51黑料

In baseball heaven, his voice seemingly comes from the heavens.

It鈥檚 unmistakable. Almost mythical. Eternally reliable.

He is the narrator of Busch Stadium, ceremoniously announcing each batter, each pitcher, each position change and, of course, each advertisement between innings. And John Ulett starts each day at the ballpark by announcing in his famous tone and familiar cadence: 鈥淲elcome to baseball heaven.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 just happy to have a small role in something that means so much to so many people in our city,鈥� said the 68-year-old Ulett, a longtime DJ from KSHE who鈥檚 been the Cardinals鈥� public address announcer for 40 seasons so far. 鈥淛ust to be connected with it is important for me. ... I just enjoy being in the environment. It鈥檚 the same way with KSHE, just being a part of these St Louis institutions, you know, has been just so rewarding for me, I get choked up.鈥�

At that moment, during our chat at a 51黑料 Bread Co., Ulett got choked up.

The great voice couldn鈥檛 speak.

Now, for many 51黑料ans, the Cardinals game isn鈥檛 just about the Cardinals. It鈥檚 about the environment, the experience, the escape. It鈥檚 about the welcoming familiarity, be it the feel of the plastic seat or the smell of a hot dog on the grill or the taste of a Busch at Busch. It鈥檚 the usual fixtures such as the Stan Musial statue and the 11 flags above the scoreboard and, of course, Fredbird. Maybe it鈥檚 the omnipresent red or the oxymoron that is the beautiful, clean brown dirt or the different shades of green on the field and the outfield wall and seats behind home plate and the grass patch batter鈥檚 eye where David Freese deposited his homer.

And then there are the stadium staples, from 鈥淭hat One Guy鈥� Todd Thomas on the big screen or Dwayne Hilton on the organ or Ulett on the public address system, announcing your favorite player鈥檚 name.

鈥淏aseball in St Louis,鈥� Ulett said, 鈥淚 mean, baseball is big in other cities too, but it鈥檚 not like the preeminent No. 1 entertainment feature that we have in this town every year. ... In a town that has somewhat of an inferiority complex, St Louis Cardinal baseball gives us a lift like nothing else does in the city. I think that鈥檚 why people take it so seriously. It means so much to us because we know it鈥檚 our 迟丑颈苍驳.鈥�

But to get to baseball heaven, Ulett first had to get through hell.

Tough beginnings

He was born in 1957. Raised right near what鈥檚 now called Lafayette Square.

鈥淚t was just a rundown, dilapidated neighborhood,鈥� Ulett said. 鈥淭he housing projects were right nearby. So there was tension, there was racial tension, there was motorcycle gang tension. I just remember growing up and just kind of living in a state of fear.鈥�

Once, an intruder robbed his grandparents 鈥� injuring both of them.

When Ulett was 12, he was robbed at knifepoint.

And when Ulett was 16, he witnessed a murder.

鈥淚 saw these three kids backing out of the auto parts store, shooting into the doorway at the owner who was coming out,鈥� said Ulett, who was in his car at the time. 鈥淭hey take off running in a direction, but I could not see their faces. He collapses into the threshold of the door. His body is holding the door open. So I got out and went up to him. He had been shot in the face. He鈥檚 dying right there.鈥�

Soon, a teenage Ulett worked on his own escape from this neighborhood.

He followed his voice.

He yearned to be on radio. Really, he yearned to be Jack Buck, the beloved radio broadcaster of the Cards on KMOX.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e on the radio, it鈥檚 like you were somebody,鈥� Ulett said. 鈥淎nd, you know, as a kid who grew up with a little bit of an inferiority complex, I鈥檓 sure that that was something that enticed me, you know? I was just drawn to it.鈥�

As a high school junior, he also attended a local broadcast center that taught the art of the craft. After a stint on a local station that played 鈥渆levator music鈥� and another at a station in Jefferson City, Ulett got the call from KSHE 鈥� at just 19.

And 鈥淭he U-Man鈥� was born.

In the 1970s, 鈥�80s and 鈥�90s, KSHE was a tone-setter for the city, the anti-establishment home to real rock radio and its envelope-pushing DJs. Ulett was omnipresent. A celebrity. He hosted a famed morning show with J.C. Corcoran. He was at concerts and bars and even on location, be it live from the Bahamas or, no joke, Moscow in 1990.

And back in the early 鈥�80s, the radio job got him a press pass to Cardinals games. He met the right people 鈥� and at the right time. And for the 1983 season, he took over as the public address man at old Busch.

He wasn鈥檛 Jack Buck, but he was working in the same building as Jack Buck.

鈥淚 now host the opening day ceremonies, which Jack Buck used to do, which never gets lost on me,鈥� Ulett said. 鈥淗e was my idol. Just being around him made me nervous. And the fact that he was hearing me at the stadium made me nervous. ... Pregame, he would interview people who did different jobs at the stadium. In 鈥�83, a producer said: 鈥楯ack Buck would like to interview you.鈥� ... I鈥檓 telling you, I was nervous the entire few days. ... I have those on tape. My dad recorded them.鈥�

Ulett was the PA announcer for the pennant-winning clubs from 1985 and 1987. He was ubiquitous at Busch 鈥� until he wasn鈥檛 there at all.

2 seasons away

In the winter after the 1990 season, the United States was at war in the Middle East.

In what was meant to be satirical or, if anything, playful, Ulett created a bit for KSHE. Between songs, he played what鈥檚 called a 鈥渄rop鈥� 鈥� or a combination of some sounds and voices.

鈥淥ne of them was an old announcer: 鈥榃arning! Warning! The United States is under a nuclear attack ...鈥欌�� Ulett said. 鈥淎nd there was a fake explosion. ... We were just doing a morning show, they always wanted us to push the envelope. That鈥檚 what gets ratings. Controversial. ... When I got home that evening and I saw that I was the lead story on the news, oh my goodness, I knew I was in big trouble.鈥�

He didn鈥檛 lose his job at KSHE, but he did at Busch Stadium.

For 1991 and 1992.

鈥淚t was crushing,鈥� Ulett said.

After the 1992 season, Ulett attended a party at the Chase Park Plaza. He drank with an Anheuser-Busch executive, who offered Ulett the PA job.

鈥淚 went home excited,鈥� Ulett said, 鈥渂ut yeah, I鈥檓 kind of leery because we were drunk. ... So that鈥檚 how I got the job back. So 鈥�93 to now for sure, uninterrupted.鈥�

Ulett was there for the 1996 Redbird renaissance. And the arrival of Mark McGwire (he helped choose 鈥淲elcome to the Jungle鈥� as McGwire鈥檚 walk-up music). And for Jim Edmonds and Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina. And of course, the great Albert Pujols. It felt like an honor to announce all of Albert鈥檚 at-bats, though there was a bit of a challenge.

鈥淔irst of all, the P is so hard it could be explosive into the microphone,鈥� Ulett said, 鈥渟o you do a quick head turn for the P. When he came back to Busch Stadium (after re-signing with the team in 2022), I was so excited. He was coming up for the first time and I kind of knew that my announcement might be picked up (for highlights). I wanted to give some extra 鈥� and I forgot to turn away. 鈥楶PPPPPujols!鈥� Sure enough, it got on MLB Network and they got on the internet. I was so disappointed in myself.鈥�

Over the years, the hardest names weren鈥檛 actually the likes of Jared Saltalamacchia but those with common last names 鈥� because he鈥檇 sometimes forget which Smith or Martinez had which first name. That said, the first name of Avisail Garcia always got him. And for some reason, current Card Brendan Donovan makes him think of old pitcher Donovan Osborne 鈥� he called Brendan that once during a position change.

As for Thursday, 鈥淥n opening day, I get nervous,鈥� Ulett said. 鈥淚 put pressure on myself. I don鈥檛 want to, I don鈥檛 want to make a mistake.鈥�

And he doesn鈥檛 have any plans to retire from his Busch Stadium job.

鈥淲inning the championship is so special 鈥� that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 hanging in there again,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping for another one. Never give up hope.鈥�