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MILWAUKEE – Back in the National League Championship for the first time since 2011, the Milwaukee Brewers have decided to release the big gun, announcing that Mr. Baseball – Bob Uecker – will launch the first ceremonial throw before the first match of Friday .
Uecker, 83, held a pre-game press conference in the Brewers' room, so excited that some people joked that tickets should have been sold. He answered questions for half an hour and could probably have continued Hyun-Jin Ryu, star of game 2, and his interpreter did not arrive at the scheduled time for the media. It's become a career retrospective.
"Tonight's concerts and it was very easy," said Uecker. "Playing room (that was difficult), because I always thought about my friends here in Milwaukee, the guys I grew up with, listening to the game, and here I play you know, and that's what I thought, what they thought of me. "
The beloved Uecker has summoned the games for the Brewers since 1971, he was hired by former owner and baseball commissioner Bud Selig. Originally from Milwaukee, Uecker has always returned to his hometown no matter what happened in his famous life.
Many other things have happened, and that is why Uecker is known far beyond Milwaukee. There were famous appearances on "The Tonight Show", when Johnny Carson directed the television late into the night. The first appearance of Uecker in the series dates back to 1969.
"(Carson) said goodnight and Ed (McMahon) said good night," recalls Uecker. "I was moving away, I heard Johnny say to Ed: 'Did this guy really play baseball?' It's a true story." And Ed McMahon replied, "I think so." And I came back two weeks later. "
Uecker also played in the sitcom "Mr. Belvedere" in the 1980s, which required him to leave the Brewers for the shoot of the season. The work on TV was important enough for Uecker to send an ultimatum to Selig.
"After the fourth time that they asked me to do (" The Tonight Show "), I went to talk to Bud," said Uecker. "I told them that if the Brewers would not let me go or wanted me to do it, I would go elsewhere, and the same thing with" Mr. Belvedere, "because I had to leave here two weeks before the end of the season to go out and watch some shows. "
The advertiser, in his character of "Mr. Baseball", starred in a series of Miller Lite commercials in the 1970s and 80s, to which the signature line "I must be in first place!" to his arsenal. In 2014, the Brewers added the "Uecker seats" to the top of Miller Park – a statue of Uecker sitting in the back row, behind a metal pillar. It costs a dollar to sit in the seat for a photo, which goes to charity.
Movie lovers also remember Uecker. He played a version of himself like Harry Doyle, the fictional Cleveland Indians, major player in the trilogy "Major League", which he greatly benefited.
"The third stink," says Uecker. "It was really bad, I could have played in that one."
When the real-life Indians entered the World Series in 2016, an Internet campaign took off for Uecker, as Doyle, to name a game in the character. But for the man who made fun of him, it was a line that he would not cross.
"When they called to ask me to come and do the Cleveland and Cubs series, the World Series, and they continued to talk about" Major League ", is not it?" Uecker said. "The World Series are for real, I do not want to do anything that can make the world series fun."
Before all that. Uecker was a reserve receiver for the Braves and Cardinals in the 1960s, beating .200 on six major league seasons. His struggles have become a favorite subject for one-liners who self-esteem themselves and for whom he has become known. But he scored 14 big circuits, including one of Dodgers Hall of Famer member Sandy Koufax.
"I hit him at home at Dodger Stadium," said Uecker. "Since then, every time I see him – I do not know whether he's traveling with the club now or not, but every time I see him, I always apologize because I thought it was would keep out of the ballroom Celebrity. "
Uecker has experienced a slight upsurge in celebrity over the past few weeks as the Brewers' achievements have grown. The videos of his huddle during the club's celebrations became viral after Milwaukee won NL Central and won the division series against the Colorado Rockies.
Popular character at the baseball stadium, Uecker enjoys a nearly constant stream of visitors during matches. He also wants to visit the clubs of the opposing team, where he is invariably received with enthusiasm. He says it helps to stay always close to the game – for years, he started sticking practice before the Brewers games that he was going to call later – and because they know that they are not going to play. he was a player.
He always brings a little advice with him.
"I think most people know that I've played and that's where the relationship really comes in," Uecker said. "I'm on the same side where you have a 10-game losing streak, you have to talk to the press, and sometimes it's not the most enjoyable thing, but you have to do it, and I know what it's like. "
As for his legacy, Uecker said that he had it all fixed.
"I've already had a deal with Mark Attanasio (owner of the brewers)," Uecker said. "Once I pass, come back here every five years, around the warning trail, and then make sure they bring me back to the same place."
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