsin ) is an American formerMajor League Baseball player, later an award-winningsportscaster ,comedian andactor . Uecker jokingly identifies himself by the title of "Mr. Baseball".Playing career
Though he sometimes joked he was born on an oleo run to Illinois, Uecker was born and raised in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin . He grew up watching the minor-league Milwaukee Brewers atBorchert Field . He signed a professional contract with his hometown Milwaukee Braves in 1956 and made his major league debut as acatcher with the club in 1962. He was a mediocre hitter who finished with a careerbatting average of .200. He was a sound defensive player and committed very few errors in hisMajor League career as acatcher . His careerfielding percentage was .981. Uecker also played for theSt. Louis Cardinals (and was a member of the 1964 World Champion club) andPhiladelphia Phillies before returning to the Braves, who had by then moved to Atlanta. His six-year major league career concluded in 1967.Broadcasting career
After retiring as a player, Uecker returned to Milwaukee. In 1971, he began calling
play-by-play for the Milwaukee Brewersradio broadcasts, a position he holds to this day. Despite his reputation as a comedian, he is known for being generally all-business in the booth. He also served as one of the firstcolor commentator s on networktelevision broadcasts in the 1970s (for ABC's "Monday Night Baseball ") and 1990s (for NBC as he teamed withBob Costas andJoe Morgan for telecasts). During that time, he was a commentator forLeague Championship Series and theWorld Series .Uecker now works as the Milwaukee Brewers' play-by-play announcer, a duty he shares with partner Jim Powell. The duo broadcasts games on the Brewers Radio Network throughout Wisconsin. The flagship is WTMJ 620 Milwaukee.
Humor
Known for his humor, particularly about his undistinguished playing career, Uecker actually became much better known after he retired from playing. He made 64 guest appearances on
Johnny Carson 's "Tonight Show", and appeared in a number of humorouscommercials , most notably forMiller Lite beer, as one of the "Miller Lite All-Stars".Uecker published two books, an
autobiography entitled "Catcher in the Wry" (ISBN 0-515-09029-8), and "Catch 222" (ISBN 0-399-13744-0).Acting career
Uecker also pursued an acting career, and played the part of George Owens during the successful five-year run of the television sitcom "
Mr. Belvedere " in the 1980s. Uecker played a prominent role in the "Major League" movie franchise as Harry Doyle, the announcer for the team the movie is based on, theCleveland Indians . A phrase is often quoted from this movie; "Juuuust a bit outside..." on a pitch that is several feet outside thestrike zone . That clip began appearing in someDirecTV ads in the spring of 2007.ports expertise outside of baseball
His sports expertise extends beyond baseball. He hosted two syndicated television shows, "Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports" and "Bob Uecker's War of the Stars". The former has since become known as "
The Lighter Side of Sports " (albeit with a different host,Mike Golic ) and remains one of the longest-running syndicated sports programs in American television history.Uecker also appeared in a series of commercials for the
Milwaukee Admirals of theAmerican Hockey League in the mid-1990s, including one in which he re-designed the team's uniforms to feature a garish plaid reminiscent of the loud sportcoats synonymous with Uecker in the 1970s and 1980s. In February 2006, the Admirals commemorated those commercials with a special event in which the players wore the plaid jerseys [ [http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2418813980100120328AzpgXM] ] during a game. The jerseys were then auctioned off to benefit charity. [http://www.milwaukeeadmirals.com/home/news/7-4man-win]Wrestling announcer
In 1987, Uecker appeared as a ringside announcer at
WrestleMania III inPontiac, Michigan , followed by a return in 1988 atWrestleMania IV as both as a ringside announcer and backstage interviewer; one segment sawAndré the Giant choking Uecker.In the fall of 2006, WWE contacted Uecker to appear at
WrestleMania 23 onApril 1 ,2007 inDetroit, Michigan . It was reported inDave Meltzer 'sWrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE wanted Uecker to be involved in a sketch of some sort with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.Honors
Uecker was inducted into the
Radio Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2003, he received theFord C. Frick Award , bestowed annually by theBaseball Hall of Fame to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball". His humorous and self-deprecating speech was a highlight of the ceremony. [ [http://www2.jsonline.com/sports/brew/jul03/158118.asp JS Online: Uecker's standup act leaves 'em laughing ] ]In by|2005, Uecker's 50th year in major league baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers placed a number 50 in his honor in their "Ring of Honor", near the retired numbers of
Robin Yount andPaul Molitor .On October 4, 2008, Uecker threw out the ceremonial first pitch at
Miller Park prior to the Brewers first home playoff game since 1982.Popular culture
* He was the voice of the "head of Bob Uecker" in the "
Futurama " episode "A Leela of Her Own ".
** Uecker: "Mulligan drives the ball. It's going, going and caught by the shortstop. Mets lose again. Man, I haven't seen play this bad since the days of Bob Uecker! This is Bob Uecker, saying thanks for watching!"* Uecker appeared in a series of popular
Miller Lite commercials. In one popular commercial from the 1990s, Uecker was seen preparing to watch a baseball game when an informs him he is in the wrong seat. Uecker pompously remarks, "I must be in the "front" row," which became another of his catchphrases. Thepunch line was that Uecker's seat was actually in thenosebleed section . Since then, the farthest seats from the action in arenas and stadiums have been called "Uecker seats". There is a section of $1 seating called the "Uecker Seats" at Miller Park, which is an obstructed-view area in the deep upper grandstand above home plate where the stadium's roof pivot comes together (in reference to one of his Miller Lite commercials).
* Uecker portrays Harry Doyle, the broadcaster for theCleveland Indians , in the movies "Major League", "Major League II ", and "". In the movies, Uecker's character is known for his witticisms and his tendency to become intoxicated from drinkingJack Daniel's whiskey during losing games.Other quotes
* (This story also appears, albeit in "quotation marks", indicating it was part of his "standup act", in his 1982 autobiography, "Catcher in the Wry". However, that same book's appendix lists his career stats and his birthplace as Milwaukee, which agrees with every major publication.)
* "How do you catch aknuckleball ? Wait until it stops rolling, then go to the backstop and pick it up."
* "You know, I was once named Minor League Player of the Year...unfortunately, I had been in the majors for two years at the time."
* "I had been playing for a while, and I asked Louisville Slugger to send me a dozen flame treated bats. But when I got it, I realized they had sent me a box of ashes."
* "Get up! Get up! Get outta here! Gone!"—Uecker's signature call of a Brewers home run
* "How about that one, folks!"—Another signature call after a big hit or play in the field.
* "Well, a couple of grand slammers and the Brewers are right back in this one."—Uecker during the 8th inning of a game the Brewers were losing 8–0
* "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. But he eventually scraped it up."
* "Hey struck him out!" Uecker's classic big-strikeout call; sounds like he's gonna say 'he struck him out' but the elevated excitement makes it a 'hey'.References
External links
* [http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/frick/uecker_bob.jsp Baseball Hall of Fame - Frick Award recipient]
* [http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/broadcasters.jsp?c_id=mil Uecker's bio on the Milwaukee Brewers' website]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20070614191140/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hof_weekend/2003/speeches/uecker.htm Text of his Hall of Fame speech]
* [http://www.quotes-famous.com/person/Bob-Uecker-quotes.html Bob Uecker Quotes]
* [http://onmilwaukee.com/buzz/articles/uecker.html Bob Uecker interview on OnMilwaukee.com]
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