Monday, August 13, 2012

Random Review (MLB - Baseball's Greatest Rivalries)

This would be my first Random Review that isn't a movie.  This is a DVD that documents all of baseball's greatest rivalries, just as the title suggests.  I'm a huge baseball nerd, which I would assume is painfully obvious at this point.  I've had this DVD for quite a while, pretty sure it was made in 2003 or 2004, so it's almost a decade old.  It brings me back to that time when I was a young baseball fan and sparks up all the old and awesome memories.

If this is your first Random Review and you're wondering what the fuck I'm doing, I just randomized my DVD collection and decided for shits and giggles, I would watch each one and review it.


This DVD really has everything you could want when it comes to rivalries.  It starts off with classic rivalries, taking a close look at a time when New York had three MLB teams.  The Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and of course, the New York Yankees.  It was a battle for New York and one that the Yankees usually came out on top of.  Always nice to see the Dodgers or Giants squeak in a win, though.  Baseball needed to expand and the Giants and Dodgers moved out west to California and the Yankees were the last ones standing.

This move, of course, helped intensify the Dodgers/Giants rivalry - one of the best in baseball.  It's the Red Sox and Yankees of the west coast.  Tommy Lasorda, long-time manager of the Dodgers, is what made this rivalry so fun to watch.  He is literally the face of the Dodgers and epitomizes everything there is to know about the team.  You have player testimony from both sides talking about how much they hate the other team and fans' outlook as well.  Not just for this one, but for all the rivalries in this set.

My favorite rivalry covered is, obviously, the Chicago Cubs/St. Louis Cardinals.  The Cubs are my team and at the time of this DVD, the Cubs had just ousted the Cardinals for the 2003 Central Division title.  It's a very Cubs friendly DVD and it makes it much more enjoyable to watch.  They described it perfectly by showcasing the respect both teams' fans have for each other.  Cubs/Cardinals fans will taunt the hell out of each other during a game, but you'll see them afterwards hanging out and shooting the shit.  That's not quite true for the other rivalry talked about, the Red Sox and Yankees.  One of the most famous and talked about rivalries in all of sports, this is one of the main focuses of the DVD.  They do a spectacular job of channeling that hatred these teams have for each other.  The fans hate each other, the teams and players hate each other - there is no love lost between Boston and New York.  I'd have issues watching this DVD if I were a Red Sox fan because it was made before their 2004 World Series so it focuses on the sale of Babe Ruth, Roger Clemens going to New York, the collapse in 1972, and Aaron Boone's infamous walk-off.  It would be almost unbearable to live through, simply torture.

I really dug the interleague portion of this DVD.  It talked about New York's subway series, including their World Series showdown in 2000 as well as Chicago's Crosstown Classic between the Cubs and White Sox.  

There's a whole lot of Yankees in this DVD as they feature rivalries with the Kansas City Royals as well.  So, if you're a Yankees hater, this set may get old for you fast.  On the other hand, if you simply love baseball and like to check out the bonus features that are basically raw footage of games from the past, then you'll find it very enjoyable.

My Rating - 6/10

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