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 - THE Essential History of America's GameBASEBALL is one of Ken Burns' finest works of all-time. It is a wonderful re-telling of the history of our country's National Pastime from the time of the American Revolution right up to 1994. It is true that Mr. Burns did show a slightly New York bias in his coverage, which, to me, is not suprising (this, despite the fact that Ken Burns is an avid Red Sox fan). I think what he was trying to do is distribute the coverage according to which city/team had the most impact on the history and development of The Game. The way I see it, baseball's beginings centered around New York, So, naturally, New York is going to get the most coverage. Outside of New York, the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals got really good coverage. But what really set this doccumentary apart from other doccumentaries about baseball was his treatment of the African Americans' journey towards acceptance in Organized White Baseball. Burns didn't gloss over anything or try to sugar coat it. He told the WHOLE story - not just Jackie Robinson, but the trials and tribulations leading up to Jackie Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947! As a matter of fact, it was an African American, writer, Gerald Early, who offered one of the best oppinions on baseball's place in our nation's history - "A thousand years from now when people study this civilization, we will probably be remembered for three things - the Constitution, Jazz Music, and Baseball." Burns didn't sugar coat ANYTHING in his doccumentary. He showed that there was more to Babe Ruth than the guy who was really generous with the kids. Not just Ruth, but Cobb and others as well, Burns showed that they had a human side as well as the one that was presented to the public. I was also impressed with the way that, at the begining of each inning, he put the events going on in baseball in perspective with other events going on in the world at the time. Rating:  - NY BASEBALL,CIVIL RIGHTS AND INNANE COMMENTSWhen I was 7 years old I asked my dad if I could go watch the local little league. Not only did he say YES but he gave me 20 cents to "buy a coke". I fell in love with baseball right their. I finally took my spikes off at the age of 42, having spent ten years playing Mens Senior Baseball. Needless to say I was EXCITED to see Ken Burns BASEBALL when it arrived. Unfortunately my excitement diminished with each succeeding episode. Make no mistake about it the baseball content of this film is great but it is surrounded by a level of Civil Rights preachiness that is out of place.Baseball,like all sport,is a product of it's time/culture and to be shouting about not having black players in the Major Leagues in the 1920's,30's and 40's is absurd. There was considerable racial tension throughout this country during those years. To expect baseball to somehow be different is unimaginable. Actually, baseball was ahead of it's time on this isssue. When Branch Rickey put Jackie Robinson on the Dodgers in 1947 Hubert Humphreys great speech on racism had not yet been delivered,Lyndon Johnsons Civil Rights Bill was nearly 20 years away and Martin Luther King was a college student.After baseball was integrated Burns ACTUALLY seems to blame it for the disintegration of the Negro Leagues. UNBELIEVABLE. Another MAJOR flaw in this film is it's NEW YORK centrism.If someone watched this film who was unfamiliar with baseball they would think it was a parochial game basically only played in New York. Stan "the Man" Musial wasn't even mentioned until 1963,the year he retired. More time was spent on Fred Merkels boner than was spent on Hack Wilson,Dick Sisler,Mel Ott and CY YOUNG. Of course Merkel did play in New York, so at least he's got that going for himself. The final,and possibly worst, flaw in this film is the inclusion of lengthy interviews dispersed throughout by such "baseball experts" as Doris Kearns Goodwin,Stephen Jay Gould and Donald Hall just to name a few.What do these people bring to the game? Who cares if Doris was a Dodger fan and Gould was a Yankee fan. Not all of the interviews were out of place Buck O'Neil was spectacular as was Red Barber but who wants to listen to 23 hours of interspersed innaneties by Goodwin and Gould. In summary, I am glad I watched the film but it's flaws were grating by the 23rd hour.I would rename this film BASEBALL IN NEW YORK,CIVIL RIGHTS IN AMERICAN AND INNANE COMMENTARY. Rating: - A Home Run For BurnsKen Burns makes films very well, which is no secret. I think I caught them all at one time or another on television. When I heard he was making one for baseball I was very excited and could not wait to see it. And I was not dissapointed when I did see it, wonderful work about baseball from its earliest roots. Even my non-baseball fan friends enjoyed it. If you are a baseball fan, it is a must to see. Though the set is a bit expensive, it is also worth owning if you are a baseball fan or a Burns fan. Rating: - history of baseballthis will take you a long time to watch but very interesting, not sure if its a buy, but good to watch Rating:  - Extremely Well DoneIt is no surprise that "Baseball" is so well put together. Ken Burns has repeatedly shown he is a talented documentarian, and the same quality evident in "Jazz" and "The War" can be seen here. Unfortunately, the series is more than a decade old now, and some of the topics covered are out of date. The narrator will often intone something about Boston never again winning a World Series, Or Maris' homerun record looking unbreakable, or Gehrig's consecutive games streak being unrivaled, and though this discrepancy is understandable, it sometimes makes the film seem silly. The series is also pretty centered on New York, and more than two-thirds of it deals with baseball prior to 1950 so it may not be for everyone. Pros: Excellent production value Well organized and entertaining Features some of the best baseball interviews you will find anywhere Cons: Sometimes seems out of date Packaging is not particularly attractive (particularly the PBS gold around the top) Deals primarily with pre 1950's baseball, which means a lot about new york and Boston and Chicago and little about the rest of the country.
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