Baseball (1994–2010) User Reviews

A Brilliant, if Unbalanced History

[LydiaOLydia · 9/10 · 30 April 2007]

Ken Burns' Baseball is a beautifully crafted telling of the history of baseball, perfectly weaving the story of the game into the story of America through archival footage, interviews, and the like. Its 9 episodes are, on aggregate, rather long, but after a while you just don't notice. It's a wonderful viewing experience and well worth watching by all - sports fans or not.

Unfortunately, there is one major flaw: the obsession with Boston and (especially) New York. While in some sense this is forgivable - highlighting these cities added some structure and continuity to the narrative, in others, it was blatant favoritism. For example, episode 7 is called "The Capital of Baseball", which can be seen as referring to many things metaphorically, but most directly, to New York City. To put things in perspective, the New York Yankees won the World Series in 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, and 1962. When, in 1960, Bill Mazeroski hit a dramatic home run in the 9th inning of game 7 to win the World Series for the long-suffering Pittsburgh Pirates, the focus was not on the joy of Pittsburgh (or the rest of the country) in seeing the mighty Yankees / New York Teams finally tamed. No, the focus was on the shock and sadness felt by Yankees fans and players. We get to hear comedian Billy Crystal tell us how crushed he felt, despite the previous Yankee championships and even though we see from other segments with him that he seemed to change his allegiances from Yankees to (Brooklyn) Dodgers to Mets as the winds blew. Sorry if I have a hard time sympathizing.

It also stands to note that while doubtlessly others will nitpick here and there about things that have been left out of Burns' telling, none stands out more than the omission of the 1980 National League Championship Series between the Phillies and Astros, which unquestionably ranks as the best playoff series ever played between two teams in the history of baseball. But, no, that's left out and instead you get another 10 minute story about New York instead.

Still, don't let my comments distract from the overall greatness of this series. Highly, highly recommended.

A 'Must" For Real Baseball Fans

[ccthemovieman-1 · 10/10 · 21 April 2006]

This is, appropriately, a nine-part series on the history of baseball up to the 1990s, shown on PBS and done by Ken Burns. Since it's the latter, you know it's going to be Liberal-bias PC but you put up that. Overall, it is well-done and a must for any baseball fan and historian. There are many interesting profiles of players and facts of each era. Every "inning," about an hour-and-a-half covering the sport decade-by-decade, has fascinating material.

Inning 1 (Our Game) - 1840s-1900. This segment reveals some facts probably 98 percent of all fans don't know, such as Abner Doubleday did NOT invent the game baseball, that it slowly evolved from a combination of rounders and cricket.

Inning 2 (Something Like A War) - 1900-1910. This might have been the most interesting tape (or disc) featuring incredible stories of riots on the field, in the stands, a stadium and 13 adjacent building all catching fire, one wild story after another. It's the era of the most hated player in the history of the game: Ty Cobb.

Inning 3 (The Faith Of 50 Million People) - 1910-1920. Almost as good as the previous decade. this was a time when America went absolutely batty over baseball. The players were the toughest they have ever been, playing for horrible wages where the game was "life and death" for many. The last half hour centers on the famous Black Sox Scandal.

Inning 4 (A National Heirloom) 1920-1930. This tape centers primarily on Babe Ruth, but who's complaining? Ruth was arguably the greatest player the game has ever known because he could pitch and well as he could hit and was an extremely colorful personality.

Inning 5 (Shadow Ball) 1930-1940. This segment revolves around the beginnings of the Negro Leagues as perhaps the game's greatest pitcher ever: Leory "Satchel" Paige.

Inning 6 (The National Pastime) 1940-1950. Baseball was now open to all people as Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier. Being Liberal-bias, Burns went overboard on this - and similar topics throughout the series - but Robinson's entry, nonetheless, was the biggest change in the history of the sport and he was an incredible man.

Innning 7 (The Capital Of Baseball) - 1950-1960. This tape is definitely for New York City area fans, but the rest of us can enjoy a lot of this, too. The Yankees, Dodgers and Giants all dominated in this decade.

Inning 8 (A Whole New Ballgame) - 1960-1970. Being a decade of social upheaval, riots, assassinations, etc., this centers on the effect on baseball and with the big change in owner-player relations with the players hiring Marvin Miller, a labor lawyer, to represent them.

Inning 9 (Home) - 1970-time of film release. This is potpourri of items from Earl Weaver and the Orioles to Willie Stargell and the Pirates and The Big Red Machine, the Red Sox horrible defeat in the 1986 World Series, among other things.

It would be interesting to see this updated and revised to include the strike in the mid '90s, the home run record-breakers and subsequent steroids scandal and, yes, the Red Sox finally winning it all.

Glorious account of our national pastime

[natw · 9/10 · 11 September 2008]

Ken Burns gained fame with this major work and deservedly so. Admittedly, I am an unabashed lifelong fan of the sport, but I believe anyone with any type of interest in American history would do well to invest several hours on this wonderful documentary. His groundbreaking style is evident here, such as the innovative use of panning over still photographs and the mix of people who lived some of events, along with modern historians who have spent their lives studying them. I believe that to understand America is to understand baseball, and Ken Burns certainly follows that philosophy. Of course, with any human endeavor, there is room for improvement and points of criticism. My minor criticism may include the inordinate focus on the Yankees, though I agree it would be difficult to produce a documentary on the sport without spending a lot of time on that team, since it has embodied such a large part of its history. It is admirable that Burns made a commitment to include a major part of baseball's history that has been overlooked by many: the influence of blacks and the Negro Leagues. However, as important and necessary is that inclusion, it does seem that at times to spends a bit too much time on it at the expense of other worthy subjects. Still, such a criticism is minor. This is a wonderful compilation worthy of every minute you spend watching it.

Failure to be complete

[CineNutty · 29 September 2011]

How can one be a historian of baseball, talk about Bob Gibson's strikeout record of the Tigers in the 1968 Series and fail to mention that the Tigers who were down 3 - 1 in the series, came back and won the Series on the road. Moreover, Burns failed to mention that Lolich won games 2, 5 & 7 and the last two games were in St. Louis. What happened? Was that information on the cutting room floor? It calls into question what else was left out. Detroit had the last win of an undivided league during 1968 which helped heal the Detroit riots and sparked a whole book: The Tigers of '68: Baseball's Last Real Champions (Honoring a Detroit Legend) by George Cantor. The fans from Detroit would say, "We was robbed" of our due.

This series was meticulous, but this obvious sin of omission calls into question the rest of the series. Moreover, GM sponsored Ken Burns' works. How could he not say anything about this issue? When I saw that episode and heard how great Gibson was but no mention of how the Tigers came back, I was dumbfounded.

It constantly brought a smile to my face.

[Pavel-8 · 10/10 · 11 June 2003]

What makes this documentary great is, well, everything. At the foundation, it is meticulously researched. Without that wealth of background information, all the style in the world wouldn't have saved the doc. From that fount of knowledge springs a geyser of historical glory.

The music is pitch perfect. Burns sticks with an Americana theme for his soundtrack. Variations on "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" provide the primary background music. They are joined by a number of classic baseball songs and tunes that defined generations. The music puts you in the era and adds to the simultaneous definitions of the game and the country.

The storytelling style was a bit jilting at first. Each inning is told in segments. A title pops up on the screen, and then that story is related. At the end of that segment, a postscript is added that may or may not have anything to do with the preceding tale. Initially that was disorienting, but once one realizes how the doc is going to work, it's no longer bothersome.

Ken Burns' defining technique is his use of still pictures, panning and zooming over and around them in a fashion that nearly brings them to life. Accompanied by various ballpark sound effects, that style is perfect for the game of baseball. The deliberate pace of the documentary matches the deliberate pace of the game. But most remarkable about "Baseball" is the archival footage. Antique film of early century heroes like Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth literally caused my jaw to drop at times. I had no idea such video existed, and seeing all the classic footage for the first time is like being introduced to a whole new ballgame and cast of characters. Oddly enough, the entire film works better before colorized film and photos are introduced. Perhaps because of the romantic nature of monochromatic hues. Perhaps because they seem new and fresh when compared to the colors we are bombarded with today. Whatever the reason, the first two-thirds of "Baseball" stand out, due in part to the simple yet elegant pictures.

Aside from the archival footage, the highlights of the documentary were not the historical accounts themselves, but rather the commentary by various people who expound upon the intricacies of baseball. Bob Costas reminds us that baseball is a beautiful game. Robert Creamer explains the social aspect of baseball. Billy Crystal tells of his wide-eyed attitude as a youngster. Moments like these will bring a smile to your face, as you nod your head enthusiastically in agreement.

Through the 1950s, Burns covers everything I could think of, along with many great tangents. A major theme to that point is race, as Burns consistently makes a point to explain how baseball is not just a game but also a social barometer. Side stories such as the history of the ballpark frank and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" provide the documentary with a well-roundedness that appeals to people besides the hard-core baseball fan.

My only complaint about this piece of work is a common one. A little too much Northeast bias once the series hit the 1960s. Up to that point, I didn't notice much, probably because baseball did more or less revolve around New York and Boston until expansion. But since the 1960s, the game has truly become national, even international, and I feel that the documentary didn't quite reflect that. Admittedly, the expansion of the game made it more difficult to cover all that has happened in the last quarter century. Also, part of the reason I felt shortchanged was undoubtedly because I am familiar with a larger number of recent events and knew more about what was absent. I realize that with the final 25 years crammed into one two hour episode, many great events had to be truncated or eliminated, but I was still left mildly disappointed.

Like the players that participated in the game it describes, this mini-series is not perfect. However, to maintain the baseball analogy, Ken Burns' documentary is both Hank Aaron and Roger Maris...er, Barry Bonds. It has phenomenal singular moments and also has the longevity to attain Hall of Fame status.

Bottom Line: The scope of "Baseball" combines with the dead-on moments to present a near perfect history and explanation of why baseball is the greatest game ever. 10 of 10.

Documentary that Parallels a History of America, But Not All Teams Could Be Covered

[classicalsteve · 10/10 · 6 April 2008]

The issue with this kind of a documentary is fans will inevitably criticize it for what it leaves out. If you are a Minnesota, Houston, Seattle or Angels fan, you might feel shortchanged if not entirely ignored. If you are a Yankee or a Boston fan, you probably feel the piece is just about perfect. Burns had to make the inevitable and painful decisions about what to keep and develop and who and what to cut, just like the manager of a baseball team must do at the beginning of every season. There are always players with potential that are regretfully cut from the roster. Burns only had a finite amount of time to tell his story, and he focused on those incidents that captured the spirit of the larger American experience.

Burns decided to create a narrative that is obviously more of an anecdotal history of baseball than a comprehensive history of the entire sport. The amazing aspect of the film is how much he was able to expound upon in 9 parts, which may seem like a lot until you realize the film is trying to cover a 150-year history that encompasses thousands of players and millions of fans. And just about every story is worth the time allotted to it. From the discredited legend of Colonel Abner Doubleday supposedly inventing baseball to the Owner's Collusion and Price-Fixing Scandal of the 1980's, "Baseball" presents a lengthy narrative that covers the major events and people who populated the sport at the nation-wide level of the American public consciousness, each of which could be a documentary by itself. The derivation of baseball from Rounders and Cricket, the first baseball scandal of the late 19th century, the many company teams of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the African-American Black leagues, the first African-American players who were driven from the white leagues, the first successful female player, the press' role in covering games, the "curse" of the Boston Red Sox (with an amazing story by Bob Costas) and the mediocre Chicago Cubs who at one point were garnering more attendance than the Yankees paint an historical portrait with all the colors and subtleties that tell us so much about what is good and not so good in America.

Burns I think chose those incidents that either reflected the historical context of their times or captured the spirit of America's strangest yet most-loved pastime. Of course the price was the absence of lesser-known teams and personalities. However, if he had left out the likes of Casey Stengel, Yogi Berra, or Joe Dimagio, baseball historians and fanatics would have cried foul that you can't have a baseball documentary without these people. And other incidents, such as the Black Sox scandal of 1919 demonstrated that baseball players were still little better off than working class Americans. My personal favorite episodes chronicled the early years of professional baseball with the likes of Christie Mathewson, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner, and Ty Cobb. Cobb was probably the most controversial of all American sports figures, and some sports writers view him as an embarrassment to baseball despite his lifetime batting average which still stands. (Later in his life, Cobb was kicked out of a San Francisco men's club for cheating at poker.) Love him or vilify him, Cobb was a personification of what was (and is) best and worst in America. And I must mention the little piece about Rube Waddall who was possibly the strangest character to infiltrate major league pitching. His story is worth the price of admission as he makes Billy Martin appear like a very stable and confident person.

One of the historical facts that is explored is the race discrimination that was enforced by all the white-run major league baseball teams until the 1940's. In response, African-Americans created the so-called Black Leagues which ended up making almost as much revenue as their white counterparts. Some have criticized that the documentary spent too much time on this issue, but I strongly disagree. This is a very important issue as it showed how professional baseball was, at first, as racially segregated as other American institutions, but then became a beacon for racial integration. The willingness of Jackie Robinson, who realized he was in the for the fight of his life, and the foresightedness of Branch Rickey, then owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, put Baseball on the forefront of racial integration. I think if there was ever a documentary that could instill in children, both black and white, the injustice of racism and prejudice, "Baseball" would probably impress them beyond other kinds of documentary material since it deals with baseball, a sport many of them are probably playing. Ironically, Major League Baseball ended up making tons of money when Jackie Robinson signed up with the Dodgers, as many African-American fans came to see his games when Brooklyn was on the road. Racial segregation was not only wrong, it was unprofitable!

An all-inclusive history of baseball would have been 90 hours long instead of 20, and therefore impossible. Thoroughly documenting every team's history would have taken over Burns' entire film-making career. Being an SF Giants fan myself, I was a bit disappointed that very little was spoken about my team after its move from New York, except an off-hand remark about Willie McCovey's shot that went right at the Yankee's short-stop in the 9th inning of the 7th game that ended the 1964 World Series. Some Yankee and Giants fans attending the game said it was the hardest hit ball they had ever seen. (I was not alive at the time but I have heard it oft-repeated from older Giants fans.) Simultaneously, I prefer subjects explored with depth than just glossing over names and dates. This is just about as good as American documentaries get. Maybe Major League Baseball teams should document their histories with Burns-like style.

Wonderful!

[cubiegirl · 10/10 · 8 January 2001]

Being a life-long baseball fanatic (Personally a Cubs fan) and a baseball history buff, this is simply a WONDERFUL documentary. Ken Burns did an excellent job on covering every single era in baseball, from the beginnings to modern-day. My favourite era of baseball was the 1940s to the 1960s and I thoroughly enjoyed that part. I recently found the complete set at a local video/music store and bought it. I pop one in every week to get me through the long winter. Every baseball fan should see this! You will not be disappointed!

A 10 out of 10!

Superb Documentary with a Heavy Boston Bias

[snazel · 8/10 · 19 April 2007]

Watching this documentary is a must for any serious baseball fan. It documents with great alacrity some of the best anecdotes and characters in baseball since its "invention" in the 19th century.

The series has one serious weakness: it is heavily focused on the Boston Red Sox in several chapters.

While the history of the Red Sox is intriguing and worthy, it's given a little too much attention in this documentary. Other teams, with other great moments are sometimes given only the briefest of mentions.

I think you have to forgive Ken Burns for getting wrapped up in New England's fascination with the Red Sox. Despite having a wealth of interesting stories and characters to choose from, in certain chapters he clearly chose to just have extremely eloquent people just wax all poetically about the opera of his favorite baseball team. He's clearly a fan just like you and I, so how can you not understand his fascination with his favorite team? There are other notable oversights. There is little to no discussion on the advent and development of relief pitching or in fact any discussion on the modern development of the game's strategy. The importance and strength of the Pacific leagues, before the Giants and Dodgers move out west, is also largely ignored. In fact if you are a fan of baseball's history west of the Mississippi you might get frustrated at how much of the focus is centered on the teams from the Northeast.

Another beef of mine is there is only a casual nod to development of baseball in other countries. This is forgivable, since one of key themes of the entire series is how well baseball mirrors and reflects the social and political events within America through each decade. Still, in my mind, Latino players, and Latino culture in baseball was not given its full due, this is probably the series' gravest oversight.

Whatever weaknesses there are, it is forgivable because the documentary is so lovingly put together and so beautifully crafted. The various commentators throughout the segments are selected well for they are both knowledgeable and eloquent. They shine the most when they reveal their own personal connections to baseball and each of them has a personal story to tell as to why the game is meaningful to them.

Along the way, you will see photos and film of some of the great legends of the game, that you probably never saw before. You'll get insight into collusion, the trials baseball endure, and the player's long quest to banish the reserve clause. You'll also see just how greedy, myopic and tragic some of baseball's owners and commissioners have been over the years.

If you love baseball, buy or rent this series. It's a real treat, and a series that you may find yourself revisiting from time to time in the cold winter, when you yearn for the green fields and blue sky of your favorite baseball park.

Bravo

[jalbert3 · 10/10 · 2 February 2003]

Fantastic. Captures the spirit and rich tradition of our historical national pastime. A must see for every fan of the game. I feel that this is Ken Burn's finest work- even better then his documentary on the Civil War.

Superb documentary series

[grantss · 10/10 · 27 February 2020]

The history of baseball, covering the disputed origins of the game, its evolution, historic moments, the key players of each era, regulation changes, the commercial side and societal and community impact as well as controversies and other setbacks.

Superb documentary series, written and directed by master documentarian Ken Burns. In 1990 Burns wrote, directed and produced the greatest documentary series ever made, The Civil War, and he applies the formula that worked so successfully there to a series on baseball.

On paper, that shouldn't work. The Civil War was brilliant because of how the story flowed so effortlessly, how accurate and detailed the research was, how every event seemed to have a profound meaning, for the poetic, momentous way the events were described and for the gravitas and pin-point timing of David McCullough's narration. All those things work perfectly for a documentary on a nation-defining, history-changing, ideal-laden war but on something as non-serious as sport? In addition, The Civil War was about 10 hours long. Baseball is 22 hours long. Surely it's just going to be a dull, dry slog?

Well, it works, and it works wonderfully well. Burns turns the history of baseball into something as momentous as the American Civil War. Every key moment and character in its history is discussed with reverence and with a sense of a massive historic event. The research is excellent of course and John Chancellor brings the same level of gravitas and timing that David McCullough brought (with a very similar voice too - I thought it was David McCullough narrating until I read the credits).

Adding to the engagement levels are the interviews. There's who you would expect - baseball historians, former players/managers/administrators and sports writers. But many are not in the baseball profession, but are people from various walks of discussing what baseball means to them. Among the non-experts are actor-comedian Billy Crystal, political commentator Doris Kearns Goodwin and New York Governor Mario Cuomo (who played in the Minor Leagues before getting into politics). All these add a wonderful flavour to proceedings, showing what it was like growing up with baseball, the highs and lows of supporting your team and how baseball is an integral part of US society.

Rather than being narrow-focussed, Burns weaves several sub-strands into the series. Most prominent is the segregation that existed in baseball (and the US) between black and white, the effects this had, how it was overcome and the current residual effects. Black players who should have been as big a name as Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb but aren't due to the racist policies of the time, e.g. Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, are discussed at great length. Jackie Robinson (and the man who gave him his big break, Branch Rickey) is discussed in even more detail. All this gives Burns a much wider canvas on which to work, adding more facets to the baseball story and shows how baseball reflected society and ultimately helped change society for the better.

Another sub-strand is the continuity of baseball and how it binds generations together. Interviewees talk about how they went to games with their parents or took their kids to games.

In short: nothing less than brilliant. All this coming from someone from South Africa (and now Australia) who has never played baseball, never attended a live baseball game and only really gets into baseball in the post-season (and then only if a team I like is playing). Makes me wish I had played baseball as a kid...

Took me to the ball game

[Lejink · 8/10 · 26 August 2012]

Being Scottish and knowing next to nothing about "America's National Pastime", but with an abiding interest in sports history, I welcomed the chance to watch this exhaustive series on the history of baseball.

I immediately recognised the style used by producer Ken Burns in his earlier, acclaimed history of the US Civil War, relating the events in sequential order, using actors to voice- over quotations by unavailable deceased participants, inserting mini-chapters to break up the narrative and piqué interest, playing background music of the times in which they occurred but most of all involving the excellent speaking voice of John Chancellor as narrator to add gravitas to proceedings.

I must admit to some reservations about just how seriously some of the "talking heads" take the game, every episode opening with some invariably pretentious metaphor by some historian, writer, poet, even a politician (New York Mayor Mario Cuomo) and a popular comedian (Billy Crystal), relaying some important-to-them life-changing childhood memory of the game and making various claims on the game being some metaphor for life, American society or something more important (!).

Hey fellas it's only a game although I do admit that within its history there were some fascinating events, especially to an outsider like me, interweaving social history into the story, particularly the colour bar, the "reserve clause" employed by club owners restricting the employment rights of players and nearer the end of the series, the issue of drug-taking amongst players.

Obviously the early episodes, with the lack of film footage rely more on stills photography and voice-overs but these are seamlessly stitched into the whole although it was great to witness some of the biggest events in the sport's history on film, like "The Hit That Shook The World", Hank Aaron's record Home Run hit, Willie Mays' great catch in the World Series, "the greatest game" in the 1975 World Series, likewise the back-stories of great players (not always great men) like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson, the latter unquestionably a great man.

There is a sense of the producer speeding through the latter years perhaps because the passage of time hasn't added the necessary lustre to such recent events and of course I'll never know just how selective and unbiased, however unintentional the selection of items was for inclusion.

Nevertheless, I found myself completely immersed in this excellently put together documentary series and only wish that a similarly skillful and authoritative history could be applied to other sports, like golf, tennis etc, perhaps with just a little less moralising along the way.

Baseball tradition only in 2 cities

[antreel · 7/10 · 7 February 2002]

This series should have been titled "Baseball in Boston and New York" because that seems to be the only cities w/ any kind of tradition or such. Other that forgetting the other 28 cities that have major league baseball this was a good series.

Should have called it...The New York Yankees

[wlinkc · 4/10 · 26 May 2020]

9 episodes and 7 of them nothing but Yankees from start to finish, even in years they lost the World Series. Mentions of Boston, Cards, Indians and Dodgers are few and far between. To much East coast bias to be called "Baseball" as if it's all encompassing of the national past time.

Baseball

[Coxer99 · 8 May 1999]

Brilliant documentary on the astounding history of America's pastime with the superb direction of Ken Burns and the vast number of talents from around the world who lend their views on the classic game. Amazing footage never seen before.

An absolute treat for any true baseball fan, young or old.

[aldavies-1 · 10/10 · 1 July 2005]

Watching this series over a number of nights was simply like having one of the finest desserts after dinner, without the calories. You inhale the ambiance created by Ken Burns and you are transported to a time when life seemed so much more pure and simple.

To actually see film footage of players and staid which you had previously only heard or read about was akin to time-travel and a treat for the mind. After watching it originally on PBS, I later bought the box-set series so that when I needed that escape, it would be there for me, and I have watched it twice more since.

Definitely recommended viewing material.

You don't need to be a sports fan to love it!

[Gavno · 10/10 · 12 February 2005]

I read comments here written by self confessed baseball fans; as far as I'm concerned, it's only natural that they'd love this long, information packed documentary. However, I'm coming to it from a much different perspective.

I am NOT a baseball fan; in fact, I am well and truly BORED by ALL sports, baseball included. To me, the game of baseball is about as interesting as watching paint dry.

I make my living as a night engineer at a PBS TV station. I sincerely love Ken Burns work, and I knew well in advance that this series was coming; during the closing credits roll of his previous production, EMPIRE OF THE AIR, Morse code spells out the words "BASEBALL NEXT" (as a long time amateur radio operator, I read code). Ken LITERALLY telegraphed his next move with that one! I had my doubts about that... they were talking about a series that lasted over a week, covering a subject which held nothing I was interested in. It was going to be a boring week, I thought.

When it finally came, BASEBALL was a revelation. Even tho I knew absolutely nothing about the game, I found myself immediately riveted to and fascinated by Burns series.

I'm still not a baseball fan, but I am now a fan of BASEBALL! Burns manages to put the game into it's historical and cultural context, rather than presenting the history of the game as an isolated, stand alone phenomenon. He makes it clear just WHY baseball is "America's Pastime", and what it gave us.

I still wouldn't cross the street to watch a World Series game for free, but I now have a MUCH more than passing familiarity with the likes of Christy Matthews, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Kennesaw Mountain Landis, "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, Branch Rickey, and a multitude of other people I'd never heard of before. I now have an appreciation of the passion for the game that my father had, but was never able to pass on to me.

I had heard vaguely of the Negro League, but knew nothing about it. Thanks to Ken Burns, I now appreciate Satchel Page, and I finally understand just WHY Jackie Robinson's entry into the Major Leagues was such a big deal! Ken Burns has put together a heady brew here... for me, this long, involved series was an emotional experience.

I was so impressed with it that right after we aired it, I went out and purchased the laser disk version of it (not an insignificant expenditure!), and at least once a year ever since that first exposure I've sat through the entire series AGAIN.

Even if you, like me, HATE all sports with a passion, I'd STRONGLY recommend BASEBALL to you.

Totally entertaining and informative history of baseball.

[saint2001ron · 10/10 · 11 July 2003]

Ken Burns has brought the documentary film, or series of films to a new level. This series on baseball is excellent in every respect. Not a baseball fan anywhere would find a moment of it but of extreme interest. This is NOT a Must-See series, but a series you will want to see again and again. Thanks, Ken.

The Old Ball Game

[zkonedog · 10/10 · 11 March 2017]

Only the sport of baseball could lend itself (via its long, rich heritage) to a Ken Burns-style documentary. Of course, Burns nails it once again.

Though not as emotionally touching as his Civil War or World War II documentaries, Baseball captures the essence of America's pastime. From Walter Johnson, Babe Ruth, and Ty Cobb to Willie, Mickey, and the Duke, to Yaz, Pete Rose, Mick Schmidt, and everyone in between, Burns recounts all the rousing stories that old fans will recite from memory and younger fans will be fascinated by. Guest commentators wax poetically about the game, old veterans tell their stories, and Burn's traditional mix of period music, solo piano, and aching violin provide an emotional punch, whether positive or negative.

However, what really sets this film apart from others is Burn's willingness to "pull no punches" in terms of describing the often-flawed sport of baseball. Whether it be the rowdyism that plagued the game in its early existence, the "Black Sox" scandal of 1919, or baseball's outright racism until the late 1940s, Burns explains those issues without letting too much personal bias creep in.

Overall, this is a wonderful documentary for baseball fans who truly value the rich history of the sport. When watching, you will fell as if you actually exist in whatever decade Burns happens to be describing. This is the ultimate "biography" of our national pastime.

Just Incredible

[CptPtnia · 10/10 · 13 March 2000]

I was always curious about this series...I had heard a lot of great things about it, and as a lifelong baseball fan (ok, I'm only 29), I finally got around to checking it out. I was awed by it. Normally I don't care much for documentaries, but I was drawn in. If I didn't have a life, I would have watched the entire series from beginning to end with no breaks.

The detail, the stories, the old photographs and videos, all of it masterfully done, make this an intriguing series for any baseball fan, and even for those who don't get into baseball as much.

The greatest comment I can make about this series is this: I brought home the 1st 3 "innings" from the library, and put in the first. My wife, who is NOT a sports fan, looked up with interest at the old photographs. (She is a photography buff.) She soon put down her book and started watching. By the second tape, she was sitting next to me asking questions. After the 3rd tape, she couldn't wait for me to go check out the next batch. By the end...SHE was suggesting a vacation to Cooperstown.

I recommend these videos to anyone, sports fan or not, as you will not only learn about the history of baseball, but of America and the world as well. And maybe a little about yourself.

EXCELLENT DOCUMENTARY DESPITE THE ERRORS

[jsldpenguin · 9/10 · 10 October 2023]

When it first aired, there was supposedly something like 2 dozen factual errors that were later corrected in time for the video and later dvd release. The only things I didn't like was that it focused heavily on 3 teams far more than any other. Red Sox, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Yankees. It skips from the '67 Series to the '69 Series, then it glosses over the next few years until the 1975 series. And it took all of their info on Ty Cobb on Al Stump's now debunked biography of Cobb. David Okrent, who features heavily in this also appears much later in a documentary about Tigers' legends and he admits that much of what we knew about Cobb was either overblown or outright false thanks to the biography by Charles Leerhsen (A Terrible Beauty) that was actually researched. Apart from those the documentary is another gem in Ken Burns' belt and I watch it every year at the start of the baseball season and again around World Series time.

Loved it!!

[mdf-87936 · 9/10 · 24 October 2019]

Ken Burns' Baseball is a true American treasure and should be required viewing for all school aged children. However, listening to elitist writers with no athletic ability waxing pretentiously about a sport they probably never played is a bit of a turn off; but listening to greats such as Mantle and Buck ONeil will put a smile on your face.

Telling it like it was

[Kakueke · 7/10 · 5 December 2002]

Baseball is a well-researched, thorough documentary of the history of baseball made by Ken Burns, and anyone should find it enjoyable. Burns' overfocus on labor and blacks can be a bother at times, but that is the perspective he chose and he does well with it, and I certainly enjoyed "Shadowball." The real problem is the surfeit of commentary from people like George F. Will (besides, I do not wish to hear what he thinks about anything) and Doris Kearns Goodwin, all of 'em. What I want to hear is the baseball personalities, whom Burns did so well with, not the continual ruminations of celebrity nonexperts -- a little is enough. The worst moment is hearing them sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." The result was underemphasis of some areas of substantive baseball, like some great Philadelphia A's teams of old and various aspects and personalities of the most recent baseball at the time the documentary was made. But for the most part, thumbs up to Burns for his efforts.

Precious. Pompous. Preachy. Pedantic. Pretentious.

[jbirks106 · 2/10 · 27 August 2015]

And those are just the P words. The Civil War was an important, even pivotal, event in our nation's history. Baseball is just a game. Not even a very interesting game, witness the declining viewership and participation relative to other sports. Yet we have nine episodes -- excuse me, innings -- of everyone from George Will to Mario Cuomo to Billy Crystal bloviating on what a just and democratic game baseball is. Spare me. It's a game. It's no more intellectual than basketball, or football. It isn't more virtuous just because nothing's happening most of the time. I don't care how many guys in tweed jackets Ken Burns tracks down to tell me otherwise, a bug is not a feature.

To be clear, I have nothing at all against baseball per se, or against Ken Burns. But for crissakes this is an interminable series, redundant in the extreme (yeah we get it, the Negro Leagues were great, Ty Cobb was an a--hole), and and others have pointed out, pretty heavy on New York and Boston. This should've been a 2-3 parter at most, along the lines of his Prohibition series.