The former backup catcher, whose ability to laugh at himself made him a beloved radio announcer and launched a successful acting career, died Thursday.

Bob Uecker wasn’t an announcer. He was an aspiration, proof you could thrive in an industry even if you fail at first. He was a bull rider, tilting and shifting as his dream bucked underneath him, ...

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. Need a break?

Bob Uecker didn't have to stretch much to play ... Many of Uecker's self-deprecating jokes were derived from his major-league career. He hit .200 over his six seasons playing catcher with the ...

His jokes included: “I knew my career was over ... (He actually homered off Koufax once.) Bob Uecker with Christopher Hewett in a promotional photo for ABC’s ‘Mr. Belvedere.’ ...

Uecker used to frequently joke about his own six years as a journeyman ... He noted that during 54 years of broadcasting games, "Bob’s trademark wit became a staple of television and movies.

Bob Uecker, who parlayed six laughable seasons as ... end of Phil Niekro’s unpredictable knuckleball and liked to joke that the best way to catch this type of pitch was to wait for the ball ...