Where would I be without baseball? Who am I without baseball?
BOB UECKERWhere would I be without baseball? Who am I without baseball?
BOB UECKERAnybody with ability can play in the big leagues. But to be able to trick people year in and year out the way I did, I think that was a much greater feat.
BOB UECKERAny teammate of mine that had a kid and a boy that was capable of playing baseball.
BOB UECKERI 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.
BOB UECKERWhen 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.
BOB UECKERIn 1962 I was named Minor League Player of the Year. It was my second season in the bigs.
BOB UECKERLet’s face it. Umpiring is not an easy or happy way to make a living. In the abuse they suffer, and the pay they get for it, you see an imbalance that can only be explained by their need to stay close to a game they can’t resist.
BOB UECKERI signed a very modest $3,000 bonus with the Braves in Milwaukee. And my old man didn’t have that kinda money to put out.
BOB UECKERYou throw batting practice, you warm up pitchers, you sit and cheer. You do whatever you have to do to stay on the team.
BOB UECKERBefore broadcasting for 50-some years, I did TV, played 10 years in the big leagues, won a world championship – and played a big part in that, too, letting the Cardinals inject me with hepatitis. Takes a big man to do that.
BOB UECKERBaseball 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.
BOB UECKERI used to soak my mitts in a bucket of water for about two days. Then I’d put a couple of baseballs in the pocket and wrap it up with a rubber band.
BOB UECKERI hit a grand slam off Ron Herbel and when his manager Herman Franks came out to get him, he was bringing Herbel’s suitcase.
BOB UECKERI think I set a terrific example of ‘Don’t do this’ and ‘Don’t do that.’ And that’s one of the things that I’m most proud of.
BOB UECKERI think my top salary was maybe in 1966. I made $17,000 and 11 of that came from selling other players’ equipment.
BOB UECKEROn TV the people can see it. On radio you’ve got to create it.
BOB UECKER