Bob Uecker Brewers Pregame 1
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NL Championship Series: Dodgers vs Brewers Friday, October 12, 2018 Bob Uecker Brewers pregame 1 MODERATOR: Bob will be throwing out the first pitch As a matter of fact, the other day when we were in tonight. Colorado and Seunghwan Oh came into the game with his interpreter. And after they finished talking on the BOB UECKER: I am? mound, I said that if I was a hitter here, I would probably face the interpreter; Seunghwan Oh would go (Laughter.) to the dugout. But that kind of stuff, you know. And I don't know why I think of stuff like that either. That's Q. Every time the Brewers and the Dodgers play, another thing. (Laughs). we think of that funny story you told us about apologizing to Sandy Koufax for hitting a home run All those little things just come to mind. I don't know off him. I'm sure there's a lot of people who why, again. But to be around these guys that we have haven't heard that story, so could you kind of go here -- and we've had some really good teams here over that one again? and great players that have come through here. But BOB UECKER: Well, I did hit one, and for whatever per man on this club, nobody says "I" here, and I think reason I hit Sandy fairly well. I don't know why. But I that impresses a lot of people, impresses a lot of did hit a home run against him in Dodger Stadium, and writers, impresses me all the time, that they're always since then, every time I see him -- I don't know if he's "we." And there's a lot of "I" stuff that happened here traveling with the club now or not, but every time I see this year, but no matter what happens, they're always him, I always apologize because I thought it was going "we." And they treat me like I'm one of them. to keep him out of the Hall of Fame. And he doesn't like it when I apologize to him. He says, "Quit doing For a long time, probably 25 years, even more than that. You're always apologizing. Don't do that that, I threw batting practice every day, on the road, anymore." here. I was with them all the time. I was with them more than I was with the broadcast people. I was with But he's been a long-time good friend, too. Great guy. the players before, during, and after games. And you Yeah, that was my home run experience against sandy. know, you become friends. You become friends with their family. Q. Bob, I was here with the Mets in the summer, and you came over to visit in their clubhouse, and Robin Yount, for instance. Robin's kids, I've watched the interaction with the players was tremendous. them grow up. Jim Gatner's kids. Those guys that are They really seemed to enjoy talking to you. How do here or were here for a long time. I watched their kids you still relate to players at this age, and what's and grandkids grow up and I see them, and I visit with behind all that? them. There's no age factor with them for me. BOB UECKER: Well, I think for the most part they know that I played, and I think that's where the relation Throwing out the first pitch tonight, I was going to take really comes in. I've been on the same side where a Percocet and throw it in the upper deck. That would you've got a 10-game losing streak. You gotta talk to have been good. That would have been good for a the press. It's not sometimes the most pleasant thing, laugh. (Laughs). But stuff like that, I mean, what's but you have to do it. And I know what that's like. wrong with that, you know? And, again, what I've done with my career, so to speak, But the statue that they put in the upper deck here, it to do the shows and stuff that I did, and they can watch was from a great Miller Lite commercial that happened it now and see what I did as far as making fun of things to be at Dodger Stadium where we filmed it, where I that I did. But I do that because it makes people laugh, was supposedly in the front row and ended up in the and I like to make people laugh. And I've gone through upper deck at Dodger Stadium. Well, when they did that with my kids: "Why do you do that? Why do you the second statue here, I thought it was funny, plus it talk the way you do?" To me it's funny. I don't know, it raises money for charity. You can go up and sit next to doesn't bother me. it for a dollar, I guess it is, and the money goes to Rev #1 by #182 at 2018-10-12 21:50:00 GMT page 1 of 3 charity. The only thing I asked was that nobody sit League, right, the three that I did, the third one stunk. facing me. Just come up there and sit and take your It was really bad. I could have played in that one. picture and leave. (Laughs). But all that stuff, it's good for the club, it's good for fans. But, no, when they called to ask me about coming and It's something that fans like. I never changed. I mean, doing the Cleveland and Cubs series, World Series, my M.O. has never changed from the time I started and they kept referring to Major League, right? The here, and I don't care what I did. Anything other than World Series is for real. I don't want to do nothing to baseball was, you know, a "Ha, Ha, Ha." This was the World Series that's going to make fun of the World always No. 1 for me. I never wanted to leave here. Series. And I talked with Joe Buck, who's a long-time And had the opportunity to do the network stuff and friend, and he said, why don't you just come and sit in work with some of the great guys in the game, Al for a while. Well, I thought that, depending on who Michaels and Bob Costas. won, the Indians fans would be mad if I did it and the Cubs won, and vice versa with the Cubs fans. But I always wanted to come back here. I love doing radio. I always have. And that would never change for I went there a couple of years ago and they had Harry me, never. And when Bud Selig brought me back here Doyle night at the ballpark, and I had to throw out the in 1971, and there were a couple of things that could first pitch. And you know, it was a big night in have changed my time here, opportunities that I had Cleveland. It was fun. And I had to tell the catcher, outside of baseball to do: The television stuff, Mr. you know, I'm telling you where I'm going to throw it. I Belvedere, the Miller Lite commercials. Pabst was our gotta throw it outside, just keep it outside, right? Which big sponsor at that time, and for me to do a Miller Lite I did. But I didn't want to do anything that would make spot was totally out of whack. fun of the World Series, and I thought Major League, despite the fact that it was, you know, a lot of fun to do And after the fourth time that they asked me to do it, I and everything, it was not the right place for me to be went and talked to Bud, and I told them that if the and to do any kind of play-by-play. Brewers didn't let me do that or want me to do it, then I would go someplace else. And the same thing with Mr. And when I talked to Joe about it, I said, look, this is Belvedere, because I had to leave here two weeks none of my doing because there was a lot of people before the end of the season to go out and get a that wanted me to go there and do some of the play- couple of shows. But I would do that. I would fly there by-play. And I told Joe this has nothing to do with and do the show and then fly back to wherever the anything about me or anything else. I am not going to Brewers were. do that. I would never do something like that. The movie was a movie and the World Series is the World There were Tonight Shows where I took the players Series. Yeah. with me. We were playing over in Anaheim. I would get on a helicopter and go over to the Tonight Show, do Q. Bob, would you like your legacy to be as a the show and then fly back to Anaheim to continue the player, an announcer, an actor, entertainer? How game. But I did that all the time. I would fly overnight do you want people to remember you? to LA, do the show and then get a red eye and come BOB UECKER: Well, I've already made a deal with back.