BOB UECKER IS WITH US TONIGHT. NOW HE'S BEEN WITH US IN THE PAST AND HE IS A FORMER BIG LEAGUE BALL PLAYER WHO IS EXCEEDINGLY MODEST ABOUT HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS ON THE FIELD, AND WITH GOOD REASON. [ LAUGHTER ] HE SAYS THAT HIMSELF. HE'S THE VOICE OF THE MILWAUKEE BREWER'S, HE'S A FREQUENT COMMENTATOR ON NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAMES, AND SINCE THE BASEBALL PLAYERS ARE ON STRIKE MAYBE HE CAN KIND OF FILL US IN ON WHAT'S HAPPENING. WOULD YOU WELCOME BOB UECKER, MR. BASEBALL? [ MUSIC ] SOME PEOPLE ARE OUTRAGED THAT THERE IS A STRIKE, AS YOU KNOW SOME PEOPLE COULDN'T CARE LESS. SOME PEOPLE ARE ANGRY AT THE PLAYERS, SOME PEOPLE ARE ANGRY AT THE OWNERS. THE FANS ARE UP IN ARMS. WHAT IS GOING ON, HOW IS IT AFFECTING YOU? YOU'RE NOT TELECASTING OBVIOUSLY. >> NO NOT BROADCASTING OR TELECASTING JOHN, IT'S GIVEN ME A CHANCE-- THE STRIKE HAS BEEN ON FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS NOW. >> RIGHT. >> AND IT'S GIVEN ME A CHANCE TO FULFILL MY ARMY DUTY, I WENT AWOL IN 1956. [ LAUGHTER ] AND I THOUGHT THIS THING WOULD BE ON FOR AWHILE SO I THOUGHT WHY NOT GET IT OUT OF THE WAY. SO I WENT TO CAMP McCOY WISCONSIN, A PLACE ABOUT 40 MILES OUTSIDE OF MILWAUKEE. AND KIND OF TURNED MYSELF IN, I GUESS IS WHAT IT BOILED DOWN TO. >> SURE. >> AND AFTER GOING OVER THE RECORDS AND EVERYTHING THEY FOUND I HAD 14 DAYS LEAVE COMING SO-- [ LAUGHTER ] ENABLED ME TO COME OUT AND DO THE SHOW. I LEFT RIGHT WHEN WE WERE DOING GRENADE THROWING-- I WAS PERMANENT LATRINE ORDERLY WHEN I JOINED THE SERVICE. AND IT WAS A SERGEANT INSPECTING THE LATRINE ONE DAY AND CAME AND TOLD ME HE THOUGHT I HAD A CHANCE TO PLAY MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. >> RIGHT. >> AND THERE OF COURSE IS A CINDERELLA STORY. >> THAT'S RIGHT. [ LAUGHTER ] LATRINE TO RICHES I GUESS YOU COULD CALL IT. >> YEAH I GUESS. I HEARD YOU MENTION [ BEEP ] FOR THE FIRST TIME, I WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED. >> YEAS THAT KIND OF JUMPED OUT AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT. >> BUT IT BROUGHT BACK THAT STORY FOR ME. [ LAUGHTER ] >> KIND OF TIPPED OFF YOUR HUMOR THERE, SURE. BY ASSOCIATION I CAN SEE THAT. NOW AS A FORMER PLAYER, I ASSUME AND I MAY BE WRONG, THAT YOU TAKE THE SIDE OF THE PLAYERS IN THIS STRIKE. >> WELL-- >> YOU NEVER MADE THE BIG BUCKS DID YOU? >> NO I DIDN'T, MY TOP SALARY WAS $23,000 AND THAT WAS AFTER ABOUT 12, 13 YEARS. ABOUT 75% OF THAT CAME FROM STEALING OTHER PLAYER'S EQUIPMENT AND SELLING IT. [ LAUGHTER ] >> SO YOU HAVE ABOUT 7 OR $8, 000 ACTUALLY SALARY AND THIS WAS-- >> YEAH ABOUT EIGHT GRAND, THE REST LIKE SWEATSHIRTS AND GLOVES AND STUFF. WHICH ARE PREMIUM ITEMS FOR SOME PEOPLE. BUT I DON'T REALLY TAKE THE SIDE OF EITHER THE PLAYERS OR THE OWNERS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE WORKED OUT AMONG THEMSELVES. THE MEETINGS THAT THEY'VE BEEN HAVING REALLY HAVEN'T BEEN GOING TOO WELL. FANS GET AGGRAVATED, I GUESS, SOMETIMES WITH THE HUGE SALARIES THAT ARE BEING PAID TO-- NOT ONLY BASEBALL BUT FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL PLAYERS. I'VE COME UP WITH SOMETHING I THINK WOULD KIND OF TAKE THE HEAT OFF OF A LOT OF PLAYERS WHEN THEY GET THE MAJOR LEAGUES. MAYBE TO START A LITTLE LEAGUE PLAYER, MAYBE A NINE OR TEN YEAR OLD KID WITH A $10,000 A YEAR SALARY. >> WHILE THEY'RE IN LITTLE LEAGUE? >> IN LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL. FOR A HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR, IF HE'S A DECENT SENIOR, MAYBE 55, $60,000. AND THEN ON TO A COLLEGE PLAYER, MAYBE A COLLEGE PLAYER COMING OUT OF COLLEGE WHERE YOU'RE PAYING HIM 125 OR $135 THOUSAND A YEAR. IT'S NOT GOING TO BE THAT BIG OF A SHOCK TO THE SPORT FAN WHEN HE SIGNS FOR THESE KINDS OF BONUSES. IT'S ALSO GOING TO BE A GREAT INCENTIVE FOR PARENTS TO GET THOSE LITTLE LEAGUERS TO THEIR GAMES ON TIME. [ LAUGHTER ] >> ABSOLUTELY. [ APPLAUSE ] NOT A BAD IDEA. >> NO AS I SAID, THE STRIKE THING-- YOU KNOW THE MEETINGS THAT THEY HAVE-- >> WHAT DO THEY TALK ABOUT IN THE MEETING? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY'RE ARGUING ABOUT. >> WELL THE OWNER'S BIG ARGUMENT NOW IS THAT WHILE THE STRIKE IS GOING ON, THEY WANT TO SHOW MOVIES AT THE BALLPARK, "PRIDE TO THE YANKEES", THE BABE RUTH STORY. AND CHARGE ADMISSION TO FANS WHERE YOU'RE NOT TOTALLY GETTING PRIVATE BASEBALL. THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES, GEORGE STEINBRENNER, THE OWNERS THOUGHT THAT WAS A NEW PLAYER AND HE WANTED TO SIGN HIM AS A FREE AGENT. [ LAUGHTER ] BUT THINGS LIKE THIS-- THE MEETING THAT THEY'RE HAVING-- YOU KNOW THEY MEET FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS, SOMETIMES HALF HOUR, 90 MINUTES, AND WALK OUT. THE BIG THING IS THE COMPENSATION. IF A PLAYER HAS LOST A FREE AGENCY FROM TEAM TO ANOTHER, THE TEAM THAT HE GOES FROM DEMANDS A PLAYER OF EQUAL ABILITY. >> FROM THE OTHER TEAM? >> FROM THE OTHER TEAM, THE TEAM THAT THE FREE AGENT GOES TO. >> NOW I UNDERSTAND THAT NOW THEY GET A CHOICE OF A DRAFT OF-- >> HIGH SCHOOL DRAFT. >> OF AN AMATEUR PLAYER. >> RIGHT AN AMATEUR PLAYER. AND WHO'S TO SAY THAT AN AMATEUR PLAYER IS EVER GOING TO MAKE IT TO THE MAJOR LEAGUES. I MEAN THERE ARE SOME GREAT HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS, I DON'T WANT TO TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM HIGH SCHOOL DRAFTEES. >> LET'S SUPPOSE THERE WAS NO DRAFT AT ALL, JUST FOR EXAMPLE, IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS. THIS WOULD CREATE A PROBLEM BUT LET'S SUPPOSE THERE WOULD BE NO DRAFT AT ALL. ANYBODY CAN GO AFTER THE PLAYERS, THE PLAYERS CAN SIGN WITH ANYBODY THEY WANT TO AND MAKE A DEAL, AND SO FORTH. IF THEY SIGN FOR TWO YEARS THEY GOT A DEAL AND THAT'S IT. WHAT HAPPENS THERE? >> WHAT ABOUT THE FREE AGENCY A FEW YEARS AGO JOHN, BASEBALL PLAYERS GOT THE RIGHT TO FREE AGENCY. >> RIGHT. >> IT ENABLED THEM TO LEAVE A BALL CLUB-- YOU KNOW YEARS AGO WHEN YOU SIGNED WITH A MAJOR LEAGUE TEAM OR YOU SIGNED WITH AN ORGANIZATION-- >> YOU HAVE TO PLAY WITH THEM. >> THAT'S RIGHT, FOREVER. UNTIL THEY RELEASE YOU, OR TRADED, SOLD, OR WHATEVER. SO YOU WERE THERE FOREVER. >> WHAT WAS YOUR SITUATION, WERE YOU TRADED? >> I WAS TRADED, SOLD, RELEASED-- [ LAUGHTER ] >> BARTERED? >> YEAH THE WHOLE THING, I DID THE WHOLE THING. SO YOU KNOW I'VE BEEN THERE THROUGH ALL OF IT. TO ME THE ONLY DRAFT I WORRIED ABOUT WAS THE SERVICE. REALLY THE SERVICE. WHEN YOU'RE A PLAYER OF MY ABILITY-- AND I DON'T WANT TO KNOCK PLAYERS NOWADAYS, BUT AS I SAID BEFORE MINE WAS A CINDERELLA STORY AND I DON'T HAVE TO STAND UP HERE AND BLOW SMOKE AT MYSELF OR ANYTHING ELSE. MY RECORD SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. TO BE THE KIND OF PLAYER THAT I WAS, TO BE PAID BY COMPANIES TO NOT ENDORSE PRODUCTS-- [ LAUGHTER ] HOW MANY PLAYERS CAN CLAIM THAT? >> NOT MANY FELLOWS REACH THAT LEVEL. >> THEY'RE NOT, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY JOHN, I REALLY DON'T. AND YOU KNOW YOU FOLLOW BASEBALL, YOU FOLLOW MY CAREER NOW FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS. >> RIGHT. >> AND I'M NOT GOING TO SAY THAT I'VE THRILLED ANYBODY BUT I KNOW WHAT I'VE DONE. I'M A BIG PART OF BASEBALL AND-- >> FANS JUST COME UP KNOWING THAT I KNOW YOU. >> I KNOW THEY DO. >> AND THEY'RE HAPPY JUST TO SAY, "YOU KNOW BOB UECKER DON'T YOU?" AND I SAY, "YES." >> AND I GET THE SAME DEAL WHEREVER I GO ABOUT YOU. PEOPLE SAY, "YOU KNOW JOHNNY." AND I SAY, "THAT'S RIGHT I DO KNOW HIM." AND NOW I'M JUST TRAVELING AROUND THE COUNTRY. TOMORROW EVENING I'LL BE IN THE CRATERS OF THE MOON, IDAHO. [ LAUGHTER ] >> LITTLE SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT THERE? >> YEAH, IT'S A FEE OF COURSE, I'M ON STRIKE NOW. >> SEE, I DIDN'T MENTION YOUR INCOME. >> YEAH I'M DOING A THING TOMORROW ON ACNE ON MAJOR LEAGUE BALL PLAYERS. [ LAUGHTER ] HOW THEY FIGHT IT, HOW THEY COMBAT IT, WHAT PLAYERS GET BY WITH YOU KNOW, WITHOUT IT, AND WHAT PLAYERS DON'T CARE ABOUT IT. >> AN INSIDE STORY. >> RIGHT, IT'S SOMETHING I THINK THAT SHOULD BE BROUGHT OUT, SPORTS WRITERS WON'T TALK ABOUT IT, MAGAZINES WONT PRINT IT. BUT I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN PLAYERS THAT HAVE ACNE AND LET'S GET IT ON. >> IT HAS TO BE TOLD. I THINK SO, DAMN RIGHT, IT HAS TO BE TOLD. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT. >> I THINK IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO GO. >> RIGHT, WE'LL TAKE A BREAK AND WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK ALRIGHT WE'RE BACK, WE'RE TALKING WITH MR. BASEBALL BOB UECKER. BALL PLAYERS GENERALLY PLAY, WHAT? SEVEN MONTHS A YEAR, NOW THEY'RE OFF, THEY'RE HOME. DOES THIS CHANGE THE WHOLE SCHEDULE BECAUSE THE GUYS ARE ALL AWAY DURING THE YEAR? DO THEY GET OUT OF SHAPE? IF THERE WAS AN END TO THE STRIKE TOMORROW, IT'S GOING TO TAKE THE BALLPLAYERS A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO GET BACK IN SHAPE. >> YEAH VERY DEFINITELY. I WOULD THINK MORE SO FOR THE PITCHERS. THE LONGER THIS THING GOES, THE LONGER IT'S GOING TO TAKE. IF THIS THING GOES A MONTH, MONTH AND A HALF, MAY BE TWO MONTHS, THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH SPRING TRAINING AGAIN. THEY REALLY WOULD BECAUSE I DON'T THINK PLAYERS-- AND I THINK THIS HAS COME FROM THE PLAYERS ASSOCIATION, THEY TOLD THEM NOT TO WORK OUT. THAT WOULD BE DEFEATING THEIR PURPOSE AS FAR AS THE STRIKE GOES. >> OH, I SEE. >> SO YOU KNOW THEY'RE AT HOME HANGING AROUND THEIR WIVES AND EVERYTHING. I THINK THE BIG THING WITH THAT IT'S GOING TO PRODUCE A BIGGER FATHER AND SON AND DAUGHTER GAME NEXT YEAR. [ LAUGHTER ] >> PROBABLY TRUE, NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT. >> BUT IT REALLY IS A TOUGH THING JOHN, IT REALLY IS. YOU KNOW YOU LOOK AT THE-- I THINK THE PUBLIC THINKS THAT PLAYERS MAKE A LOT OF MONEY, THEY ALL DON'T MAKE A LOT OF MONEY. I THINK THEY THINK OWNERSHIP MAKES A LOT OF MONEY, ALL OWNERS DON'T MAKE A LOT OF MONEY. THE CHICAGO CUBS THE OTHER DAY WERE SOLD TO THE-- [ APPLAUSE ] CHICAGO TRIBUNE. I THINK WHAT THAT'S GOING TO DO COME NEXT WINTER, I THINK IT'S A GREAT MOVE FOR THE CUBS. I THINK FOR THE PEOPLE IN CHICAGO TO BE ABLE TO BUY A PAPER ON A CERTAIN STREET CORNER FROM CUB PLAYERS. [ LAUGHTER ] I THINK-- >> KIND OF A ONE ON ONE. >> I THINK IF YOU'RE GOING TO STAY WITH THE ORGANIZATION THEN WHY NOT GO ALL THE WAY? >> THAT'S RIGHT, GET OUT THERE AND HUSTLE PAPERS. >> WATCH OUT FOR THE GUYS RIDING BIKES WHO ARE DELIVERING NEIGHBORHOOD STUFF, THEY GOT GREAT ARMS. THEY'RE GOING TO BREAK ARMS AND LEGS WHEN THEY FIRE A PAPER. THERE ARE GOING TO BE DOORS, WINDOWS, EVERYTHING ELSE. IT'S A GOOD MOVE. >> KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY. >> I THINK IT'S A GREAT MOVE, I REALLY DO. >> YEAH, SO RIGHT NOW YOU'RE JUST GOING OUT AND DOING SOME ENGAGEMENTS? >> YEAH, I'LL BE FOLLOWING THE CRATERS OF THE MOON DEAL TOMORROW NIGHT, I'LL BE IN MERIDIAN, IDAHO FOR MY UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT SCHOOL WHICH IS REALLY NOW-- WITH THE STRIKE GOING THE WAY IT IS, THIS THING IS REALLY STARTING TO GO NOW. >> STARTING TO ZOOM. >> TO TEACH YOUNGSTERS FOOTBALL, A REFEREE THROWS A FLAG, PICK IT UP, BLOW YOUR NOSE AND HAND IT BACK TO HIM. [ LAUGHTER ] DON'T BE AFRAID TO TAKE A SHOT AT AN EMPIRE ONCE IN AWHILE. I MEAN KIDS LIKE THIS, RIGHT HERE YOU KNOW. >> GET THEM WHILE THEY'RE YOUNG.
