Bob Wecker didn’t have to stretch much to play quick-witted broadcaster Harry Doyle in the movie “Major League.” Milwaukee Brewers fans have been happy to hear that act for over 50 years.
Uecker, whose humor made him a celebrity outside of baseball, died Thursday at the age of 90, the Brewers announced. Uecker’s family said in a statement that Uecker had been battling small cell lung cancer since early 2023. Uecker has been the play-by-play voice for the Milwaukee Brewers since 1971, making it one of the longest-running broadcasters for an MLB team. history.
“Weck was the light of the Brewers, the soundtrack of our summer and the laughter of our hearts. His passing is a deep loss,” the Brewers said in a statement. “He was the heart and soul of Wisconsin and a dear friend. Bob loved people. His presence warmed every room and treated all of us as if we were friends for life. He welcomed me into his world.”
Fans outside of Wisconsin knew about Uecker, and he achieved a level of fame rarely experienced by baseball radio broadcasters. He appeared on their television shows, appearing regularly on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson, and starring in the 1980s sitcom “Mr. Belvedere,” which remains unforgettable decades after it aired. He starred in a Miller Lite commercial. Many fans still recite the best line from Major League star Uecker.
But essentially Uecker was not a national star. His hometown was Milwaukee. Every year, he returned to call games on WTMJ radio, usually for a losing Brewers team. When the Brewers were having a bad day, he could go an entire season telling funny stories between games. On the rare occasions when the Brewers were doing well, he used his work as an announcer to liven up the game. Uecker’s broadcasts earned him the prestigious Ford Frick Award in 2003, an honor he received at the Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown. His speech at the Hall of Fame was legendary.
Uecker was given the nickname “Mr. Baseball” in mockery of his mediocre playing career. But after a lifetime of entertaining baseball fans, the nickname was actually quite fitting.
Bob Uecker was a broadcasting legend.
Many of Uecker’s self-deprecating jokes stem from his major league career. He batted .200 in six seasons playing catcher for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals. One of his 14 major league home runs came off the great Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax. In typical Uecker fashion, he said he was worried that the home run would keep Koufax from becoming a Hall of Famer. Uecker also hit home runs off Hall of Famers Ferguson Jenkins and Gaylord Perry.
One of Uecker’s favorite jokes was about his 1956 contract with the Braves. He often said he signed for $3,000, but his father was angry because the Braves didn’t have enough money to pay him. No matter how many times he told that joke, it always got a laugh.
Uecker’s story came up during the broadcast, and the game got out of hand. He began broadcasting Brewers games in 1971, the team’s second year in Milwaukee. More than 50 years later, he continues to attend their games, albeit on a limited schedule in his 80s. His style never changed, mixing good broadcasts with wit depending on the game situation. He had a joke (about catching Phil Niekro’s knuckleball, his advice was, “Wait until it stops rolling and just pick it up”), but he didn’t repeat himself. However, I was able to continue for many games.
Many Wisconsinites grew up listening to Uecker’s call games on transistor radios. It was a tradition during baseball season. If you ask a Brewers fan of a certain age about Uecker’s call on a ninth-inning comeback on Easter Sunday in 1987, when the team won 12 straight games to open the season, chances are they’ll know exactly where they were. You will remember it. Uecker is the biggest and most popular figure in Brewers history, and a close second.
At various points in his career, Uecker could have left Milwaukee for a bigger market. He worked for ABC and NBC and called multiple postseason games, including several World Series contests. For most of his career, he didn’t have a formal contract with the Brewers, only a series of handshake deals with team owners Bud Selig and Mark Attanasio. Yet he was always there.
Milwaukee was happy to share their legend with the nation.
Uecker was made famous by Johnny Carson.
Uecker’s rise to fame beyond baseball is largely due to Carson. Uecker got his big break in 1969 when he opened for comedian Don Rickles at musician Al Hart’s nightclub in Atlanta. Hart set him up to appear as a guest on Carson’s show through CBS News. This led to more than 100 appearances on “Carson” over the years. Carson is credited with giving Uecker the nickname “Mr. Baseball.”
That paved the way for Uecker. The Miller Lite commercial (in which Uecker’s immortal line, “I need to be in the front row,” as he is ushered out of the wrong seat), was a huge success. Uecker then furthered his fame by playing Doyle in the 1989 film Major League. Spend enough time at the ballpark and you’re guaranteed to hear his famous old line, “Come on out.”
Despite his fame outside the game, Uecker happened to have a comedic talent throughout his baseball life. That’s why he continues to do radio broadcasts in one of the smallest markets in the majors, calling games for a team that hasn’t played in the World Series since 1982. He continued to call games despite health scares, including two heart surgeries. He was so popular among Brewers players that they voted him their full $123,000 playoff share in the 2018 postseason. Uecker donated the money to charity. Few broadcasters are as synonymous with a sports franchise as this one. A statue of Uecker stands outside the Brewers’ stadium.
“I still enjoy playing the game,” he said in a 2020 interview with Bob Costas. “I still work hard for us (Brewers) every day. Every day. Everything else I’ve done has always come back to baseball. I didn’t want to do anything else.”
Baseball fans are glad Uecker didn’t grow too big for the sport. Brewers fans are glad he was never too big for Milwaukee.
