Best 5 Bob Uecker lines from 'Major League'

CLEVELAND, OH - For many, Bob Uecker's performance as play-by-play commentator Harry Doyle stole the show in the 1989 film "Major League." The former catcher turned actor brought a sneering sarcasm to the role that made it instantly memorable.

Uecker was an actual major league player from 1962-1967, spending time with the Milwaukee Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Atlanta Braves. His bat was sluggish and he rarely cracked .200 over the course of the season.

Luckily for Uecker, he was a man of many talents. When his baseball career petered out, he used a series of Lite beer commercials to catapult himself into a career of acting. For Clevelanders, that career peaked when he played Harry Doyle.

In fact, his performance was so memorable that fans circulated a petition on Change.org to have Uecker replace Fox Broadcaster Joe Buck who has, once again, been mired in accusations of bias during his World Series duties.

If you've never seen "Major League" or its sequel, we've taken a snapshot of five of Uecker's best lines in the films. Some had YouTube clips readily available, others will require a viewing of the film. Let us know if we missed your favorite line by posting a comment or emailing Ohio Editor Chris Mosby at chris.mosby@patch.com

1. "Vaughn into the windup on his first offering," the ball smashes against the backstop, five feet from the catcher's mitt, "Juuust a bit outside."

2. Harry Doyle: So a tough loss for the Indians as Pedro Cerrano doubles off a pigeon and is tagged out while administering CPR before the tying run could score. Funny game ain't it Monty?

Monte: Well at least the bird survived.

Harry Doyle: Who cares? It's a rat with wings.

3. Harry Doyle: The post-game show is brought to you by... [searches through his papers]

Harry Doyle: Christ, I can't find it. To hell with it.

4. "Rick Vaughn gets the start today. We're told he's matured a lot over the winter. Apparently, he's bathing now."

5. Harry Doyle: [before the playoff game] Monte, anything to add?
Monte: Ummm... no.
Harry Doyle: He's not the best color man in the league for nothing, folks!

image: Steve Paluch. This file is licensed under theCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unportedlicense.