As we remember the life of the iconic Bob Uecker, the voice of the Brewers and a baseball icon, his childhood friend shared stories only someone who knew Mr. Baseball back in the 1940s could.I knew Bob Uecker since I was 14 years old," George Mustas, Uecker's long-time friend said.Mustas has known Bob Uecker since 1946 when the two were just kids from the neighborhood. We were playing ball and he came and asked do you need a ball player and my brother says you any good, and he says youll see," Mustas said.Thats how Mustas and Uecker's friendship began. They would play baseball at Siefert Park which was near 14th and Cherry Streets in Milwaukee's King Park neighborhood. Back in 1994, the Milwaukee Journal wrote an article about their friendship. For the article, Mustas and his brother visited the neighborhood where friends would get together.Yea, wed hang out at night and all that in the old neighborhood," Mustas said.Mustas, now 92, remembers the teenage hijinks the two used to get into.Riding around in the countryside and (Uecker would) see a corn field. Hed say stop the car. Hed run out, grab a couple of ears of corn, and chomp chomp chomp," Mustas said.There was another story the time Uecker and Mustas' brother were in the army. An officer asked if anyone in the regiment had played collegiate baseball. "(Uecker) tapped my brother with the elbow to raise his hand. My brother didnt do it. Bob did. They said whered you play ball? He said Marquette University. Only trouble is they never had a ball team," Mustas said.Watch Bob Uecker's childhood friend shares stories about growing up as teenagers... Bob Uecker's childhood friend shares stories about growing up as teenagersThe two stayed friends throughout his career. Mustas would watch him play when Uecker was a catcher on the Cardinals in 1964 and 1965.Whenever he'd come to town hed leave tickets for us and stuff like that," Mustas said.That tradition of leaving tickets for Mustas or seeing each other at games continued as Uecker became the voice of the Brewers.I saw him last year and the year before," Mustas said about the 2024 and 2023 seasons.Mustas wanted to talk to us because he said people needed to know what Uecker was like as a teenager - and that nothing has changed.He was a funny guy just like he was today, and hes like that as a kid all the way growing up," Mustas said.However, beyond the jokes and baseball, Mustas will always remember Uecker for being a great friend from the neighborhood.Hey, the guy was a great guy.The 2024 baseball season was Uecker's 54th as a broadcaster for his hometown Milwaukee Brewers. In a statement released by the club, Ueckers family said he had battled small cell lung cancer since early 2023.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error