Bob Uecker, who died Thursday at 90, was a mediocre Major League Baseball player and exceptional Milwaukee Brewers radio announcer who made an improbable transition to entertainment. Showcasing a bone-dry deadpan style in dozens of appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, he parlayed minor celebrity into bona fide stardom through a series of bombastic Miller Lite commercials. Unlike many athletes who appear in ads and acting roles, Uecker wasn’t just an eccentric who was comfortable on camera and behind microphones, but a skilled and adaptable performer who evolved over the decades until he became an institution.
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