The death of Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Uecker shook Major League Baseball on Thursday but it was especially hard for Minnesota Twins play-by-play announcer Corey Provus.
Provus spent three seasons with Uecker, working at WTMJ-AM as part of the Milwaukee Brewers Radio Network and recalled the legendary broadcaster shaped his career during an interview with KFXN’s Dan Barrerio on Friday.
“I just loved the calls and I got to be there for some great ones because [the Brewers] had some good teams,” Provus said. “...Some great moments that I was just…Man, I won the lottery. What a seat I had. Just so lucky that I had that chance.”
Twins play-by-play announcer Corey Provus’s career was shaped alongside Bob Uecker
Provus began his broadcasting career as a pre- and post-game host for the Chicago Cubs but became a finalist for the Brewers’ play-by-play job in 2009. Provus traveled to Arizona to meet Uecker for the first time as part of the process and while he didn’t receive a job offer during the three-hour dinner, he clicked instantly with his future partner.
“I think we were drinking Miller Lite. I mean, how are you not going to drink Miller Lite around Bob Uecker?” Provus laughed. “ I think we had four beers before we even ordered anything. And I’m like, ‘Man, I need a taxi.’ …But I remember he picked up his beer, I picked up mine. We cheers’d and he said it’s going to be fun.”
Provus got the job and worked three seasons alongside Uecker. While there were plenty of laughs and big moments, he also learned a lot from Uecker when it came to finding his voice as a broadcaster.
“I might have tried to squeeze something [like]...a Major League line and I remember him pulling me aside a couple of times, like ‘Pro, that’s my stuff. You do your own thing. Come up with your stuff. You’re good. I love it. You’re going to be great. You’re going to be at this a long time,’” Provus recalled. “He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t demonstrative. But he just wanted me to do my own thing. And he wanted me to develop my own style. That’s what it was the entire time. It was just a coach and a friend and a mentor that challenged me to be better and to do it my own way and not just follow and copy everything he was doing.”
Bob Uecker’s impact helped Corey Provus during Twins 2023 playoff run
Uecker’s coaching paid off when Provus became the radio voice for the Twins in 2012. Provus quickly established himself among fans but he also said that Uecker’s advice to let the game breathe helped him immensely when the Twins ended their 18-game postseason losing streak against the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023.
“Target Field was never better in my time than it was during the postseason in 2023 and during that Blue Jays series,” Provus said. “There were some big moments. [But] there was nothing that I could say that was going to be better, even though it’s not a visual medium. There was nothing that I could say that was going to be better than what you could hear and the sounds that were coming from that packed ballpark, fans cheering, you know. Taunting Kevin Gausman. The ‘Gausman!’ chant was fantastic. I learned some of that with Bob, how he would let the game breathe.”
Provus’s career has taken another step forward as he began broadcasting with Big Ten Network and became the Twins television voice last season. While Provus has become a nationally known broadcaster, he still remembers how much Uecker helped him in his career. It brought up plenty of emotions when he listened to MLB Network Radio’s replay of the Brewers’ Game 5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2011 National League Divisional Series on his way home from calling the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ win over the Michigan Wolverines on Thursday night.
“I listened the entire way. And then after Nyjer Morgan’s walk-off hit in the 10th inning…he said ‘All right, the celebration’s underway. And in the middle of all of it is Corey Provus,’” Provus said. “Hearing his voice and hearing him throw it to me…Man, I’m crying right now. It was just…so fitting that I got another chance to reconnect with my guy and I wouldn’t be here without him.”