For a backup catcher with limited physical talent, Bob Uecker enjoyed a larger-than-life career in baseball and beyond – due, in large part, to an uncanny ability to laugh at himself.

Uecker, a baseball icon, television and movie funnyman and Hall of Fame Milwaukee Brewers radio announcer, died Thursday at the age of 90, following a ‘private battle with small cell lung cancer,’ his family said in a statement.

“Ueck was the light of the Brewers, the soundtrack of our summers, the laughter in our hearts, and his passing is a profound loss,’ the team said in a statement. ‘He was the heart and soul of Wisconsin and a dear friend. Bob loved people; his presence warmed every room and he had a way of welcoming all of us into his world as if we were lifelong friends.’

Known affectionately as ‘Mr. Baseball,’ Uecker hit just .200 for his career and played only six seasons. Yet his infectious personality made him a valued teammate in the clubhouse, even if he wasn’t contributing much on the field.

Despite all the jokes about his playing career, Uecker was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, a team led by Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson, that won the World Series in 1964.

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“He brought joy to countless listeners through his wit, charisma, and love for baseball, Milwaukee, and all of Wisconsin, creating a legacy that will forever be cherished,’ the Uecker family said in a statement Thursday. ‘While his contributions to the game are noteworthy, it is his kindness, humility, and love for family and friends that we will hold closest to our hearts.

Bob Uecker’s undistinguished MLB career

Uecker reached the majors in 1962 as a 28-year-old rookie catcher with his hometown Milwaukee Braves. He played two seasons in Milwaukee before being traded to the Cardinals in 1964. He was traded twice more before his career ended, to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1965 and then back to the Braves, who by then in 1967 had moved to Atlanta.

Over 843 plate appearances in six seasons, Uecker hit .200/.293/.287 with 14 home runs and 74 RBI. While offense wasn’t his strong suit, he wasn’t very good defensively either. In 1967, he led the National League in both passed balls (27) and errors by a catcher (11).

To be fair, his frequent batterymate on that Braves team was knuckleballer Phil Niekro, who provided the basis for one of Uecker’s many memorable quotes.

When asked the secret to catching a knuckleball, Uecker replied matter-of-factly, ‘I wait until it stops rolling and go pick it up.’

Uecker, Johnny Carson make hilarious pairing

Not long after his playing career ended, Uecker joined the Brewers radio broadcast team, where his folksy style and self-deprecating humor made him an almost instant hit with fans. The 2024 season marked Uecker’s 54th as a Brewers broadcaster.

Uecker became known to millions more from his appearances on NBC’s ‘Tonight Show’ with host Johnny Carson. Starting in 1971, he appeared approximately 100 times as a guest on the show, frequently cracking up Carson with his deadpan delivery.

‘Sporting goods companies would pay me not to endorse their products,’ he once quipped.

Uecker’s popularity help land him a starring role in the situation comedy ‘Mr. Belvedere.’ Uecker played the role of sportswriter and family patriarch George Owens on the show, which ran on ABC television from 1985 to 1990.

‘I must be in the front row!’

Uecker’s personality also made him a perfect pitchman in a series of immensely popular beer commercials for Miller Lite starting in the 1980s.

Among the ads’ stable of current and former sports stars, Uecker stood out for his comedic timing and his ability to deliver iconic lines.

However, he turns out to be not quite as important as he thinks and finds himself in perhaps the worst seat in the stadium, far away from the action. As a result, a new term for the so-called nosebleed section of a stadium was born: ‘Uecker seats.’

In fact, a plaque and life-size figure of Uecker were placed on the last row of Section 422 in Milwaukee’s American Family Field (then Miller Park) in 2014 in commemoration.

‘Jussssst a bit outside’

Uecker continued to broadcast Brewers games, even as he was expanding his portfolio as an actor.

Occasionally, the two merged into one.

Uecker was cast as baseball play-by-play announcer Harry Doyle in the 1989 movie ‘Major League,’ giving an over-the-top performance that was largely ad-libbed.

Among his memorable lines: “Heywood crushes one towards South America!”

And after an incredibly wild pitch that was all but impossible for the catcher to grab: ‘Jussssst a bit outside!’

Uecker was so popular in the role that he returned five years later to reprise the role in 1994’s ‘Major League 2’ and again in 1998’s ‘Major League: Back to the Minors.’

In addition to many television guest appearances and voiceover cameos as himself, Uecker hosted a syndicated sports blooper show called “Bob Uecker’s Wacky World of Sports” that ran from 1985-96, and another called ‘Bob Uecker’s War of the Stars.’

‘Get up! Get outta here! Gone!’

At the center of everything, baseball was still the sun around which Uecker revolved.

He relished being at the ballpark and he was dedicated in his pregame preparation.

In addition to his duties with the Brewers, Uecker was also part of ABC’s ‘Monday Night Baseball’ broadcast team in the 1970s and early 80s, along with host Warner Wolf and play-by-play announcer Bob Prince.

In the 1990s, he moved to NBC, teaming up with play-by-play man Bob Costas and analyst Joe Morgan.

Although he began to reduce the number of games he called for the Brewers in 2014 due to health issues, he continued through the 2024 season, his 54th consecutive with the club.

With his signature home run call of ‘Get up! Get outta here! Gone!’ Uecker was named Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year five times by the National Sports Media Association. He was later inducted into the organization’s hall of fame in 2011.

And in perhaps the ultimate irony, Robert Eugene Uecker – a .200 career hitter with 14 home runs – was inducted into Cooperstown in 2003, when he received the Ford Frick Award, given out annually to a broadcaster by the Baseball Hall of Fame for ‘major contributions to baseball.’

“Bob was the genuine item: always the funniest person in any room he was in, and always an outstanding ambassador for our national pastime,’ MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. ‘We are grateful for this baseball life like no other, and we will never forget him.’

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Dustin Pedroia garnered a handful of nicknames during his playing days including ‘Pedey’ and the ‘Muddy Chicken.’ But nothing summarized his career better than the ‘Laser Show.’

‘I call every one of my hits lasers, because that’s just how I feel,’ Pedroia said once in a New Balance commercial.

Known for his hard-nosed style of play, the 5-foot-9 Pedroia, a four-time All-Star and Gold Glove second baseman carved out what could be a Baseball Hall of Fame career.

It didn’t take long for him to become a household name.

The Boston Red Sox drafted him in the second round in 2004.

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In 2007, he won the American League Rookie of the Year and helped the Red Sox to a World Series championship.

In 2008, he won the AL MVP award.

In 2013, he helped the Red Sox to another World Series title.

Pedroia is a legend in Boston, with few Red Sox players in history more beloved than him.

Unfortunately, in 2017, then-Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado slid into Pedroia at second base injuring his knee, with multiple surgeries over the next few years leading to his retirement.

‘Unfortunately, I just got caught in the wrong position and that was it,’ Pedroia said. ‘But I think I’m at peace with everything knowing that I did my best and the training staff and the doctors did everything we possibly could’ve to try to continue to play baseball.

‘And we made it back. I played nine games (in 2018-19) when 90% of the doctors said there’s zero chance you could play. I’m proud of that. The way it ended, it ended that way, and that’s OK. I just hope I did enough during the time I had to play to impact everyone. That’s the only thing I care about.’

Pedroia definitely made a lasting impact, especially in Boston.

Pedroia played the second-most games at second base in franchise history, behind only Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr. Pedroia’s 11 consecutive Opening Day starts at second from 2007-17 marks the second-longest streak in Red Sox history at any position, behind only Carl Yastrzemski’s 12 straight in left field from 1961-72.

He also ranks in the top 10 in Red Sox franchise history in hits (eighth), doubles (sixth), runs scored (10th), stolen bases (sixth), extra-base hits (eighth), total bases (eighth) and at-bats (ninth). Pedroia finished with a .299 career batting average, second among second baseman in Boston history.

Was it good enough for Cooperstown? Here’s a closer look at Pedroia’s Hall of Fame candidacy:

The case for Dustin Pedroia

Pedroia’s career started off fast, but ended too soon.

He is the only player ever to win Rookie of the Year, MVP and a Gold Glove, along with a World Series championship in his first two full seasons. Only nine other players have accomplished those feats in their entire career. He is one of three to win RoY and MVP in back-to-back seasons, joining Cal Ripken Jr., Ryan Howard and Kris Bryant (Fred Lynn and Ichiro Suzuki are the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in the same season).

And from 2007-17, spanning his first full season to his last, only one second baseman produced a higher bWAR than his 53.3 − Robinson Canó, 60.5. He led all second basemen with 102 defensive runs saved. Only five players in all of baseball had more DRS over that span, regardless of position.

Pedroia also was big in October. He helped lead the Red Sox to two World Series titles. One of his best performances came in Game 7 of the 2007 AL Championship Series against Cleveland , going 3-for-5 with five RBI and a home run to lead the Red Sox to the Fall Classic in his rookie season.

The case against Dustin Pedroia

Because Pedroia’s career was cut short by injury and he only had 6,777 career plate appearances, he falls short of what most voters consider to be a slam-dunk Hall of Fame case. He never reached landmark career numbers like most Hall of Famers − 1,805 hits and 140 home runs don’t rank well among those in Cooperstown.

And with a 51.9 career Wins Above Replacement (WAR), he ranks 22nd among all second baseman.

Voting trends

Pedroia is one of 14 players making their ballot debut − a group headlined by pitcher CC Sabathia and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. Through 142 public ballots in Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame voting tracker, Pedroia has received 19 votes, totaling 12.5% support.

Bottom line

Pedroia’s a long shot, but he should stay on the ballot for many years. Despite a injury-shortened career, his credentials during his 14-year span should be deeply considered.

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Recently, I stated on social media that the collapse of the Pittsburgh Steelers wasn’t the fault of Mike Tomlin. I was called a clown, buffoon, goof, idiot, moron and clown a second time. And that was just by my mom.

A number of Steelers fans erupted saying how wrong I was. My main point: the roster is the problem, not Tomlin. Their main point: Tomlin helps develop the roster and he’s lost a step as a head coach. The latter point is absolutely laughable and when you dig into the Steelers, really dig into them, and compare their personnel to all the teams that made this season’s playoffs, you see just how little Tomlin had to work with.

The Tomlin narrative that he’s lost a coaching step persists because it’s an easy one to digest. Same with this belief that the Steelers need a fresh voice. Yet both of those things are wrong. In the NFL, it’s all about talent. A good coach can maximize talent but that only goes so far. You need the players.

Maybe in past years, some of the team’s early playoff exits were because of Tomlin. But not this year. The team just doesn’t have enough receiving weapons to be a serious threat. No coach could go far with this offense.

This isn’t about Pro Bowlers. The Pro Bowl is political and not always a true representation of a franchise’s talent level. This is about what I see with my own two eyes.

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It’s clear the Steelers had the worst roster in the playoffs. In some cases, far worse.

Let’s break it down:

Vikings: The quarterback might be a question, true, but they have Justin Jefferson. There are also talented pieces all over this roster. The Steelers’ best offensive player is George Pickens, who sometimes wants to play hard, sometimes doesn’t, and like, dude, sometimes gets to the stadium when he wants to get there.

Tomlin has tolerated this type of behavior from receivers before and it’s true that’s a Tomlin problem. But also, it shouldn’t be on Tomlin for a professional player to behave, you know, professionally.

Rams: Wide receiver Puka Nacua has the potential to be a generational talent. This roster easily outdoes the Steelers’.

Commanders: They have quarterback Jayden Daniels. Not much to say after that.

Lions: Are you kidding?

Kansas City: C’mon.

Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield over Russell Wilson. A young running backs group, and wide receiver Mike Evans is still staggeringly good.

Packers: We’re still deciphering quarterback Jordan Love but the future looks bright. Better overall receivers than Pittsburgh and an emerging group of defenders.

Eagles: Not even close.

Chargers: This one is actually the closest. Justin Herbert has issues in big games but many general managers and coaches would run over multiple grandmas to get him. Safety Derwin James is one of the most underrated players in the league.

Speaking of James and defense, that side of the ball in Pittsburgh is hugely problematic. Are there schematic issues that are Tomlin’s fault? Sure. But the team’s big star, T.J. Watt, utilized a cloaking device in the final four games of the season. He didn’t have a sack and that includes the playoff game against the Ravens.

Texans: Wide receiver Nico Collins is a superstar and he’s just one of several excellent pass catchers. They also have running back Joe Mixon, who is far better than Najee ‘Zero point eight yards a carry’ Harris.

Ravens: Nope.

Broncos: Bo Nix is a franchise passer. That Broncos defense (most of the time) is actually what the Steelers’ defense thinks it is.

Bills: LOL.

Hey dork, you’re shredding Pittsburgh’s roster, but Tomlin has input into its composition, dum dum.

Input isn’t the same as final say.

Overall, when Tomlin says ‘the standard is the standard,’ he’s referring to an era that no longer exists. That ‘standard’ time was when the Steelers had players like Jerome Bettis, Ben Roethlisberger, and Troy Polamalu. They don’t have a fraction of those players now. Hines Ward ain’t walking through that door.

So go ahead. Blame Tomlin. It’s a free country. But look at that roster. Really look at it.

Is it that good?

Is it?

The partnership between WWE and TNA will continue.

“We look forward to growing and evolving our partnership with TNA Wrestling and its outstanding group of athletes by creating new opportunities to further the development of our talent and to elevate the viewer experience at home,” WWE senior vice president of talent development creative Shawn Michaels said in a statement.

The agreement will be something wrestling fans have gotten accustomed to over the past year. WWE’s NXT stars will be available to appear on TNA programming and TNA stars will be available to appear on NXT. Talent from both sides will also be able to appear on WWE premium live events and TNA pay-per-views.

Things really got going just a year ago when former TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace took part in the 2024 Royal Rumble. After that, it was almost a weekly occurrence for stars from each company to appear on the other brand’s shows.

Notable moves include when Grace competed against Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT Battleground and viral sensation Joe Hendry went for the NXT Championship against Ethan Page at NXT No Mercy. Other instances include The Rascalz going on WWE programming and NXT’s Arianna Grace, Tatum Paxley, Izzi Dame, Wendy Choo, among others, appearing on TNA shows.

When WWE chief content officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque was asked after SummerSlam 2024 why this crossover started, he said he wanted to find something that would benefit WWE and whatever promotion it was working with. The trade-off would be the other company could be on WWE’s elevated platform, while its talent could get time against other stars and learn different styles of wrestling. The moves have been met with praise from both sides.

“This partnership between TNA wrestling and WWE has been the perfect example of business done right,” Hendry previously told USA TODAY Sports. “Business done right is where every single party wins.”

It doesn’t appear it will take long for the official partnership to commence. TNA’s Genesis 2025 pay-per-view on Sunday in Dallas is being advertised as NXT as well, hinting there could be some WWE roster appearance on the show.

The USA TODAY Sports way-too-early Top 25 for the 2024 season was released last January in the tight window between two major events: Michigan’s win against Washington for the national championship and Nick Saban’s retirement from Alabama.

That’s why we had the Crimson Tide ranked No. 2 in our early lookahead. Why would we pick against the greatest coach in college football history? As for the defending national champions, former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh had yet to officially leave for the Los Angeles Chargers and starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy was days away from declaring for the NFL draft. We ranked the Wolverines No. 3 in our projection, which also made sense.

At least we have excuses for those two misses. Looking back at our way-too-early list shows some major errors in judgment, from oversize optimism in teams such as LSU, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech through the general undervaluing of the Big Ten.

Our way-too-early Top 25 for the 2025 season will be released after Monday night’s championship game between Notre Dame and Ohio State. Before looking ahead, let’s look back at last year’s list to see which teams we got right, which we got went wrong and which we got very, very wrong:

Nailed it!

No. 4 Texas (13-3)

This is right around where Texas will land in the final US LBM Coaches Poll after coming in second in the SEC and winning a pair of College Football Playoff games before losing to the Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl. While the Longhorns maximized a relatively easy schedule, this team met expectations by making the national semifinals for the second year in a row.

No. 11 Clemson (10-4)

Clemson won the ACC, as we predicted, before losing to Texas in the opening round of the playoff. It wasn’t a particularly pretty season for the Tigers. They were blown out by Georgia in the opener and lost convincingly Louisville at home. But they managed to get into the conference title game when Miami fell to Syracuse in Week 14 and took advantage by beating SMU.

No. 23 Memphis (11-2)

Memphis didn’t end up as the best team in the Group of Five — we didn’t have Boise State ranked — but will end up in this range in the Coaches Poll after closing out the year with wins against Tulane and West Virginia.

Not too bad, honestly

No. 1 Georgia (11-3)

OK, so Georgia didn’t reclaim the national championship or even win a playoff game, ending the year with a loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. But the Bulldogs did win the SEC, beating Texas twice along the way, and might have advanced deeper into the playoff had starting quarterback Carson Beck not suffered a season-ending injury in the conference championship game.

No. 6 Notre Dame (14-1*)

We were largely on the mark with the Fighting Irish, writing that the offseason additions of offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and quarterback Riley Leonard “make the Fighting Irish one of the leading contenders for the playoff.” They had an awful loss to Northern Illinois but haven’t lost since and are one win from their first title since 1988.

No. 7 Oregon (13-1)

The good news: Oregon was picked second in the Big Ten, behind only Michigan. The Ducks closed the regular season as the only unbeaten team in the Bowl Subdivision. The bad news: We had the eventual Big Ten winner all the way down at No. 7, greatly underestimating how powerful the Ducks and the league would be in 2024.

No. 12 Tennessee (10-3)

This is close to accurate for the Volunteers in terms of their final ranking. But our Top 25 had Tennessee ranked as the seventh-best team in the SEC, which qualifies as a miss. The Volunteers beat Alabama and made the playoff, but failed to make an impression against Ohio State.

No. 14 Missouri (10-3)

We were a little bit too bullish on Missouri. The Tigers’ only win against a Power Four opponent with more than seven wins came against Iowa in the Music City Bowl. They survived close games against Vanderbilt, Auburn and Oklahoma at home to get to double-digit wins.

Close, but still off the mark

No. 5 Mississippi (10-3)

Hard-to-believe losses to Kentucky and Florida cost the Rebels a playoff berth and the chance for the program’s first top-five finish in over 60 years. But our hearts were in the right place — this might have been the best team in the SEC when everything was clicking. Sadly, that didn’t happen often enough.

No. 9 Ohio State (14-2*)

The Buckeyes and Penn State were extremely undervalued as part of our overall misfire with Big Ten. Ohio State did finish the regular season ranked No. 7 in the Coaches Poll, though, before turning in a dominant run to Monday’s championship game.

No. 15 Penn State (13-3)

This was about a 10-spot miss on the Nittany Lions. “If all goes right, Penn State could win the Big Ten or at least land an at-large playoff bid,” we wrote, with questions about the health of the offensive line and whether Drew Allar would take a step forward under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.

No. 24 Iowa (8-5)

Iowa won’t finish in the Top 25 after the bowl loss to Missouri. But the Hawkeyes lost to Iowa State by a point and UCLA by a field goal, so they were close to justifying this ranking and even factoring into the at-large playoff picture.

We have excuses

No. 2 Alabama (9-4)

Alabama dropped down the SEC standings under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer. The Crimson Tide’s season was defined by losses to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma during the regular season and to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

No. 3 Michigan (8-5)

Losing Harbaugh, McCarthy and a slew of high-profile contributors in the wake of the championship game doomed Michigan’s chances of a repeat under new coach Sherrone Moore. But the Wolverines closed with wins against Ohio State and the Tide to regain some momentum and could finish in the Top 25.

No. 17 Washington (6-7)

Given the exodus of talent after the loss to Michigan, we should’ve been much more cynical about Washington’s chances at succeeding as new members of the Big Ten. In our defense, DeBoer was expected to return with the Huskies in 2024. We wrote, “based on his track record, it seems very unlikely that Washington drops off the national map.”

No. 22 Kansas (5-7)

One of a whopping nine teams in our early Top 25 to finish with a losing record, Kansas had five losses by single digits and won three games in a row against ranked competition in November. In other words, the Jayhawks were very close to being the team we expected last January.

What were we thinking?

No. 8 Oklahoma (6-7)

Here’s where things start getting ugly. When it comes to Oklahoma, we said the play of quarterback Jackson Arnold and the offensive line “will determine if this team can be in the playoff mix.” Neither panned out, and the offense was miserable. Watching Texas hit the ground running in the SEC made things even worse. The only saving grace was a defeat of Alabama that allowed the Sooners to extend their bowl streak to 26 consecutive seasons, though that resulted in a bad loss to Navy.

No. 10 LSU (9-4)

Hyped as a major contender in coach Brian Kelly’s third year with quarterback Garrett Nussmeier taking over for Jayden Daniels, LSU lost to Southern California in the opener and then dropped three in a row to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida to disappear from the playoff picture.

No. 16 Utah (5-7)

Injuries played a role, especially at quarterback with Cam Rising expected back at full health. That didn’t happen. And after a 4-0 start, the Utes lost seven in a row, ending the year tied for second to last in the Big 12 and suffering the program’s first losing finish since 2013.

No. 19 Southern California (7-6)

USC never found a rhythm as new members of the Big Ten and barely sneaked into the postseason after losing close games to Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland and Washington. Overrating the Trojans is a habit we plan on breaking with our way-too-early list for 2025.

No. 21 North Carolina State (6-7)

While overshadowed by other ACC flops such as Florida State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina, N.C. State should be counted among the biggest disappointments in the Power Four. Hampered by injury issues, the Wolfpack were blown out by Tennessee early and lost four games by a single possession.

No. 25 Virginia Tech (6-7)

The program’s expected breakthrough never came to fruition. At least the Hokies were competitive in every loss, with only the defeat to Minnesota in the Mayo Bowl coming by more than 10 points.

We really messed up

No. 13 Arizona (4-8)

Coach Jedd Fisch would eventually replace DeBoer at Washington. At the time, though, Arizona was seen as the early favorite in the remade Big 12. While the coaching change and player departures played a role, we were clearly way off about the Wildcats.

No. 20 Oklahoma State (3-9)

Oklahoma State went unbeaten in non-conference play and then wouldn’t win again, finishing dead last in the Big 12 and nearly leading to the end of coach Mike Gundy’s tenure. Don’t look for the Cowboys to get the benefit of the doubt in the future.

Florida State division

No. 18 Florida State (2-10)

The Seminoles are in a class by themselves. Do we get any credit for having them No. 18, lower than most way-too-early lists? Nope. FSU will go down not just as the biggest disappointment of the 2024 season but as one of the biggest duds of the era.