Showing posts with label Bob Uecker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bob Uecker. Show all posts

Thursday, January 16, 2025

RIP - Bob Uecker

 
Bob Uecker (a/k/a "Mr. Baseball") passed away today, January 16, 2025 at age 90. He's the 2nd 90-year-old former player to have passed this week (with Felix Mantilla 6 days ago).
Uecker played for the Braves, Cardinals, and Phillies from 1962-67. 
 
Above is my first Bob Uecker card, which I got in 1967. About a month after I started following the Phillies in May 1967, he was traded back to the Braves, and finished his playing career that season. 
 
Uecker's last yearbook appearance
 
After his playing days, he was a broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1971-2024. He appeared in the 1985-90 TV series "Mr. Belvedere", and 3 movies in the "Major League" franchise. He was also on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" about 100 times. 
 
 
  

Friday, July 21, 2017

Phillies 1967 Yearbook


A few months ago, I found the box containing all my Phillies' yearbooks from 1967 to 1980-something. I bought this yearbook on my first trip to a Phillies game, back in May 1967.

Fifty-six pages of Phillies' facts and photos for only ONE DOLLAR! Most major-league players got a full page to themselves, while some of the younger or marginal players shared a page with another player. (No one had more than a single page.)

I'm not going to scan and post every page (at least not all at once!), but I have already posted Jim Bunning's page here, and here are a few more:


If the yearbook was a dollar, I'm guessing that hot dog was a quarter!


Here's "Rich" (not Richie) Allen.


Johnny Callison was a fan favorite, and lived year-round in the Philadelphia suburbs.


In his lower-right photo, Bob Uecker seems to be thinking "There must be a better way to make a living!"


This page is interesting in that it is evidence that veteran Braves' and Reds' starter Joey Jay was given a spring training invite to Phillies' camp in 1967. He didn't make the team, but spent the year pitching for their single-A team before retiring.


After the player pages and center-spread color team photo, there's a section for minor-league managers, prospects, scouts, etc. Here are the Phillies pitching prospects that season. Both Steve Arlin and Mike Wegener were lost in the expansion draft after the 1968 season.


And the position-player prospects. Sutherland, Harmon, Hisle, and Doyle all had long careers in the majors. (Hmm... surprising that Larry Bowa is not here.)  Dick Allen's brother Ron had a cup of coffee with the Mets a few years later.


Inside the back cover is a shot of the infamous "spite wall" in the outfield. Connie Mack put that up years earlier to prevent the residents across the street from viewing the games for free.
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