_{photo courtesy mlb.com}

Bob Uecker was the greatest player to talk the game.

He was a family man:

“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” -Uecker’s Hall of Fame Speech.

Incredibly successful:

“I think my top salary was maybe in 1966. I made $17,000 and 11 of that came from selling other players’ equipment.” – Uecker in If These Walls Could Talk.

Blessed with a set of reflexes few could match:

“The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling and then pick it up. I led the league in passed balls that year. I didn’t even play every game” – Uecker on Late Night With David Letterman.

Not only did he league the lead in passed balls with 27 in 1967, he also led all catchers with 11 errors.

Philosophical:

“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.” –Uecker in If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers: Stories from the Milwaukee Brewers Dugout, Locker Room, and Press Box.

Valuable:

“People don’t know this, but I helped the Cardinals win the pennant. I came down with hepatitis. The trainer injected me with it” Uecker in If These Walls Could Talk.

Uecker’s Cardinals won the 1964 World Series.

He was obviously proud to have been able to play the game of baseball for as long as he did, and self-aware enough to know that he was not great at it. He was also smart enough to create some of the great lines in modern culture, including, “Just a bit outside“ from Major League and “I must be in the front row” from the Miller Light commercials. His work as a broadcaster landed him in the Baseball Hall of Fame as winner of the Ford C. Frick Award.

There are a few things better than watching someone do something they truly enjoy, and Bob Uecker truly enjoyed the game and the people. He loved to make people laugh, and would do so at his own expense. This does not make him a clown. This makes him a cultural icon and a wonderful, selfless individual.

He knew the end was coming. He was 90 and suffering from lung cancer. I have no doubt he was working on a little bit of material should he encounter Saint Peter and any questions he might have at the pearly gates.

Thanks for the laughs, Bob. This world needs all it can get.