SPORTS CHARACTORS

Bob Uecker, 1962-1967 (Braves/Phillies/Cardinals)
If the Mendoza line was properly named, it would be the Uecker line, he was that bad a player! A catcher who hit a nice round .200 for a lifetime average, he was so bad, he made a secondary career that is pretty successful as a voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, a Miller Lite pitchman, drunken announcer Harry Doyle in Major League, and the star of "Mr. Belvedere."

But Bob Uecker didn’t just happen; he has a philosophy that sustained him for his 6 major league seasons.

"If a guy hits .300 every year, what does he have to look forward to? I always tried to stay around .190, with three or four RBI. And I tried to get them all in September. That way I always had something to talk about during the winter."

As a professional player, on catching the knuckle ball:

"The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling and then pick it up."

Like any player in baseball, he was signed … well let me let him tell you.

"I signed with the Milwaukee Braves for three-thousand dollars. That bothered my dad at the time because he didn't have that kind of dough. But he eventually scraped it up."

His ability did not go un-noticed:

"They said I was such a great prospect that they were sending me to a winter league to sharpen up. When I stepped off the plane, I was in Greenland.

And…

"In 1962 I was named Minor League Player of the Year. It was my second season in the bigs."

And years later…

"Baseball hasn't forgotten me. I go to a lot of Old Timers games and I haven't lost a thing. I sit in the bullpen and let people throw things at me. Just like old times."

And of course…

"I had slumps that lasted into the winter."

His career with the Cardinals took him to the World Series, where he attested:

"People don't know this but I helped the Cardinals win the pennant. I came down with hepatitis. The trainer injected me with it."

His major league career highlight can be summed up in his own words:

"The highlight of my career? In '67 with St. Louis, I walked with the bases loaded to drive in the winning run in an intersquad game in spring training."

There were others…

"Career highlights? I had two. I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets."

"I hit a grand slam off Ron Herbel and when his manager Herman Franks came out to get him, he was bringing Herbel's suitcase."

On reflecting on his career and past:

"When I came up to bat with three men on and two outs in the ninth, I looked in the other team's dugout and they were already in street clothes.

"Sporting goods companies pay me not to endorse their products”

"The biggest thrill a ballplayer can have is when your son takes after you. That happened when my Bobby was in his championship Little League game. He really showed me something. Struck out three times. Made an error that lost the game. Parents were throwing things at our car and swearing at us as we drove off. Gosh, I was proud."

So there you have it! One of the lesser talents in the game, and the game was better for it.

That’s all I wrote, folks!