I knew when my career was over. In 1965 my baseball card came out with no picture.
BOB UECKERI knew when my career was over. In 1965 my baseball card came out with no picture.
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 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 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 didn’t get a lot of awards as a player. But they did have a Bob Uecker Day Off for me once in Philly.
BOB UECKERI did stand-up, weird and ignorant stuff about my career – anything for a laugh.
BOB UECKERThe 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.
BOB UECKERIf a guy hits .300 every year, what does he have to look forward to?
BOB UECKEROn TV the people can see it. On radio you’ve got to create it.
BOB UECKERHow do you catch a knuckleball? You wait until it stops rolling, then go pick it up.
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 UECKERCareer highlights? I had two – I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets.
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 UECKERHey, I think it’s easy for guys to hit .300 and stay in the big leagues. Hit .200 and try to stick around as long as I did; I think it’s a much greater accomplishment. That’s hard.
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 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 UECKER