Bob Uecker

From SoSH

Robert George Uecker (b. January 26, 1935) is a former major league catcher and the Voice of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Contents 1 Playing Career 2 Broadcasting Biography 3 The Best of Bob Uecker 4 Trivia 5 Further Reading

Playing Career

Uecker prides himself on his career .200 batting average (well, .1997) and believes the Mendoza Line should be renamed after him. In 1967, after being sent to the Atlanta Braves, Uecker also proved his prowess at passing balls. As the primary catcher for knuckleballer Phil Niekro, Uecker was charged with 25 passed balls that season. Uecker once stated that the easiest way to catch a knuckleball was to wait until it stopped rolling and then pick it up; this is probably what he did most of the time.

Broadcasting Biography

Uecker joined the Atlanta Braves media department after the 1967 season and was soon recruited for radio broadcasts of the Brewers in his hometown. Uecker has been with the team since 1970, and today, he splits his radio play-by-play duties with partner Jim Powell. The self-deprecating Uecker is a fan favorite in Milwaukee, beloved for his knowledge of the game and his ability to inject humor into his broadcasts.

Uecker has also worked as a color commentator for NBC and ABC, and has hosted sports programs and served as a Wrestlemania announcer. Essentially, he can do anything asked of him, unless it involves hitting a baseball with a baseball bat.

Uecker was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2001 and received the Ford C. Frick Award in 2003.

The Best of Bob Uecker

• "Career highlights? I had two. I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets."

• "Baseball hasn't forgotten me. I go to a lot of Old Timers games and I haven't lost a thing. I sit in the bullpen and let people throw things at me. Just like old times."

• "In 1962 I was named Minor League Player of the Year. It was my second season in the bigs."

• "I signed with the Milwaukee Braves for three-thousand dollars. That bothered my dad at the time because he didn't have that kind of dough. But he eventually scraped it up."

• "The biggest thrill a ballplayer can have is when your son takes after you. That happened when my Bobby was in his championship Little League game. He really showed me something. Struck out three times. Made an error that lost the game. Parents were throwing things at our car and swearing at us as we drove off. Gosh, I was proud."

• "I once ordered a dozen flame-treated bats, and they sent me a box of ashes, so I knew at that time things were moving on."

• "I had a great shoe contract and glove contract with a company who paid me a lot of money never to be seen using their stuff."

Trivia

• Uecker has appeared in numerous movies and television programs, including the Major League film series and the TV shows Mr. Belvedere and Futurama.
• Has a section of $1 obstructed-view seating named in his honor at Miller Park, in reference to a series of Miller Lite commercials that Uecker did.

Further Reading

• Bob Uecker's career statistics
• Bob Uecker's biography at Brewers.com
• Bob Uecker's biography at the Baseball Hall of Fame website
• Text of Uecker's 2003 Hall of Fame speech
• Baseball Almanac's collection of Bob Uecker quotes