Yankees
When It Was A Game
November 06, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Today, the New York Yankees celebrate a 27th World Series Championship with parade in Manhattan’s Canyon of Heroes.
The excitement of the 2009 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees overshadowed the recent steroid scandal.
But baseball has suffered scandals since its beginning.
The Black Sox Scandal of 1919 where the Chicago White Sox suffered accusations of fixing the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.
The betting scandal involving Pete Rose betting on baseball games, including games played by the team he managed -- Cincinnati Reds.
For a time when the lines were clearer, the heroes were greater, and the myths were bigger, look no further than HBO’s When It Was A Game documentaries.
HBO made three documentaries in 1991, 1992, and 2000 respectively under the When It Was A Game banner.
The musical score, appealing visuals, and artful narration combine for a step into history that even the most casual fan will appreciate.
The musical score’s foundation is its fanfare. It appropriately shows the reverence for the heroes depicted in the documentaries.
The visuals come from home movies -- 8 millimeter and 16 millimeter films shot by fans and insiders from the 1930’s through the 1960’s.
You see stadiums that don’t exist anymore -- Polo Grounds in Manhattan, Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.
You see legendary players -- Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams along with old-timers Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth, and Cy Young.
And throughout the When It Was A Game trilogy, you hear wonderful narration from people who love the game of baseball.
James Earl Jones -- Actor.
Robert Creamer -- Writer.
Jim Bouton -- Pitcher.
Maury Wills -- Shortstop.
Frank Robinson -- Outfielder.
Jim Kaat -- Pitcher.
Al Kaline -- Outfielder.
Thomas Boswell -- Writer.
Bob Costas -- Broadcaster.
John Sayles -- Filmmaker.
When It Was A Game recalls eras when legendary players enjoyed unbreakable associations with teams. Fans could count on their favorite players spending most -- if not all -- of their careers with one team.
Roberto Clemente -- Pittsburgh Pirates.
Al Kaline -- Detroit Tigers.
Hank Aaron -- Milwaukee Braves / Atlanta Braves.
Willie Mays -- New York Giants / San Francsico Giants.
Jackie Robinson -- Brooklyn Dodgers.
Bob Gibson -- St. Louis Cardinals.
Harmon Killebrew -- Minnesota Twins.
The eras depicted in When It Was A Game were eras of greatness in baseball. But the bottom line definitely existed. Promotions took place. And owners were hard-nosed in their negotiations with players in the time before free agents, massive bonuses, and free agency.
But the eras enjoyed deep reverence. And that depth shines clearly in the When It Was A Game trilogy.
Before the first pitch of a baseball game was sponsored, before .220 batters got million dollar contracts, and before stadiums were named for corporations, there was indeed a time when baseball was a game.
david@davidkrell.com
Today, the New York Yankees celebrate a 27th World Series Championship with parade in Manhattan’s Canyon of Heroes.
The excitement of the 2009 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees overshadowed the recent steroid scandal.
But baseball has suffered scandals since its beginning.
The Black Sox Scandal of 1919 where the Chicago White Sox suffered accusations of fixing the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.
The betting scandal involving Pete Rose betting on baseball games, including games played by the team he managed -- Cincinnati Reds.
For a time when the lines were clearer, the heroes were greater, and the myths were bigger, look no further than HBO’s When It Was A Game documentaries.
HBO made three documentaries in 1991, 1992, and 2000 respectively under the When It Was A Game banner.
The musical score, appealing visuals, and artful narration combine for a step into history that even the most casual fan will appreciate.
The musical score’s foundation is its fanfare. It appropriately shows the reverence for the heroes depicted in the documentaries.
The visuals come from home movies -- 8 millimeter and 16 millimeter films shot by fans and insiders from the 1930’s through the 1960’s.
You see stadiums that don’t exist anymore -- Polo Grounds in Manhattan, Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.
You see legendary players -- Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams along with old-timers Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth, and Cy Young.
And throughout the When It Was A Game trilogy, you hear wonderful narration from people who love the game of baseball.
James Earl Jones -- Actor.
Robert Creamer -- Writer.
Jim Bouton -- Pitcher.
Maury Wills -- Shortstop.
Frank Robinson -- Outfielder.
Jim Kaat -- Pitcher.
Al Kaline -- Outfielder.
Thomas Boswell -- Writer.
Bob Costas -- Broadcaster.
John Sayles -- Filmmaker.
When It Was A Game recalls eras when legendary players enjoyed unbreakable associations with teams. Fans could count on their favorite players spending most -- if not all -- of their careers with one team.
Roberto Clemente -- Pittsburgh Pirates.
Al Kaline -- Detroit Tigers.
Hank Aaron -- Milwaukee Braves / Atlanta Braves.
Willie Mays -- New York Giants / San Francsico Giants.
Jackie Robinson -- Brooklyn Dodgers.
Bob Gibson -- St. Louis Cardinals.
Harmon Killebrew -- Minnesota Twins.
The eras depicted in When It Was A Game were eras of greatness in baseball. But the bottom line definitely existed. Promotions took place. And owners were hard-nosed in their negotiations with players in the time before free agents, massive bonuses, and free agency.
But the eras enjoyed deep reverence. And that depth shines clearly in the When It Was A Game trilogy.
Before the first pitch of a baseball game was sponsored, before .220 batters got million dollar contracts, and before stadiums were named for corporations, there was indeed a time when baseball was a game.
Recount
June 04, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
HBO's 2008 tv-movie Recount dramatizes the events surrounding the controversial Florida votes in the 2000 presidential election.
The docudrama faces an enormous challenge because we viewed the real-life drama day after day on 24-hour cable news channels.
Recount takes us behind-the-scenes of the respective Gore and Bush campaigns, showing us the conversations, strategies, and debates that emerged in the post-2000 presidential election confusion concerning Florida's electoral votes.
Tom Wilkinson plays Bush team leader, Bush family friend, and former Secretary of State James Baker, a street-smart, no-nonsense, bottom-line politician.
John Hurt plays his counterpart, Gore team leader Warren Christopher. Christopher was also Secretary of State.
At the center of the controversy is Katherine Harris, Florida's Secretary of State and Co-Chair of the Bush Presidential Campaign in Florida.
Laura Dern plays Harris, a woman who must navigate through the pressures of Republican politics, sudden media attention, and jokes about her hair and makeup.
At the heart of Recount is Kevin Spacey, an acting force on stage, film, and television.
Spacey plays Ron Klain, a Gore insider once aced out of his pole position by an internal campaign competitor in the fast track world of presidential campaign politics. Now, Klain is back in the eye of the storm joined by Michael Whouley, a Democratic operative, genius political analyst, and brother-in-arms. Denis Leary plays Whouley.
Recount may take liberties with the behind-closed-doors conversations, but the subject matter is relevant.
And the factual scenario doesn't change.
Gore did concede to Bush, then called back to retract the concession.
And that's when things pretty much started to transition from a snowball to an avalanche.
Protests.
Lawsuits.
And pundits around the clock on CNN and the relatively fledgling cable news channels MSNBC and FOX News Channel. Both channels debuted in 1996, just four years prior to the Bush-Gore presidential contest.
Recount is somewhat nostalgic. Though the events in the story took place less than ten years ago, the time seems like another era.
Since the 2000 presidential election, we've seen...
...the horror of the September 11, 2001 attacks,
...the war in Iraq,
...new stadiums for the Mets and Yankees,
...Must See TV sitcoms losing exalted status to filmed comedies without a laugh track or studio audience -- My Name Is Earl, The Office,
...the first African-American President of the United States,
...and the last of a Clinton wanting to be President of the United States.
Well, maybe not everything changed.
david@davidkrell.com
HBO's 2008 tv-movie Recount dramatizes the events surrounding the controversial Florida votes in the 2000 presidential election.
The docudrama faces an enormous challenge because we viewed the real-life drama day after day on 24-hour cable news channels.
Recount takes us behind-the-scenes of the respective Gore and Bush campaigns, showing us the conversations, strategies, and debates that emerged in the post-2000 presidential election confusion concerning Florida's electoral votes.
Tom Wilkinson plays Bush team leader, Bush family friend, and former Secretary of State James Baker, a street-smart, no-nonsense, bottom-line politician.
John Hurt plays his counterpart, Gore team leader Warren Christopher. Christopher was also Secretary of State.
At the center of the controversy is Katherine Harris, Florida's Secretary of State and Co-Chair of the Bush Presidential Campaign in Florida.
Laura Dern plays Harris, a woman who must navigate through the pressures of Republican politics, sudden media attention, and jokes about her hair and makeup.
At the heart of Recount is Kevin Spacey, an acting force on stage, film, and television.
Spacey plays Ron Klain, a Gore insider once aced out of his pole position by an internal campaign competitor in the fast track world of presidential campaign politics. Now, Klain is back in the eye of the storm joined by Michael Whouley, a Democratic operative, genius political analyst, and brother-in-arms. Denis Leary plays Whouley.
Recount may take liberties with the behind-closed-doors conversations, but the subject matter is relevant.
And the factual scenario doesn't change.
Gore did concede to Bush, then called back to retract the concession.
And that's when things pretty much started to transition from a snowball to an avalanche.
Protests.
Lawsuits.
And pundits around the clock on CNN and the relatively fledgling cable news channels MSNBC and FOX News Channel. Both channels debuted in 1996, just four years prior to the Bush-Gore presidential contest.
Recount is somewhat nostalgic. Though the events in the story took place less than ten years ago, the time seems like another era.
Since the 2000 presidential election, we've seen...
...the horror of the September 11, 2001 attacks,
...the war in Iraq,
...new stadiums for the Mets and Yankees,
...Must See TV sitcoms losing exalted status to filmed comedies without a laugh track or studio audience -- My Name Is Earl, The Office,
...the first African-American President of the United States,
...and the last of a Clinton wanting to be President of the United States.
Well, maybe not everything changed.