Greatest Baseball Announcer of All-Time

Picture: Screencap of Bob Uecker (left) as seen in the movie Major League

The love of baseball has led to many debates over the years. Who was the best pitcher of all-time? Which team is the best to ever step foot onto the field? What rules are pieces of...well you get the point. But one of the aspects of the game that many fans have an opinion of, but rarely get in debates about is--who is the best announcer the game has every had. Well, I give you a count down of the best announcers currently in the game.

5. Jack Buck: Famous for being the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals, some of Buck's most famous calls include Ozzie Smith's game winning homer in the deciding game of the 1985 NLCS (viewable in the clip below), Kirby Puckett's game 6 homer in the 1991 World Series, and Kirk Gibson's historic game 1 homer in the 1988 World Series. His voice talents have led to his induction in multiple Halls of Fame: National Baseball Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame, the National Radio Hall of Fame, and in the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum. In total he covered 18 Super Bowls and 11 World Series.

4. Mel Allen: Most famous for making the famous home run call when the Pittsburgh Pirates' Bill Mazeroski hit the homer in game 7 to end the World Series, Allen was the premier play-by-play man for the Yankess in the heart of some of their best seasons. He was known as the best of his profession in the 1940's, 1950's, and 1960's, he's still known as the "Voice of the New York Yankees." As baseball gained more and more air time on television, he became even more famous for being the original host of This Week in Baseball which he hosted from 1977 until he passed away in 1996. To cap off his career he was also the very first recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award in 1978.

3. Ernie Harwell: A baseball announcer for 55 seasons, Harwell is most widely known for his work as the announcer for the Detroit Tigers. He was so good at what he did that he became the only announcer that was involved in a trade when the Brooklyn Dodgers' Branch Rickey traded a catcher to the Atlanta Crackers in return for Harwell's contract. He only announced for the Dodgers for two seasons before eventually finding his way to the Detroit Tigers in 1960. He announced for them for 31 years before management decided to let him go in 1991. He called for the California Angels in 1992, but because of the outcry by Detroit fans and a new ownership change, Harwell was brought back to the Tigers in 1993 until 2002.

2. Vin Scully: Scully holds the record for longest tenure with a single team, announcing for the Dodgers since 1950 during their days in Brooklyn. He called Don Larsen's perfect game in the World Series, Hank Aaron's 715th homer, and Bill Buckner's famous error in the 1986 World Series. Considered the gold standard, Scully signature introduction to games may be the most famous in sports, "It's time for Dodger baseball! Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good evening to you, wherever you may be." Joining the Dodgers when he was only 23, Scully was a pupil of fellow legendary announcer, Red Barber. An odd note about Scully is that for many years he had not attended a baseball game that he was not the announcer for. It wasn't until 2004 when he and then Dodgers owner Frank McCourt attended a game together in Boston.

1. Bob Uecker: Originally a former catcher for the Cardinals, Braves, and Phillies, Uecker was a man of many abilities. He was a comedian and frequent guest of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, spokesman for Miller Lite, starring actor in movies and television shows such Mr. Belvedere, and obviously the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers from 1971 to present day. He wasn't the greatest catcher when he played, leading the National League in passed balls in 1967 despite playing only 59 games. This was partially due to catching knuckleball legend Phil Niekro in which Uecker was quoted as saying, "The best way to catch a knuckleball was to wait until it stopped rolling and pick it up."

After retiring from Major League Baseball in 1967, Uecker found himself doing comedy in 1969 which led to his over 100 appearances on The Tonight Show where he would often go on just to entertain Johnny Carson instead of trying to plug something he was doing. Carson dubbed Uecker with his nickname, Mr. Baseball. His comedic abilities led to his being hired by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1971 which he still does to this day.

A likable personality, he would go on to be a spokesperson for Miller Lite which would then lead him to a career in acting. He played George Owens on Mr. Belvedere which was a sitcom that aired on ABC for 6 seasons. He would also be known for his role as Harry Doyle, the announcer of the Cleveland Indians in the Major League trilogy of movies. Not one to shy away from TV, he also hosted two separate shows about the lighter side of sports and even participated in the WWE's (then the WWF) WrestleMania III as an announcer and WrestleMania IV as an announcer and backstage interviewer who was choked by Andre the Giant. Even the WWE placed Uecker in their very own Hall of Fame.

Not to be outdone, Uecker authored two autobiographies, Catcher in the Wry and Catch 222. He was honored by the Brewers with a statue outside Miller Park alongside Hank Aaron, Robin Yount, and former owner Bud Selig. In 2003, Uecker was also awarded the Ford C. Frick Award.