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.
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.