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. And it was no big deal. It was something that I Mark Attanasio once I pass on, to bring me back here wanted to do and Bud graciously, you know, he let me every five years, around the warning track and then do it. Otherwise I'd have left. So he didn't have much make sure they take me back to the same place. of a choice. (Laughs). (Laughs).

But I'm glad I never came to that point that I had to There is no legacy as far as any of them go, you know. make a decision to leave here. But everything, he was Honestly, when I first started doing baseball games, I always for it, Buddy was. never did any play-by-play. I never did anything. I had done Tonight Shows. I started that in 1969. I never did Q. Bob, a couple of years ago there was an online any play-by-play. Buddy brought me back here and I fan movement to get you to call the World Series worked with Merle Harmon and Tom Collins, two great when the Indians were in it. Now that the Brewers guys. My crutch was that I worked one inning, and are this close, do you anticipate anything like that, they always sat with me. So I did play-by-play for the or do you look forward to potentially having the fifth inning, but I always had them on either side of me opportunity to have the Brewers and be able to call as a crutch. it there? BOB UECKER: You know, from the movie Major Well, the day they let me go by myself was at Yankee stadium, and it was my fifth inning, and Merle Harmon

Rev #1 by #182 at 2018-10-12 21:50:00 GMT page 2 of 3 introduced me and they both got up and left, and I was you know. And the first show I ever did with Johnny, by myself. And I begged them to come back. I don't first time, at the end of the show as -- he and Ed know if any of you remember old Yankee Stadium in McMahon always said good night to the guests, shake the press box there, in the press row, but they were up hands and say good night. And he said good night to there and looking at me, and I begged them to come me and Ed said good night. And as I was walking back, and they wouldn't come back. And the engineer away, I heard Johnny said to Ed, did that guy really -- this is a true story -- finally told me, "You better start play baseball. (Laughs). That's a true story. And Ed talking, there's one out." And I had never done McMahon said I think so. And I went back two weeks anything before like that. later. They had me back two weeks later.

The Tonight Shows and doing that stuff was easy. And I mean, that's the way it always was. I would do Doing play-by-play -- because I kept thinking about my four or five shows a year for all those years. And he friends here in Milwaukee, guys that I grew up with, treated me unbelievably great. Tonight Show people listening to the game and here I am doing play-by-play, were unbelievably nice to me. And I always had a you know. And what they were thinking -- that's what I good time. was thinking, what they thought of me. Not the audience, all my friends, how can this guy be doing MODERATOR: Mr. Baseball, we wish you the best of play-by-play, and they wouldn't come back. And they luck, and we thank you for your time tonight. didn't come back. BOB UECKER: I appreciate it. You bet. And from then on, I did the fifth inning all by myself. And then after about a month of that, they finally sat with me and talked to me during the fifth inning. But that was a rude awakening. I'm really -- because I had done -- and again, I'm just telling you all the stuff that I'd done, colleges, you know, go on stage in front of 2,000 kids, and the more they laughed -- because I didn't talk. The more they laughed, I keep looking, what the hell you laughing at because I haven't talked yet.

That's the way it was with baseball. I could go down on the field. I threw batting practice, as I said before, every day. I'd get dressed, then I'd go upstairs. I didn't have to do any pregame shows at that time. So that's what I did. But that was frightening to do play-by-play alone was really, really tough.

The Tonight Show, the first time in New York before they moved, and when I got back stage, I was standing there, and the guy that opens the curtain is still there. And now I'm ready to go on, I'm thinking, what the hell are you doing here? You know, you had -- everything's fine. What do you start this stuff for. And I'd never done any kind of TV, that kind of TV.

I was fortunate in my days in Atlanta to meet Al Hirt, one of the great trumpeters in the world. And I did a show for him one night, and he told me that he was going to get me on the Tonight Show. I said oh, yeah, really. And about two weeks later, they called and I went to New York, and the guy said, "What do you do."

"I don't do nothing. Make up these stories." (Laughs). He said, "Okay, can you come back in two weeks."

I said, "Yeah, sure." That's exactly what happened. What do you do? I said, I don't do nothing. Just talk,

Rev #1 by #182 at 2018-10-12 21:50:00 GMT page 3 of 3