Uecker to have heart surgery
Popular broadcaster, actor expected to miss 10-12 weeks
04/27/10 4:56 PM ET
MILWAUKEE -- Hall of Fame Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker will undergo heart surgery on Friday and will miss the next 10-12 weeks of games.
The Brewers made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon.
Uecker, 75, will have his aortic valve and root replaced in a procedure performed by Dr. Alfred Nicolosi.
"I was kind of hoping I could go till the end of the year and have it during the offseason, but it didn't work," said Uecker. "I met with the surgeon [Monday] and [he] explained what we're going to do, the procedure and a little detail ... Hopefully, I'll be back in a very short period of time. I'm looking forward to getting it done and getting in back to work."
Dubbed "Mr. Baseball" by Johnny Carson, and well known nationally for his work in film and television, including appearances on the Tonight Show, Uecker says he's already heard from fans all across the globe.
"I'll tell the fans about it tonight. I'm getting calls from all over the place, all over the world as a matter of fact."
Uecker has been calling play-by-play on Brewers radio broadcasts since 1971 and was inducted into the broadcasters' wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003. He went on to star in commercials for Miller Lite, in the hit TV series "Mr. Belvedere" and the "Major League" series of films. He also hosted a pair of Wrestlemanias and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last month during Spring Training.
Uecker has been paired with Cory Provus on Brewers radio broadcasts since the start of last season. Dave Nelson, an analyst for FS Wisconsin broadcasts, will replace Uecker in the interim on the Brewers' first road trip.
Get well real soon Bob!