Unexpected Yankees connection revealed after Bob Uecker's devastating passing

Bob Uecker wasn't a humorous and charismatic baseball announcer. He was the funniest comedian in the world, 50 years running, who just so happened to also call baseball games. His passing on Thursday at the age of 90 will leave a void that cannot, and should not, be filled.

Thankfully, his generations-spanning career also left us with more than our fair share of eternal moments to be shared in perpetuity. It's both nowhere near enough, because it never could be, but also an extremely comforting amount of glee. Uecker's wit and grace allowed him to command any room he was in, but luckily, some of those rooms were 55,000 seaters, and the airwaves allowed us to feel like we were tucked in a close-knit circle by his side.

Known nationally for Miller Lite commercials, Uecker was truly Milwaukee's best. As if you needed another reason to hate the Mets, Pete Alonso's home run that broke Devin Williams' back and flattened the city in the Wild Card round came at the end of Uecker's final game, which he struggled through in order to say a proper goodbye (after missing Games 1 and 2). As an emotional locker room tried to process the preceding events, they lingered because they knew they'd be saying farewell to the man who meant more to their franchise than anyone.

Thank goodness, at least, for the connection they forged because, according to Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, once upon a time, George Steinbrenner tried to sever it. According to Bob Nightengale's retelling:

“He had every opportunity to leave the city, leave the state,’’ said Attanasio, remembering hearing the stories of George Steinbrenner trying to hire him away when he owned the New York Yankees. “He could have left for an acting career. He could have left for a comedy career. He was a Wisconsin name. He was true blue to Wisconsin."

George Steinbrenner once tried to lure legendary Bob Uecker to Yankees

Controversial opinion: very glad that Steinbrenner didn't get his way here. Uecker was a Milwaukee original, intrinsic to the city and franchise. They deserved him. He deserved a title, of course, but he deserved it there.

There will never be another summer soundtrack that sings quite the same as the ones Uecker conducted. And while it would've been cathartic to send him out a winner, the 1964 World Series champion Cardinal always did better with self-deprecation, anyway.