Artie Lange's stories on Uecker and Harry Caray

From his Letterman appearance:

http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/video_player/index/php/979322.phtml

 

Bubbler, if Bob Uecker isn't your hero, he will be after you watch this clip.

 

That's good stuff. Pretty strong Harry Caray impression from Lange.

 

That is primo stuff, there.

 

Great stuff.

 

Lange on Stern every morning is very good radio.

He looks like crap, though.

 

In addition to a cough button to kill their mic, TV announcers also have a talkback button. This takes their mic off the air and sends it instead to a speaker in the TV truck near the producer.

One play-by-play announcer (who's long since moved to another city) sometimes used his talkback button the way Uecker was using his cough button. He occasionally interspersed his game descriptions with wisecracks that only the guys in the truck were supposed to hear.

In the truck, knowing how often audio equipment malfunctions, we thought it was foolhardy for him to trust his career to the proper operation of that button.

 

Uecker is a God among men. It is going to be a sad, SAD day when he leaves the booth.

 

Like a lot of the great ones, Uecker will probably be in he booth right up until' death. And that day will be as sad as it gets. May he have great health for many years to come.

 

The first time I saw Uecker up close I was amazed how broad his shoulders are. He still looked really athletic, especially since his shtick was always how unathletic he was. Then, of course, was this legendary picture in SI.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/lee_jenkins/05/13/may.days0519/index.html

 

Lange is one hilarious dude. He's one of the best talk-show guests out there. It seems like he's on Letterman every two months or so, and most of those places won't book someone more than a couple times a year.

 

I imagine he is on the speed dial when a guest flakes out on them and does not show of cancel at the last second.