One of the most beloved voices in baseball and pop culture history has died. Bob Uecker was best known as radio play-by-play announcerĀ on Milwaukee Brewers baseball games since 1971, although that role eventually brought him to wider prominence inĀ the worlds of film and television.
Sadly, the Brewers announced today that Uecker had passed away. He was 90 years old. A statement released by the Brewers said Uecker had been battling small cell lung cancer for the last few years.
Uecker was still the radio broadcaster for the BrewersĀ during the 2024 season, in whichĀ the team wonĀ the National League Central division. Uecker was front and center during the celebration of the division-clinching victory.
Prior to his broadcasting career, Uecker was a major leaguer himself.Ā Mostly serving as a backup catcher, he was called up to the Brewers in 1962 and also played for the Cardinals (where he helped win the World Series in 1964), Phillies, and Braves in a six-season career.
After his playingĀ days were over,Ā Uecker rejoined the Brewers organization, this time as their radio broadcaster. He held that job from 1971 until his death. In the 1980s and ā90s he also worked many nationally broadcast baseball games, includingĀ several World Series. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
In addition to Ueckerās work behind the mic for the Brewers, he became a national celebrity and a fixture on television in the 1970s and ā80s. He initially garnered wider fame through dozens of appearances on talk shows likeĀ The Tonight Show ā Johnny Carson was the one whoĀ popularized Ueckerās slightlyĀ sarcastic nickname āMr. Baseballā āĀ and then in a series of popular Miller Lite ads.
Ueckerās most famous role these daysĀ might be his work asĀ wisecracking Cleveland play-by-play man Harry Doyle in the trilogy ofĀ Major League films. Ueckerās exasperated calls of the hapless teamāsĀ blunders became famous baseball quotes ā like āJuuuustĀ a bit outside,ā duringĀ a particularly poor pitch from Charlie Sheenās Ricky Vaughn.
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Uecker also spent six seasons as the good-natured patriarch on the ABC sitcomĀ Mr. Belvedere. He played George, the head of a Pittsburgh family that has an English butler (played by Christopher Hewett).
Ueckerās affable, self-deprecating persona made him a great talk show guest and beer pitchman, but he was also a legitimately great broadcaster and storyteller. In recent years, you could listen to his calls of Brewers games on the MLB app,Ā and they were so entertaining ā even if you didnātĀ care about whether the Brewers won or lost. He will be missed, but some of his legendary calls (both in real gamesĀ andĀ in fictional ones) will live on forever.