At his Hall of Fame -induction ceremony in Cooperstown in 2003, Bob Uecker delivered a memorable acceptance speech that in essence was a stand-up comedy act. Forty-four Hall of Fame players on the stage behind him were reduced to tears over Uecker’s self-deprecating humor, and the audience of some 18,000 roared with laughter.

The journeyman catcher and award-winning sports commentator, known by many as "Mr. Baseball," was diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer in 2023.