When baseball fans think about movies that are closely associated with the sport, Major League is sure to come up in most conversations. The sports comedy, which was released in 1989, centers around how Rachel Phelps, a former Las Vegas showgirl, inherited the struggling Cleveland Indians baseball team from her husband. Longtime Milwaukee Brewers radio play-by-play announcer Bob Uecker stars in the film as Harry Doyle, who holds the same role on the air for Cleveland. One of the lines he is most synonymous with is, ‘Just a bit outside!,’ which he articulated when describing a pitch from reliever Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn.
Uecker has seen clips of the movie in the past when it is being played in the Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse; however, he has never watched the film in its entirety from start to finish. Current Minnesota Twins television play-by-play announcer Cory Provus revealed this fact while appearing on The Power Trip Friday morning on KFAN much to the surprise of the other personalities within the studio. Provus worked with Uecker before being hired to work on the radio for Twins games starting in the 2012 season.
“He’s a perfectionist,” Provus said of Bob Uecker. “We all love the lines, but he’s like, ‘Nope, I could have done that better. I could have inflected that one better in a different way; in a more comedic way [with] the timing.’”
Provus then told a story of Uecker receiving a visit in the booth from Washington Nationals first baseman Adam Dunn in the middle of a game. Dunn was not penciled in the lineup for the day game following a contest from the night before, and he was escorted to the booth in his full uniform and sneakers. He decided to hang out in the radio booth instead unbeknownst to manager Jim Riggleman, who could have presumably used Dunn as a pinch-hitter at a moment’s notice.
“He thought about fining Adam Dunn after the game was over and that went away,” Provus said, “but that stuff only happens because it’s Bob Uecker.”
The conversation then turned towards the fact that some actors do not like to watch their own movies. It resulted in Provus asking co-host Chris Hawkey whether or not he listens back to performances from his band or previous episodes of The Power Trip after the fact. Hawkey’s reply exhibited a prudential mindset that he keeps regarding his various endeavors, focusing on the tasks he needs to execute on a daily basis.
“Very, very infrequently,” Hawkey replied. “Well first of all, it’s mostly still stuck in your mind, and the radio show, you’re always thinking about what’s next so you never go back and listen to it again. It’s always, ‘What am I doing next?’”
Veteran sportscaster Marney Gellner was in studio for the program as well and affirmed that most people would agree that it is difficult to watch yourself on screen. There are times when she watches a video of their phone and is incredulous towards the way she sounds and looks. While there are varied drawbacks towards the practice, there is an understanding that it can be beneficial for people who go in front of the camera. Gellner is venerated by Minnesota sports fans for her work covering the Twins, Lynx and Timberwolves over the years, but she is cognizant of difficulties in recapitulating and evaluating previous footage.
“As someone who works in television, it is very helpful to watch back stuff because you see a lot,” Gellner said. “….I rarely do it because it is excruciating for me.”
