Bob Uecker
Bob Uecker
Robert George "Bob" Ueckeris a retired American Major League Baseball player, later a sportscaster, comedian and actor. Uecker was given the title of "Mr. Baseball" by TV talk show host Johnny Carson. Since 1971, Uecker has served as a play-by-play announcer for Milwaukee Brewers radio broadcasts. Uecker was honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame with its 2003 Ford C. Frick Award for his broadcasting career...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth26 January 1935
CityMilwaukee, WI
CountryUnited States of America
Anyone with talent can play in the Major Leagues; for someone like me to stay around as long as I did, I think that's a much greater acheivement.
I would order a dozen bats and there were times they'd come back with handles at each end.
Anybody with ability can play in the big leagues. But to be able to trick people year in and year out the way I did, I think that was a much greater feat.
You throw batting practice, you warm up pitchers, you sit and cheer. You do whatever you have to do to stay on the team.
Sure, women sportswriters look when they're in the clubhouse. Read their stories. How else do you explain a capital letter in the middle of a word?
We were on for six years. We were in syndication for a while. It had its run. I still see the people from 'Mr. Belvedere,' too. We stay in touch.
I think my top salary was maybe in 1966. I made $17,000 and 11 of that came from selling other players' equipment.
I had a .200 lifetime batting average in the major leagues, which tied me with another sports great averaging 200 or better for a ten-year period: Don Carter, one of our top bowlers.
I spent three of the best years of my life in 10th grade.
The highlight of my baseball career came in Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium when I saw a fan fall out of the upper deck. When he got up and walked away, the crowd booed.
Phil Niekro and his brother were pitching against each other in Atlanta. Their parents were sitting right behind home plate. I saw their folks more that day than they did the whole weekend.
I signed a very modest $3,000 bonus with the Braves in Milwaukee. And my old man didn't have that kinda money to put out.
I just grew the hair on my back. Facial hair just wasn't appealing to me. I liked it on my back, though.
I hit a grand slam off Ron Herbel and when his manager Herman Franks came out to get him, he was bringing Herbel's suitcase.