Twins TV announcer Cory Provus misses game to honor memory of mentor Bob Uecker

CHICAGO – Cory Provus wanted to pay tribute to late Milwaukee Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker, his former colleague and mentor, when the Twins played in St. Louis during the season-opening series.

Uecker, the beloved Hall of Fame broadcaster famous for his late-night talk show appearances and movie roles, played 40 games for the Cardinals on their 1964 World Series championship team. On Sunday, when Willi Castro homered in a blowout Twins loss, Provus paid homage to Uecker’s home run call:

“Castro in the air to right. Hey, get up, get up! Get outta here! Gone!” Provus said on the Twins TV broadcast.

It was a subtle and meaningful moment for Provus, who spent three seasons (2009-11) calling Brewers games and working alongside Uecker. Provus missed Wednesday’s Twins game, which was delayed by more than three hours because of rain, as he traveled by train to Milwaukee. The Brewers hosted an invitation-only celebration of Uecker’s life at the Miller High Life Theater in downtown Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

Other former Brewers broadcasters who worked with Uecker, Pat Hughes (Chicago Cubs) and Joe Block (Pittsburgh Pirates), flew into Milwaukee for the event.

“It means a lot for me to be there,” Provus said. “I’d imagine all the people that were heavily involved with his life in some way are going to be there. It’s going to be just an amazing night to get together, share stories, laugh, cry and remember this incredible figure in all of our lives.”

The Brewers are wearing a Uecker patch on a uniform sleeve as a tribute, and Provus carries it in his backpack — Brewers clubhouse attendant Jason Shawger sent him one — and leaves it next to his scorecard during games.

When Provus worked with Uecker, he had to learn how to score games the way Uecker did because they shared a scorecard.

“It was like this almost 11x17 spiral bound book,” Provus said. “It probably had 185, 190 pages, and I had to carry that. I had to fill that out every day. I would write the names, the numbers, the defense, the starters. … He taught me his way of scoring and to this day, that’s how I score.

“In a blowout, when a runner will take second base on indifference, as Bob Uecker would say and write in his scorecard, ‘Who cares?’ He would put a ‘WC.’ ”

Uecker died Jan. 16, and there are moments during games when Provus catches himself thinking of his friend. The Twins had one hit through seven innings Monday, and Provus remembered Uecker’s famous line in the movie “Major League” about a team having only one hit.

“When we go to Milwaukee [in May], that’s going to be a tough series,” Provus said. “It’s going to be emotional.”

As Provus reflects on his mentor, a smile comes to his face when he thinks about how Uecker interacted with current players.

“He lived as long as he did because the players always made him feel welcomed and made him feel like he was one of them,” Provus said. “He was this octogenarian, but he didn’t mind getting beer or champagne dumped on him into his late 80s and 90s. That, I think, kept him going. I think he felt beloved, and he felt wanted.”

Provus, who can do an excellent Uecker impersonation, saved a few voicemails from Uecker on his phone. One of their last text exchanges came after Provus saw a photo of the 90-year-old celebrating in the clubhouse when the Brewers clinched a spot in the postseason last year.

“Seeing those images of him celebrating was like, ‘That’s how it should go,’ ” Provus said.

The Twins’ five-run sixth inning during Tuesday’s win over the White Sox ended when they attempted a double steal with the lefty-hitting Matt Wallner in a 1-2 count against lefty pitcher Fraser Ellard. Edouard Julien was thrown out at the plate as manager Rocco Baldelli stormed out of the dugout to argue for a balk.

The idea was for Jose Miranda, the runner at first base, to attract Ellard’s attention as Julien, the runner behind his back, took home.

“It’s just taking a shot in a situation where our guy is down to two strikes,” Baldelli said. “We have a few different plays we can run.”