'Mr. Baseball' Bob Uecker, Brewers announcer, dies at 90

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bob Uecker, who parlayed a forgettable playing career into a punch line for movie and TV appearances as "Mr. Baseball" and a Hall of Fame broadcasting tenure, has died. He was 90. The Milwaukee Brewers, whose games Uecker had broadcast for over half a century, announced his death Thursday morning while calling it "one of the most difficult days in Milwaukee Brewers history." In a statement released by the club, Uecker's family said he had battled small cell lung cancer since early 2023. "Bob was the genuine item: always the funniest person in any room he was in, and always an outstanding ambassador for our national pastime," baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "We are grateful for this baseball life like no other, and we will never forget him." Uecker was best known as a colorful comedian and broadcaster whose sense of humor and self-deprecating style earned him fame and affection beyond his .200 batting average. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Uecker was a beloved member of the community and a pillar of the sport. He broadcast Brewers games for the last 54 seasons. "George Steinbrenner tried to hire him, I think more than once," Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio said of the longtime New York Yankees owner. "He could have left for an acting career. He could have left for a comedy career. … He was a Wisconsin guy. He was true blue to Wisconsin." As news of Uecker's death spread, numerous fans converged at his statue outside American Family Field. They paid their respects by leaving flowers, Brewers caps and even cans of the Miller Lite beer he endorsed at the base of the statue. "He's the narrator to all the best times of a couple of generations' lives," said Shawn Bosman of Franklin, Wisconsin, who visited the statue with his mother. Kairee Larson, a longtime Brewers season-ticket holder who lives just down the road from the stadium, said after leaving flowers by the statue that Uecker's call of Ryan Braun's homer in a 2008 playoff-clinching victory over the Chicago Cubs remains her ringtone to this day. "One of the things I thought today was my baby that's due any day is not going to hear that iconic voice," Larson said. Uecker signed his first professional contract with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956 and reached the majors in 1962. He'd last six seasons in the big leagues as a backup catcher, finishing with a .200 average and 14 homers. He won a World Series ring with St. Louis in 1964 and also played for Atlanta and Philadelphia. "Career highlights? I had two," Uecker often joked. "I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets." Uecker also befriended former Brewers owner and baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, who initially hired him as a scout. Selig liked to joke about how Uecker's initial scouting report was stained with mashed potatoes and gravy. Selig eventually brought Uecker to the broadcast booth. Uecker became the voice of the Brewers in 1971, in the second year after the team moved from Seattle. "Bob had the easiest way of making others feel at ease, share a laugh and always left people feeling a little better," Selig said in a statement released by the Brewers. "Nobody was his equal." Uecker remained with the club from that point on. He got his big break off the field after opening for Don Rickles at Al Hirt's nightclub in Atlanta in 1969. That performance caught Hirt's attention, and the musician set him up to appear on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. He became one of Carson's favorite guests, making more than 100 appearances. Carson was the one who dubbed Uecker "Mr. Baseball." And the name stuck. Even as his celebrity status grew nationwide, Uecker savored the opportunity to continue calling games in his hometown. "To be able to do a game each and every day throughout the summer and talk to people every day at 6:30 for a night game, you become part of people's families," Uecker once said. Uecker was honored by the Hall of Fame with the Ford C. Frick Award in 2003 and spent nearly 20 minutes keeping the Cooperstown, New York, crowd of about 18,000 in stitches. "I still — and this is not sour grapes by any means — still think I should have gone in as a player," he quipped. Uecker's comedy was just a part of his abilities. His warm storytelling and delivery made him a natural to become one of the first color commentators on network TV broadcasts in the 1970s with ABC. In the '90s, he teamed up with Bob Costas and Joe Morgan for the World Series. From there, Uecker reached most households as one of the Miller Lite All-Stars in popular commercials for the beer brand based out of Milwaukee and Uecker later launched his TV acting career in 1985 on the ABC sitcom "Mr. Belvedere." Uecker played George Owens during the successful 122-episode run of the series that lasted six years, as the head of the family and sports writer in a home that brings in a butler who struggles to adapt to an American household. In a bit of casting that kept things pretty close to home, Uecker also played a prominent role in the movies "Major League" (1989) and "Major League II" (1994) as crass announcer Harry Doyle for a down-and-out Cleveland Indians franchise that finds a way to become playoff contenders. "I'm part of American folklore, I guess," Uecker told The Associated Press in 2003. "But I'm not a Hollywood guy. Baseball and broadcasting are in my blood." His wry description of a badly wayward pitch — "Juuuust a bit outside!" — in the movie is still often-repeated by announcers and fans at ballparks all over. Uecker's acting left some to believe he was more about being funny than a serious baseball announcer, but his tenure and observations with the Brewers were spot on, especially when games were tight. Equally enjoyable were games that weren't, when Uecker would tell stories about other major leaguers, his own career and his hobbies as an avid fisherman and golfer. "I don't think anyone wants to hear somebody screwing around when you got a good game going," Uecker said. "I think people see 'Major League' and they think Harry Doyle and figure that's what Bob Uecker does. I do that sometimes, I do. But when we've got a good game going, I don't mess around." Uecker presided over the stirring 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" high in the upper deck and obstructed for a $1. The stadium, now known as American Family Field, has two statues in Uecker's honor. There's one outside the stadium and another in the back of Section 422, a nod to the Miller Lite commercial in which he famously said "I must be in the front row!" while getting taken to one of the worst seats in the ballpark. Uecker was a regular presence in the Brewers clubhouse throughout his broadcasting career. Players who were well over a half-century younger than Uecker loved being around him, whether they were seeking advice or just wanted to hear his anecdotes. "Anytime you went to dinner with him or sat down with him for lunch at the stadium or anything, you never knew what you were going to hear," Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich said. "Everybody was well aware of how special those times were." Those times were particularly poignant last year as Uecker continued broadcasting games while fighting cancer. Yelich said Uecker would just be "the same old Bob" during his clubhouse visits and considered the stadium his refuge. "There were days he'd go have radiation treatment and then come to the ballpark and broadcast a game," Attanasio said. "It was unbelievable." When the Brewers clinched the NL Central title, manager Pat Murphy threw an arm around Uecker in the locker room, pulling him in tight as players white-knuckled their bottle corks, ready to shower "Mr. Baseball" in champagne. "There is no one — there is no one — who epitomizes a champion the way this man does right here," Murphy proclaimed as the players chanted "UUUUUECK." After the Brewers were eliminated from the playoffs, Uecker made sure to visit the locker room and offer support to players in a way only he could. Yelich said afterward the toughest part of the night was talking to Uecker because the Brewers knew how badly the longtime broadcaster wanted to see Milwaukee win a World Series. "He brought out the best in all of us," Attanasio said. He's really the heart of Milwaukee baseball — Mr. Baseball. He'll forever be in our hearts." ___ Former AP Sports Writer Colin Fly contributed to this report. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB