(WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Among those paying tribute to the late Bob Uecker is a local broadcaster and close friend of “Mr. Baseball.”
“It came as a shock, and I’m still kind of upset. He was a very important person in my life,” Hall of Fame Cubs play-by-play voice Pat Hughes told WBBM.
Hughes spent 12 years calling Milwaukee Brewers games alongside Uecker.
“If you were his partner, you spent a good part of your time laughing and just being amazed at how funny he actually was,” Hughes added.
Hughes recalled a portion of the 1980s when Uecker, who he remembers as a workaholic, was one of the most popular people around.
“There were people that would want to come in, I mean famous people, that came into the booth, and I got to meet them just because I worked with Uecker and I was right there. People like Tom Hanks, Ronny Howard, Bill Murray, Bob Costas, Mickey Mantle, Henry Aaron came into the booth,” said Hughes.
After he got the call from Cooperstown, Hughes said Uecker was one of the first people to reach out.
“I said, ‘I think I learned more baseball from you than any other person.’ He chuckled a little bit and he said, ‘you know, I probably should’ve learned the game myself before I tried teaching it to you,’” Hughes recalled.
Hughes said he’ll always remember Uecker’s gift of humor, something he feels the game of baseball will forever miss.
“Bob was the kind of guy, he wouldn’t want you to be sad all the time. He would much prefer, and I knew him pretty well, he would much prefer that you would have laughter when you think about his memory rather than sadness,” Hughes said.
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