RIP Bob Uecker

[rickh150]

4 hours ago, FidoMcCokefiend said:

His call of Braun's HR in that 2008 Cubs game is far and away my favorite call of his. 

Agreed…his best call.  So meaningful to get in the playoffs that year.  At his best.

[Baldkin]

Joe Posnanski, as always, nails it.

 

https://joeblogs.joeposnanski.com/p/farewell-mr-baseball

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

It's one of those bits of news where you know thousands of people are feeling the exact same way you are upon hearing it. You don't even need to say anything. It's just there.

As with many of you, Uecker was a massive part of the reason I fell in love not just with the Brewers but with baseball. There are poet announcers (Scully, Jack Buck, etc.) and there are action announcers (BA is one of these, I think). There are analytical announcers (Benetti).

What I loved about Bob is that he was a human announcer. A storytelling machine. A humorist. A novelist. The Mark Twain of baseball. He never let you forget about the people playing the game, their human tics, their rituals, the life that comes with making a living playing this game. Baseball was Uecker's workplace. And he observed it in memorable, life-affirming detail. That's so so rare in this day and age, but, honestly, I think it's just rare in all of history. I don't remember Uecker ever being one of those grumpy anti-stats folks (I'm sure you could pull up some clips that I missed or forgot about), and I thought he was admirably open to the changing game as he got later into his career, maybe because that wasn't the thing he cared about. He cared about the experience of swinging a bat and catching a ball and nobody could make you see both its beauty and its absurdity quite like him.

That's what I'll miss about Ueck. The game was there. He could get as into its results as anyone. Ultimately, though, it was the accumulation of details around it, and his way of observing and combining those details, that made you feel alive.

I've teared up at least three times since hearing. I'll miss knowing the guy's out there breathing our air, but at least we'll always have his voice.

[LouisEly]

It's not uncommon to see criticism here of other announcers.  Not just baseball, but most if not all of the major sports.

I think a big reason behind that is that we became accustomed to the best of the best.  And that has created unrealistic expectations of others.

Hopefully we all know just how lucky we have been.

 

[NeedMoreFans]

Listening to Uecker on the radio was one of the last connections from my childhood to adulthood.  My dad, who passed away unexpectedly in May, would turn on Brewer games for me before going to bed, and I fell asleep countless summer nights listening to Uecker, then waking up an hour after the post-game show ended to the sound of some radio psychologist or something.  My dad and I would often update each other when someone hit a home run, and would be disappointed when it wasn't Uecker because we wouldn't hear his call on the post-game highlights.  I remember one year, we turned on the first spring training game that was broadcast on the radio, and my dad said something along the lines of "it's great to hear his voice again."  

So today I spent a lot of time thinking about my dad and I and how baseball was a special bond between us, and Uecker was a key part of creating and sustaining that bond. 

[Devinep]

38 minutes ago, NeedMoreFans said:

Listening to Uecker on the radio was one of the last connections from my childhood to adulthood.  My dad, who passed away unexpectedly in May, would turn on Brewer games for me before going to bed, and I fell asleep countless summer nights listening to Uecker, then waking up an hour after the post-game show ended to the sound of some radio psychologist or something.  My dad and I would often update each other when someone hit a home run, and would be disappointed when it wasn't Uecker because we wouldn't hear his call on the post-game highlights.  I remember one year, we turned on the first spring training game that was broadcast on the radio, and my dad said something along the lines of "it's great to hear his voice again."  

So today I spent a lot of time thinking about my dad and I and how baseball was a special bond between us, and Uecker was a key part of creating and sustaining that bond. 

Almost exact same story for me and I’m sure thousands of sons and their late dads rushing through their minds today. 

[GAME05]

Only just heard. Ueck made me a baseball fan. I've always had trouble sleeping, and a good few seasons before the big '92 run I started listening to games to help me sleep. I got to become more excited to hear blowouts (usually losses) because realizing nobody cared much about the game anymore, Uecker would fill the time with a long, rambling, hilarious story punctuated with the occasional "Oh, and Vaughn struck out" note because he was still actually calling a game.

[igor67]

Spent plenty of time today trying to figure out what to add to the conversation beyond repeating and liking 4 pages of posts. So here goes. He just made life better. 

[Joseph Zarr]

5 hours ago, CheezWizHed said:

Easter Sunday 1987.  I was glued to the radio as a 13 year old. That season and that day in specific solidified me as a life-long Brewer fan. 

Uecker's calls was a big part of that.

I am right there with you my friend. I was nine years old. Menomonie Falls at my Grandma Eunice's condo. Out on her back patio deck. My dad and I listened to the radio call as Rob Deere hit a 3-run bomb to send it into Xtras where the Crew won. An integral memory in that epic George Webb's 12-game winning streak. Eunice is long gone. Ueck is now gone. And, I'm almost 50. Life comes at us fast. Just grateful we had a legend guide us those many years. I'd trade a World Series win for a life filled with Uecker calls. I truly mean that. He is the very definition of a one of a kind. A true Master at being a memorable and lasting human being. Now that he's gone, I want that World Series win in his honor. I want them all.😭

[Joseph Zarr]

3 minutes ago, igor67 said:

Spent plenty of time today trying to figure out what to add to the conversation beyond repeating and liking 4 pages of posts. So here goes. He just made life better. 

Amen

[Team Canada]

Some great stories from BA never heard before: https://www.mlb.com/brewers/video/brian-anderson-reflects-on-bob-uecker?t=t158-default-vtp

He's barely able to hold it together at the end.

[Jim French Stepstool]

5 hours ago, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

 

What I loved about Bob is that he was a human announcer. A storytelling machine. A humorist. A novelist. The Mark Twain of baseball. 

"The Mark Twain of Baseball". That's really, really good.

We all know that if Bob had anything to say about it, any celebration of his life would primarily entail enjoying the memories. For everyone here, especially those in their 30s or younger, I would recommend spending some time on Youtube & looking at his appearances on the Tonight Show during the Carson era. The deadpan, the timing, the comedic genius was so exceptional.

May you be with God, Ueck.

[Ignitor 4ever]

All you need to know about Uecker is that the people who knew him and worked with him, are completely broken up at his passing.  That is when you know the man you heard and loved behind the microphone was the same man in real life.  No doubt that Ueck was the real deal.

[StearnsFTW]

I'm 53.  Born 6 months after his broadcast career started.  He was such a HUGE part of my life.  I'm not sure what that says about me, but it's the truth.

I woke up this morning and it hit me that I'll never hear that voice on my radio again. 

I'm just gutted. 

There's not many people that will understand that, but I know there are some here, so thanks for that.

 

[torts]

14 hours ago, Baldkin said:

Joe Posnanski, as always, nails it.

 

https://joeblogs.joeposnanski.com/p/farewell-mr-baseball

Thank you for posting this, such a great tribute.

Ueck was older than my dad, but they were so similar it was freaky.  Maybe it was all in my head, but, my dads hair was just like his, he dressed like him, he tried to have his sense of humor.  When we could finally stream radio broadcasts wed listen and talk or text about things uecker said.  Over the last 5 years, listening to Ueck call a game was something I could do to feel like my dad was still here.  Thanks for helping me through some dark times, Bob

[patrickgpe]

Of all of the Bob Uecker stories and tributes online over the last 24 hours, this is my favorite one and has been for a while. The way Artie Lange and Norm McDonald tells it is very NSFW, so I'll let the man of the hour tell it with the great Bob Costas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nrjvh4oFvg

[burnzy24]

I'm in my early 40's and grew up in SE Wisconsin. I used to spend a lot of time on my uncle's dairy farm as a teenager in the fall.  We always listened to Ueck on the radio.  We all loved baseball but the brewers weren't particularly good but we just kept listening because Bob would make us laugh so much, Then about 15 years ago I moved to the Twin Cities to start grad school and I was incredibly home sick.  I was driving back to my apartment one day after a night class and I was scanning through the radio stations and all of a sudden I heard Bob's voice on the radio. I almost stopped the car I was so surprised.  Unbeknownst to me the SE metro area could catch the River Falls station.  My homesickness instantly went away just hearing Bob's voice.  Bob was home.  I was so sad yesterday realizing that I'd no longer have that constant in my life anymore. In this day and age we will likely never have anything close to someone like him putting as many years in the booth as he did.  As sad as I still am today, I'm just even more grateful that we had him.

[sveumrules]

On the one hand, how Uecker performed as a player on the field was the least remarkable thing about him. But on the other hand, that performance & his attitude about it also served as a springboard to all the unbelievable greatness that came to follow.

So I guess it got me curious just how bad Ueck was. Turns out there were 297 players to get at least 800 plate appearances between 1962 and 1967, with Bob notching the following ranks...

146 BB%+ (22nd) | 143 K%+ (266th) | 76 AVG+ (297th) | 67 ISO+ (231st) | 64 wRC+ (283rd)

What jumps out right away is that Ueck walked A LOT, especially for someone who couldn't get a hit and had no power. I can't recall one off the top of my head, but maybe he has an anecdote about how his approach in the box was to never swing and just pray for four balls?

So my next thought was, does any active player have even a remotely similar profile at the plate? As it turns out, there are 300 players with at least 750 PAs over the last three years, a pretty similar size player pool. And one guy was pretty, pretty close...

146 BB%+ (22nd) | 116 K%+ (241st) | 76 AVG+ (298th) | 69 ISO+ (275th) | 70 wRC+ (292nd)

I mean, come on now. The BB%+ and AVG+ are exactly the same, the ISO+ is two percent off, in a nice way. Some of the rankings even line up within a couple spots. Only real difference is this "new" Uecker doesn't strike out as much.

So now the question is, does anyone know how Taylor Walls comedic timing is?

[Madhawk23]

13 hours ago, Team Canada said:

Some great stories from BA never heard before: https://www.mlb.com/brewers/video/brian-anderson-reflects-on-bob-uecker?t=t158-default-vtp

He's barely able to hold it together at the end.

Man, I had hoped that I was done shedding tears, but watching BA break down at the end of that interview got me again!  Somehow I missed that yesterday in all of the interviews, stories and tributes about Bob....so thanks for sharing.  

[patrickgpe]

We have all heard Bob’s legendary calls over the last day, but it was moments like this that set him above his peers. 

 

[AKCheesehead]

Thanks to all who have posted links to stories, tributes, calls and everything in this thread.  I haven't played any of them yet, but I'll come back to this thread and have a look, perhaps on opening day.  Right now I'm just a little too sad. 

[igor67]

I did my best to tell some very dry jokes today in honor of Ueck. A decent number of the kids got it, so that was positive.

[Madhawk23]

8 hours ago, StearnsFTW said:

I'm 53.  Born 6 months after his broadcast career started.  He was such a HUGE part of my life.  I'm not sure what that says about me, but it's the truth.

I woke up this morning and it hit me that I'll never hear that voice on my radio again. 

I'm just gutted. 

There's not many people that will understand that, but I know there are some here, so thanks for that.

 

Well said….and yes, I understand all of your feelings. I said earlier in this thread that it felt like I lost a family member. Then, when I thought about it even more I realized that I spent a lot more time with Bob (figuratively, not literally of course), than I probably have with all of my extended relatives combined. Bob has brought so much joy to many of us each summer, and that’s going to creat a huge void in my life moving forward. 

[MNBrew]

Late to the thread but not to the news or the emotions.  I became a casual Brewers fan in 1978, a die-hard one in 1980, and became an avid Brewers radio listener in 1983 when we moved back to WI, when many games weren't on TV and radio was all that was available.  Got Ueck's & Hank Aaron's autographs at the first Diamond Dinner I attended in that '82-'83 off-season.  Ueck's been the sound of Brewers baseball to me for 40+ years.

I've heard lots of teams' radio announcers during many cross-country drives in the 1990s, and nobody's radio guys come close to how good Bob was/is -- never (politely excusing world-class Vin Scully from any comparisons, though I'd rather be listening to Bob, who's every bit as good, just with a different style).

BA & Rock are fantastic on the TV side.  But no Brewers moment, however big or small, good or bad, was complete without hearing Ueck's radio call.  MLB's 19-minute video montage on Twitter yesterday was awesome.  But as many have said, what made Ueck great was how good, funny, entertaining, and engaging he was during the ordinary moments.

As one of my buddies said, what's been getting seemingly little attention is how he worked to the very end.  He called the last Brewers game they played during his life.  And he was still as great at his job as he ever was.  Just brilliant.  Just real.  Just Ueck.

[hawing]

After work on Friday we made a spontaneous trip from Madison to visit the outdoor statue/memorial, and to sign a big banner inside the park just outside the main team store. I’m so glad we went.  There were maybe 30 people at the statue around 8:00 PM, yet you could hear a pin drop, it was so quiet. It felt like a visitation. The vibe was so peaceful and respectful. 

Inside, the banner was pretty full of written messages already, but we found room for ours. I added some for the other two women in my Brewers group text.  It was also the calm kind of respectful that you’d expect from a visitation, but also friendly.  
It has felt good to commiserate online here and elsewhere, but it also felt good to physically be with other respect-payers.