Most players want to be remembered for their batting average. Uecker made a career out of being hilariously honest about his lack of one. He famously joked that his highest hit total in a season was 43—and that he once received an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax , which he considered a career highlight.
Uecker’s transition from player to cultural icon happened largely on the couch of The Tonight Show . Carson recognized Uecker’s "gold" storytelling ability, inviting him on over 100 times without even doing a pre-show interview—he just let Ueck riff. Mr. Baseball
: Uecker’s tenure as a catcher was defined by his struggle to catch Phil Niekro’s knuckleball. He once quipped, "The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling and then pick it up". Most players want to be remembered for their batting average