In sports parlance, giving absolutely everything you have as a player means “leaving it all on the field.” It can be the field, the ice or any other playing surface, but the principle remains the same. We don’t often go astray and use this in other areas of life, but in the aftermath of baseball legend Bob Uecker diesthis sentence really seemed the most appropriate.
Bob Uecker left it all on the field when he came alive in the public eye. He lived to be almost 91 years old and lived his life to the fullest.
He first appeared in the public eye as a catcher for the 1962 Milwaukee Braves, a high-profile ball club that included three future Hall of Fame players, Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Warren Spahn, and not future MVP Joe Torre, who would go on to become a Hall of Famer as a manager. Ueck would eventually become somewhat famous for his self-deprecating humor regarding the lack of production in his film. MLB career. He hit .200 and ended up with -1.0 WAR in his career.
There is no need to worry about highlighting the lackluster career. He made fun of himself more than anyone else. This level of self-confidence and his ability to playfully laugh at himself paved the way for his life as an immortal baseball personality, which landed him in the media wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Yes, that Braves team had another Hall of Fame. Uecker achieved this through his broadcasting career. He began doing radio for the Brewers in 1971 and continued until last season, giving him a 54-year tenure. He’s Milwaukee through and through. He was excellent in this role and worked his way up to become a colorist for ABC and later NBC. He has worked on several LCS and World Series.
Along the way, it was his personality that got him noticed outside of baseball circles. He started as a pitchman for Miller Lite, namely the “front row” ads.
He even did one with (like?) Rodney Dangerfield.
Uecker also starred in the family sitcom “Mr. Belvedere” as a sports reporter. He hosted Bob Uecker’s Wacky World of Sports and Bob Uecker’s War of the Stars. He even got choked out by Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania IV:
All of this seems to serve as a springboard for what will leave Uecker most memorable in the minds of many people – probably everyone outside of the Milwaukee area – Harry Doyle.
Although “Major League” writer David S. Ward did not specifically write the role of Uecker, Ward “admits that he may have subconsciously written the role of Harry Doyle with Uecker in mind.” “. (via “The Creation of the Major League”)
Uecker’s performance as Doyle was immortal, including several improvised parts and a litany of timeless lines.
How many people still say “Ju-uuuu-ust a little outside?” Personally, I have a soft spot for the second part of this one, “I tried the turn and missed it”. How about Doyle pouring himself a cup of Jack Daniels before the first pitch, then rubbing a splash behind his ears like it was cologne (this was one of Uecker’s improvisations on him -even) ? There are a lot of one-liners that aren’t suitable for print, although nothing really crossed the line. It was a lot of fun. Her delivery was so perfect. Here is a nice compilation:
This is by no means exhaustive. Basically, you have to watch the entirety of “Major League” and parts of “Major League II” to get the full Harry Doyle experience. He’s an immortal movie character.
To date you can find Harry Doyle t-shirts and there are even a talking figurine. We once did an exercise with his name in the title. Sandy Alomar Jr. saw Uecker one day and said, “Hey, it’s Harry Doyle!” in a batting cage in Cleveland (“The Making of Major League”). It represents a large part of what many consider to be the the greatest baseball movie ever made.
He’s much more than Doyle, of course. Uecker mentored several other prominent broadcasters during his time in Milwaukee, including Hall of Famer Pat Hughes. In 2018, the Brewers voted to give Uecker a share of the playoffs and he donated the $122,000 to charity. According to MLB.com, this tradition has continued in each subsequent Brewers postseason appearance. The players loved him so much that they made him Air Ueck shoes:
Christian Yelich posted that on the same day, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared September 25 Bob Uecker Day. As part of the on-field ceremony, Uecker went to throw out the first pitch. After pretending to warm up his throwing arm, he revealed that there was a throwing machine to do the job for him.
This personality has never disappeared.
Given everything we have discussed, a celebration of the life of a man who left absolutely everything on the field of life is in order. Cry, but also cherish. We had the pleasure of watching the public part of an extremely full life, rooted but extended far beyond baseball.
