This week we lost Bob Uecker, a man who had two careers in baseball, but was more famous out of the uniform. Uecker became synonymous with Milwaukee baseball.
Uecker played eight seasons in the Milwaukee Braves organization, two at the major league level in that city. A catcher, Uecker was not a star. He hit only one home run in a Milwaukee uniform. He batted an even .200 in six MLB seasons for three teams.
After his playing career ended, Uecker ended up in the broadcast booth for the Brewers, a franchise that brought big league baseball back to Milwaukee in 1970. The following season, the strong-jawed Uecker called his first games in the radio booth for the Brewers. He remained employed by the team as a broadcaster for 54 seasons.
Uecker was more than just a baseball broadcaster. His sense of humor and charming, self-deprecating personality made him a popular entertainer. By the early 1970s, with his playing career barely in the rearview mirror, Uecker drew attention from Hollywood.
This video clip from 1971 shows Uecker as a guest on The Tonight Show, hosted by the legendary Johnny Carson.
Eventually, Uecker guest-hosted The Tonight Show several times. He became friends with Carson, and made appearances in several motion pictures. Often, he served as a comical baseball broadcaster, as he did in the popular film Major League in 1989.
