By: Melissa S. Wollering
This news is just a bit outside. Baseball play-by-play on Wisconsin radio waves won’t be same without him. For 10-12 weeks, Hall of Fame Milwaukee Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker will be missed as he undergoes heart surgery. His last heart surgery was in 1991, and he missed several weeks that season, too.
In Tuesday’s press conference, he opened by announcing he’d been added to the Brewers’ active roster. After the laughs subsided, he told reporters he has known about his condition for a while and that only his most recent scans revealed that his aorta is enlarged to a point where it could rupture. Surgeons will perform an aortic valve replacement on Friday.
Uecker is no slouch. He loves to swim and has a regular lap swimming routine at home and on road trips. He may promote the Usinger’s Sausage and ballpark food on the radio, but his daily diet isn’t sausage-heavy.
And if you’re not a Brewers fan, it doesn’t matter. Ueck, 75, has been calling play-by-play on radio broadcasts since 1971. He delivered one of the most memorable speeches in baseball ever when he was inducted into the broadcasters’ wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Anyone who knows Ueck also remembers his work in film and television, including regular guest appearances on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Thanks to Carson, we call Uecker “Mr. Baseball.”
Remember Uecker’s commercials for Miller Lite? And how can you forget him in “Mr. Belvedere” and “Major League.” As Harry Doyle, he kept Cleveland Indians’ ball interesting.
“In case you haven’t noticed, and judging by the attendance you haven’t, the Indians have managed to win a few here and there, and are threatening to climb out of the cellar.”
“Remember, fans, Tuesday is Die Hard Night. Free admission for anyone who was actually alive the last time the Indians won the pennant.”
“The post-game show is brought to you by… [searches through his papers] Christ, I can’t find it. To hell with it!”
“Heywood leads the league in most offensive categories, including nose hair. When this guy sneezes, he looks like a party favor.”
“And for the Indians, that’s one run on, let’s see…one hit? That’s all we had, one goddamn hit? [Monty: You can’t say “goddamn” on the air!] Don’t worry; nobody’s listening anyway. “
Lesser known fact: Uecker also hosted a pair of Wrestlemanias and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last month during Spring Training. Check out that speech here.
Uecker teams up with Cory Provus on Brewers radio broadcasts now, but used to have good ol’ Jim Powell on his side prior to last season. Provus and Davey Nelson will take over in the interim, with Cory providing play-by-play and Davey providing analysis/commentary.
Until he returns, radio just won’t sound the same in the state of Wisconsin. So take your Usinger’s bratwurst and some Koop’s mustard and keep Bob Uecker in your prayers!