Bob Uecker, the voice of his hometown Milwaukee Brewers, was called “Mr. All Hall of Fame inductees, including those in baseball, have died. He was 90 years old.
The team announced Uecker’s death Thursday morning, calling it “one of the most difficult days in Milwaukee Brewers history.” In a statement released by the club, Uker’s family said he had been battling small cell lung cancer since early 2023.
“Despite these challenges, his zest for life was always present and his spirit never wavered,” the family said.
Uecker is best known as a colorful comedian and broadcaster who earned his nickname during one of his numerous appearances on Johnny Carson’s late-night show.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Uecker signed his first professional contract with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956 and reached the major leagues in 1962. He spent six seasons as a backup catcher in the big leagues, posting a .200 average and 14 home runs.
He won a World Series with St. Louis in 1964 and also played for Atlanta and Philadelphia.
“Career highlight? “I have two,” he often joked. “I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and got out of the game against the Mets.”
Uecker also became friends with former Brewers owner and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, who initially hired him as a scout. Selig liked to joke about how Uecker’s early reconnaissance reports were smeared with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Selig eventually brought Uecker into the broadcast booth. Uecker became the voice of the Brewers in 1971, two years after the team moved from Seattle.
Uecker remained with the club from that point on and became one of the Brewers’ most indelible figures. Brewers manager Craig Counsell grew up in the Milwaukee area and remembers throwing and catching baseballs on the roof on summer days while listening to Uecker’s broadcasts.
“There is no one person in the history of this franchise as iconic and important as Bob Uecker,” said Jeff Levering, a member of the Brewers broadcast team since 2015.
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Even as his celebrity status grew nationally, Uecker continued to enjoy the opportunity to call games from fans in his hometown.
“If you can play games every day all summer and talk to people every day at 6:30 for game night, you can become part of people’s family,” Uecker said. “I know that because I get emails from people saying that. That’s part of the reward for being here, just being recognized for the way you talk, the way you explain the game, etc.”
Uecker was inducted into the Hall of Fame with the Ford C. Frick Award in 2003 and spent nearly 20 minutes giving a crowd in Cooperstown, New York, about 18,000 stitches.
“I still – and this is by no means sour grapes – still think I should have gone in as a player,” he quipped.
“Ueck” got his big break off the field in 1969 after opening for Don Rickles at Al Hirt’s nightclub in Atlanta. The performance caught Hirt’s attention, and the musician set him up to appear on the show. tonight show With Johnny Carson. He appeared on more than 100 occasions and became one of Carson’s favorite guests.
Carson called Uecker “Mr. “Baseball.” And the name stuck.
(Note: The video below contains foul language. Watch at your own discretion.)
But Uecker’s comedy was only part of his abilities. His warm storytelling and delivery made Uecker a natural choice, making him the first color commentator on network television broadcasts on ABC in the 1970s. In the ’90s, he teamed with Bob Costas and Joe Morgan in the World Series.
From there, Uecker reached most homes as one of the Miller Lite All-Stars in a popular commercial for the Milwaukee-based beer brand. Uecker later began his television acting career on the ABC sitcom in 1985. Mr. Belvedere.
Uecker played George Owens during the series’ successful 122-episode run, which lasted six years, as a family man and sportswriter who brings in a butler who struggles to fit into an American family.
In a bit of casting that keeps things very close to home, Uecker also has a prominent role in the film. major league (1989) and Major League II (1994) as Harry Doyle, announcer for a slumping Cleveland Indians franchise looking for a way to become a playoff contender.
“I feel like I’m part of American folklore,” Uecker told The Associated Press in 2003. But I’m not a Hollywood person. “Baseball and broadcasting are in my blood,” he said.
His bitter explanation for the wildly out-of-place pitch – “It’s a little out there!” — This line from the movie is still often repeated by announcers and fans throughout the ballpark.
Uecker’s acting has led some to believe he was closer to being funny than a serious baseball announcer, but his tenure and observations with the Brewers were solid, especially when the games were tight. The game was just as enjoyable when Uecker talked about other major leaguers, his own career, and his hobbies as an avid angler and golfer.
“I don’t think anyone wants to hear someone messing around when the game is going well,” Uecker said. “I think people see major league And they think of Harry Doyle and they think that’s what Bob Uecker does. I do that sometimes. But when we are playing well, I don’t mess around.”
In his later years, he took a serious approach to his health, swimming every day and undergoing heart surgery in April 2010. Immediately after surgery, doctors said Uecker was back to walking several miles and that his recovery was ahead.
Uecker forced his way back into the booth and began calling games again in July. He said he bribed doctors by allowing them to throw out the first pitch.
“You talk about everything Bob did, he never wanted to leave Milwaukee,” Selig said. “First and foremost, he made himself a great play-by-play announcer. That’s what he did. He’s everything to this franchise and he’s loving every minute of it.”
Uecker’s own career provided him with most of the material. His former teammates said Uecker would impress other broadcasters on the bus, but Uecker turned the spotlight on himself after his playing career ended.
“I signed with the Milwaukee Braves for $3,000. “At the time, my father didn’t have that kind of dough, so it was painful,” he said. “But in the end, he scraped it all out.”
Another classic: “When I came up to bat in the ninth inning with three on and two outs, I looked into the opposing team’s dugout and they were already in their street clothes.”
Uecker also presided over the emotional ceremony that closed Milwaukee County Stadium in 2000. When the Brewers’ new stadium opened as Miller Park in 2001, the team began selling “Uecker Seats” in the upper deck and sagging for $1.
The stadium, now known as American Family Field, features two statues honoring Uecker. There’s a statue outside the stadium and one in the back of Section 422, a nod to the famous Miller Lite commercial where he says, “I should be in the front row!” While sitting in the worst seat in the ballpark.
