Bob Uecker; a friend for life and Milwaukee supper club regular

MILWAUKEE - As the world remembers Bob Uecker, FOX6 News is learning more behind-the-scenes stories of the baseball legend.

Uecker off camera, without a microphone

What we know:

Bob Uecker is remembered as a Brewers announcer, TV and movie star, charitable giver and also a lifetime friend. 

In their teens, the Mustas brothers, George and Pete, played sandlot baseball with Uecker. 

"My brother, you know, he turned him into a catcher," said George Mustas. "I was playing left field, he was playing center field, and a catcher got knocked out at home plate. And my brother say, Bob, get in there. You got the best arm. And that's how he became a catcher."

George Mustas

Uecker and Pete Mustas enlisted in the U.S. Army together – and then were groomsmen for each other. When Pete died in 1999, George said Uecker was on the air. 

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

"I said, 'Tell Bob his best friend has died.' And he talked for 15 minutes about the whole family. Mentioned everybody in that," George Mustas said. "It was about 15 minutes of talking on air about that and it really was nice. I couldn't listen to it for about a year. When I did, all the tears started coming down."

George's friendship with Uecker lasted more than 70 years. 

Bob Uecker

"The last year, talking to him, the same as when he was 15 years old, he hasn't changed a bit. All you know off the wall, and the guy's on all the time, you know, and you never know what he's going to do. (laughing) He's something else, one of a kind, and we're going to miss him," Mustas said. 

Uecker was a regular

Dig deeper:

They are also missing Mr. Baseball at Jackson Grill, a supper club at 38th and Mitchell – not far from American Family Field. A candlelight memorial now marks the table where Uecker would regularly eat. 

Jackson Grill, Milwaukee

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android

"He was a hell of a guy," said Andrew Radjenovich, chief and owner of Jackson Grill. "Decades and decades of him coming here. I didn't get to see him too much, yeah, near the end there, but it was an honor for him to come here."