Tim Barto: A doff of the cap to Mr. Baseball

By TIM BARTO

Baseball is a game of characters, and no one had more character than Bob Uecker, who passed away Thursday at the age of 90. He was a favorite of generations of the game’s fans, so before we get all twisted up by next week’s big political stories, let’s take a minute to smile about one of the games’ classiest clowns.

Uecker played in the big leagues from 1962 to 1967, amassing a batting average of exactly .200, which – and he was always the first to admit it – was downright awful. Yet, few players had as much fun playing the game as did Uecker. He was a jokester, loved by his teammates despite his inability to hit above the Mendoza Line. 

One of the really odd trivia facts about such a dismal hitter is that Uecker only hit 14 home runs during his Major League career, but three of them came off Hall-of-Fame pitchers: Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins, and Sandy Koufax. 

It was after his playing days were over, however, that Bob Uecker parlayed his comedic nature with his love of the game into a career. He was the Milwaukee Brewers’ broadcaster for over half a century, and was considered as much a part of that team as any of the players or coaches.

Uecker’s success as a broadcaster actually led to his induction into the broadcasters’ wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003. His self-deprecating induction speech had Hall-of-Fame ballplayers in stitches with some of his better known quotes . . .

“I knew when my career was over. In 1965 my baseball card came out with no picture.” 

“I think my top salary was maybe in 1966. I made $17,000 and 11 of that came from selling other players’ equipment.” 

“I led the league in go get ’em next time.” 

“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.”

In addition to his career in broadcasting, Uecker starred in the TV comedy “Mr. Belvedere” for six seasons and was a regular guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. It was Carson who tagged him “Mr. Baseball.” 

It was Uecker who quipped, “I must be in the front row,” during one of his Miller Lite beer commercials, a line that became almost as famous with sports fans as the one he used while playing a broadcaster in the Major League movies – “Juuust a bit outside.”

Guys like Bob Uecker are part of what make baseball unique. In an era in which players’ egos are almost as big as their multi-million dollar contracts, it was wonderful to hear Bob Uecker keeping things fun.  

Tim Barto is vice president of Alaska Family Council and a regular contributor to Must Read Alaska. His lifetime love of baseball is shared by Suzanne Downing, who will inevitably be criticized for allowing a baseball-themed column to creep into this edition.