A good way to describe Ted Uhlaender during his baseball playing days, including a couple of stops with the Denver Bears, is to say he was athletically slim.
The word “lithe” applied then and still does, but further explanation is needed. Add “tough as nails” and you get an idea of the grit that allowed the Texan to carve out an eight-year career in the major leagues with the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds.
The center fielder played five seasons with the Twins, two with the Indians and one with the Reds. He had three seasons of double-digit stolen bases, finishing his career with 52.
In 898 games, the left-handed hitter batted .263 with 36 home runs and 285 RBIs. His postseason resume includes a World Series appearance with the Reds in 1972.
Now, Uhlaender is in a different battle that requires every ounce of his will. He’s fighting cancer, specifically multiple myeloma, the same malady that former Rockies manager Don Baylor contracted and lives with today.
“It’s not a curable disease,” Uhlaender said of the cancer in his bone marrow. “I’ll have it the rest of my life, but they say I can live with it if we can get it in remission. The doctors say there’s a good chance it will go into remission and I could lead a normal life. I’ll keep fighting it until they tell me there is no chance.”
Uhlaender was back in the hospital last week at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center for treatment.
“They take the stem cells out of your body and freeze them,” Uhlaender said. “Then there’s chemotherapy before they put the stem cells back in. It takes time to build back your strength.”
Uhlaender’s time as a player was in a much different era, when only the superstars made big money. He needed to work in the offseason to supplement his baseball income.
“My biggest disappointment in baseball was when I got traded to the National League,” Uhlaender said. “I had spent most of my career with the Twins, where I got to know Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew and Tony Oliva. They were good friends. When I went to Cincinnati (from the Indians), I didn’t know anybody. I had to learn all the pitchers in the league because they were new. But I got to the World Series and probably shouldn’t complain.”
Uhlaender was a crowd favorite in Denver. He played for the Bears in 1962 and 1965, when he led the Bears in games played (136), at-bats (518), hits (176), runs (95) and batting average (.340), a mark that also led the Pacific Coast League.
“When I was in Triple-A, I remember facing pitchers such as Ferguson Jenkins, who at the time couldn’t make it in the big leagues,” Uhlaender said. “I didn’t see anybody in the big leagues throwing fastballs at 85, 86 miles an hour. When I was 38 years old and moved to scouting, I still could run better than most players.”
But Uhlaender’s life isn’t just baseball anymore. His daughter, Katie Uhlaender, is an Olympic skeleton racer, and her competition sites have expanded Uhlaender’s horizons.
“I had never been to Europe before, but I went to Torino (in 2006) to watch her compete in the Winter Olympics,” Uhlaender said. “It was unbelievable for me. I’ve been to St. Moritz as well, and I’m planning to go to Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics.”
But in his heart, Uhlaender is an old-guard baseball guy, and always will be.
After his playing days, Uhlaender joined the San Francisco Giants’ organization and has been involved in various scouting capacities. It was during spring training this year that he learned he had cancer.
“I was working the first part of the season, but I couldn’t stay out of the hospital,” Uhlaender said. “I’ve been doing this for 50 years and plan to continue.”
Uhlaender bio
Born: Oct. 21, 1940, in Chicago Heights, Ill.
High school: McAllen, Texas
College: Baylor
Family: Wife Karen; sons Will, Scott and Hank; daughters Katie and Sheryl
Hobby: Working farmland in Kansas.
Ambition: Keeping his baseball scouting reports current.
