Bob Uecker was a famously mediocre Major League hitter who discovered that he was much more comfortable at a microphone than home plate. And that was just the start of a second career in entertainment that reached far beyond the ballpark.

Bob Uecker, who transformed his futility as a baseball player into a successful second career as a baseball broadcaster, humorist and comic actor in television, film and commercials, died Jan. 16 at his home in Menomonee Falls,

The former backup catcher, whose ability to laugh at himself made him a beloved radio announcer and launched a successful acting career, died Thursday.