A tribute to Bob Uecker...the undisputed star of 'Major League'
How Uecker's turn as Harry Doyle made the movie a hit
There’s nothing particularly special about 1989’s Major League. It’s a pretty standard sports comedy movie that was made because writer/director David S. Ward thought his beloved Cleveland Indians would never win the World Series. Turns out he was right, because here we are in 2025 and Cleveland’s baseball team (now known as the Guardians) are 77 years removed from their last championship.
And so with the idea of his team winning the World Series being so far-fetched, and with Cleveland having endured decades of heartbreak, Ward wrote a baseball story with a happy ending.
The movie’s big names include Tom Berenger, Wesley Snipes, Charlie Sheen, and Rene Russo, all of whom would go on to stardom. But its only, true undisputed star is Bob Uecker. Uecker, a former catcher who gained fame as the broadcast voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, plays Indians play-by-play man Harry Doyle. And, as anyone who’s watched Major League or heard him call Brewers games will tell you, Uecker’s enthusiasm (even for a pretend baseball game and fictionalized version of the Indians) is infectious.
But maybe most amazing is how his energy and passion makes you forget you’re watching a movie…and makes you feel like you’re watching the Indians play for real. It’s impossible to not root for them as they transform themselves from a bunch of rejects and has-beens into a championship caliber baseball team. Part of the credit goes to the cast, but the lion’s share belongs to Bob Uecker.
Well, to Uecker and his memorable lines like “Juuuuuust a bit outside!” and his “roar of the crowd” gag as he holds his microphone out to a mostly empty stadium. The best moment, though, has to be at the end of the movie when (spoiler alert!) the Indians win their first pennant in decades, which Uecker’s character Harry Doyle celebrates with “The Indians win it! The Indians win it! Oh my God, the Indians win it!” while jumping up and down in the broadcast booth.
And, whether it’s your first or five-hundredth time watching Major League, you can’t help but jump around right along with him. That’s what Bob Uecker brought to the table in everything he did. Pure energy, pure enthusiasm, and pure joy. Whether it was in Major League or its sequel, calling Brewers games, any number of commercials he did, or as the dad in the hilarious 80s sitcom Mr. Belvedere, you could always count on him to make you smile, laugh, cry, or all of the above.
And that’s why he’ll be so dearly missed by everyone who knew him or anyone who ever watched any of his work.
Rest in peace, Bob. And here’s hoping Cleveland wins it all someday soon…just for you.
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