Baseball: An Illustrated History

This set isn't cheap, but it's one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. Burns' storytelling is always fascinating, focusing on the evolution of not only the game of baseball, but in an indirect way, American history as well. It is particularly meaningful that he interviewed some baseball greats (Williams, Mantle, Buck O'Neil) before they passed on. My only complaint is that the series stops at 1994. (I would love to see a coda/epilogue made covering the achievements and scandals of the last 13 years.) If you are a baseball fan, this is defintely worth having. Some nice special features too.

I remember watching this on television when it first aired in 1994. I've since purchased the collection on VHS and have watched it once almost every year since. Ken Burns weaves a wonderful tapestry of nostalgia, emotion, photographs, newsreels and personal reflections into the history of 20th-Century America through the lens of baseball. The American Pastime mirrors the social changes of our country - good and bad - and Burns demonstrates this throughout. Burns probably needs to be forgiven for his 'obsession' with Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson. While both figures are dominant in the broadcasts, the stories are indeed moving and I remember shedding several tears during the original telecast during these sequences. The New York and Boston teams are emphasized - which is fine; it would be impossible to encapsulate all of the rich history of baseball on just nine tapes or discs. Although a strong Cardinals fan, I didn't feel 'slighted.' Ken Burns is from the East Coast, anyway, so it's entirely understandable that his historical emphasis would reflect this. To me, the highlights are the rare newsreel footage of both Ruth and Robinson, the priceless reflections from Buck O'Neil, the perspectives from Dan Okrent, the 'Black Sox' Scandal, and the simultaneous interweaving of the Negro Leagues with the Major Leagues. Burns has a tendency to make political points (at the expense of improving the production) in subtle and overt ways. The only color footage shown in the production prior to the 1960's is that of the Negro Leagues and Ladies' Professional Leagues. I can't believe that that wasn't deliberate - I'm sure that Burns had access to historic color footage of the Major Leagues, but chose not to incorporate it. Overall, however, this set is a wonderful collection for the baseball fan of all ages - very intelligent and very moving.

A tour de force of a book to accompany the PBS video series. This book is one of the best to examine the history of baseball and its impact on America and the American people. Highlights include the coverage of Jackie Robinson and the Negro Legues, particularly the interviews with Buck O'Neil (who should be in Baseball's Hall of Fame). The only disappointment was that it was a bit short on information about Mickey Mantle. Still, this is a major work that belongs on the coffee table of baseball lovers everywhere.

Throughout my life, I've always had a fondness for baseball. Being first a Yankee, then Mets fan, I learned the highs and lows of supporting your team. With heartbreaking disappointment in 1981 and 1988, I walked away from the game. In 1998, I fell in love again with the New York Mets, crossed my fingers watching the HomeRun Derby, even giving credit to the Yankees' (my mortal enemies) amazing season. After watching the Baseball series, I remembered why I love this game. Not only did I learn the game's origins and history, but I began to understand WHY this game is so interwoven into culture. Baseball cannot exist without America, America cannot exist without baseball. Time and time again this series shows us how the game renews itself, bringing pride, energy and unifying us as a nation. The 1994 strike has whittled away with last year's triumphs and tragedies. The game has once again returned to the American people.This is a must for baseball fans and students of the game alike. This is an investment. I only hope Ken Burns will add to the series in the future.