Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive, Relaxing, American..... Baseball.
Review: Baseball by Ken Burns is truly a wonderful commentary on America's most storied & influential sport, baseball. To encompass EVERY team & EVERY area of the country would be incredibly voluminous, so obviously, Burns had to make decisions on content. I would love to have a FIFTY hour (or more) documentary on the game, however, a truly comprehensive overview would be next to impossible, & obviously, not everyone will be satisfied by the result (due to each viewer's own personal biases & experiences). If you are a true fan of the game of baseball (perhaps more than a fan of any ONE team even), then this series is well worth the money & the time investment. The early footage of such luminaries as Cobb, Wagner, Matthewson, Johnson, and SO many more is amazingly interesting & put together very well with appropriate music to match. The sincerity of the stories of baseball past is truly touching & will bring forward a wide variety of emotions, be it a light smile, tears of sadness or an overwhelming feeling of patriotism. Watch it on an early spring day alone or with your family (perhaps a son or a daughter), & over the years, with each viewing, you will see something you missed before & perhaps feel new emotions (or envoke old ones).
Rating: 
Summary: There's a lot to be said for this series, both good and bad
Review: I give it 4 stars if for no other reason than the quality of the production. The narration, interviews, music, video images and editing all are very well done in terms of being a polished product. However, it seems that Burns takes liberties with the truth as well as exposing us to his ever-bleeding heart. There are 9 videos (called innings) in this series, each inning corresponding to a period in baseball history, beginning in the 1800s and ending in the early 1990s. The playing of the national anthem at the start of every video (inning) is pretentious to say the least. Some of the quotes are a riot.... Bob Costas: "The thing you have to remember, and this seems so obvious, is that baseball is a beautiful thing..." Uh, excuse me Bob, but spitting tobacco juice and scratching your crotch every 15 seconds don't seem to rise to the level of beauty. Robert Creamer: "The thing about baseball is the best game that's ever been invented." Been to a game lately, Rob? It's 3 1/2 hours of batters stepping out of the box to adjust their jock straps, pitching coaches coming to the mound to discuss the evening's dinner plans, fat relievers walking in from the bullpen at a tortoise pace. Instead of giving us an objective account of baseball history, Burns portrays ballplayers in general as exploited chattel. He overdoes the "tragedy" of the negro leagues. He portrays Jackie Robinson as the second coming of Gandhi and Branch Rickey as the greatest visionary sense Thomas Jefferson. What the heck are Shelby Foote and Doris Kearns Goodwin doing talking to us about baseball? Was Don Zimmer asked to appear in the Civil War Series? It is a fairly comprehensive series, however, but just don't take some of the sanctimony too seriously...
Rating: 
Summary: Unethical and inaccurate media-hyped gibberish
Review: Ken Burns knows what the people want. Unfortunately, they want entertainment, a "feel-good" documentary about baseball, etc, even if it is inaccurate. Mr. Burns is so preoccupied with political correctness and goody-too-shoes feelings that he tells a story that is, at the very least, misleading. Burns wouldn't dare speak of Jackie Robinson's dismal performance in his last World Series, because he knows what the people want. He didn't want to be accused of being racist or non-progressive, it would take away from his story, and ultimately, from sales. He wouldn't dare belitte Babe Ruth. Perhaps the greatest sin was not showing even once, the little known video that discredits Ruth's "point toward centerfield homerun prediction" in the 1932 World Series. The video I speak of ultimately shows that Ruth was simply gesturing toward the other dugout as they were jeering him, not centerfield. It was the absolute most damaging evidence against Ruth's contrived story. That video is hard to get, but it is available, but most people don't know about it because it takes away from the story. Most people also don't know that the real hero in that Series was Lou Gehrig, who hit .529 with three home runs, nine runs scored and eight RBIs. Burns wouldn't dare belittle Joe DiMaggio - perhaps the most over-rated celebrity in history. DiMaggio was a terrific player, but as a person, he was, in a word, selfish. His incredible privacy was viewed by the media as "dignified." Nothing could be further from the truth. He was selfish and arrogant, and a miser. There was very little room in DiMaggio's heart for anyone but DiMaggio (Joe only, as he didn't have any room for his own family members). Lou Gehrig? Deserved far more than what Burns gave him. Lou was perhaps the only Yankee who carried himself as well off the field as on. Additionally, as you can see, this film is really very New York slanted. Again, it's what the people want. It reminds me of the Amelia Earhart story. They want you to believe she was flying alone when she disappeared. She wasn't. She was with her navigator Fred Noonan. But the media hates to ruin a good story. They want you to believe she flew alone. They want you to believe Ruth pointed toward centerfield, video tape to the contrary. They want you to believe Joe DiMaggio was all good and dignified and giving. They want you to believe that Jackie Robinson hit .400 in every World Series he every played in. It sells. Ken Burns is a great person to hire if you want to sell many copies of something and make a ton of money. But for accurate and unbiased history, he is the wrong man for the job. This film is a disgrace to baseball.
Rating:
Summary: Unethical and inaccurate media contrived rhetoric
Review: Ken Burns knows what the people want. Unfortunately, they want entertainment, a "feel-good" documentary about baseball, etc. Mr. Burns is so preoccupied with political correctness and goody-too-shoes feelings that he tells a story that is, at the very least, misleading. Burns wouldn't dare speak of Jackie Robinson's dismal performance in his last World Series, because he knows what the people want. He didn't want to be accused of being racist or non-progressive, it would take away from his story, and ultimately, from sales. He wouldn't dare belitte Babe Ruth. Perhaps the greatest sin was not showing even once, the little known video that discredits Ruth's "point toward centerfield homerun prediction" in the 1932 World Series. The video I speak of ultimately shows that Ruth was simply gesturing toward the other dugout as they were jeering him. He was not pointing toward centerfield. It was the absolute most damaging evidence against Ruth's contrived story. That video is hard to get, but it is available, but most people don't know about it because it takes away from the story. Most people also don't know that the real hero in that Series was Lou Gehrig, who hit .529 with three home runs, nine runs scored and eight RBIs. Burns wouldn't dare belittle Joe DiMaggio - perhaps the most over-rated celebrity in history. DiMaggio was a terrific player, but as a person, he was, in a word, selfish. His incredible privacy was viewed by the media as "dignified." Nothing could be further from the truth. He was selfish and arrogant, and a miser. There was very little room in DiMaggio's heart for anyone but DiMaggio (Joe only, as he didn't have any room for his own family members). Lou Gehrig? Deserved far more than what Burns gave him. Lou was perhaps the only Yankee who carried himself as well off the field as on. Additionally, as you can see, this film is really very New York slanted. Again, it's what the people want. It reminds me of the Amelia Earhart story. They want you to believe she was flying alone when she disappeared. She wasn't. She was with her navigator Fred Noonan. But the media hates to ruin a good story. They want you to believe she flew alone. They want you to believe Ruth pointed toward centerfield, video tape to the contrary. They want you to believe Joe DiMaggio was all good and dignified and giving. They want you to believe that Jackie Robinson hit .400 in every World Series he every played in. It sells. Ken Burns is a great person to hire if you want to sell many copies of something and make money. But for accurate and unbiased history, he is the wrong man for the job. This film is a disgrace to baseball.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't be mislead
Review: This is a fine film about baseball in America. However, do not be mislead, at its heart this is a film about race relations in America. The negro leagues and the integration of baseball are really at the center of the film.
Rating:
Summary: Adding depth and detail to the PBS documentary "Baseball"
Review: "Baseball: An Illustrated History" is the companion volume to Ken Burns' PBS documentary. The narrative, written by Geoffrey C. Ward, is based on the documentary filmscript by Ward and Burns. What this means in practical terms is that everything you hear and a lot of what you see in the celebrated series is in this book, plus a lot more. Each chapter/inning ends with an essay, such as Bill James on "Stats," Doris Kearns Goodwin on being a "Fan," George F. Will on "Fifties Baseball" and Gerald Early on "Baseball and African American Life." There is also an interview with Buck O'Neil, who emerged from "Baseball" as the game's greatest living good will ambassador. What you will appreciate the most are the little touches: when talking about the dominance of the Yankees in the 1950's we get a full page of choice quotes presenting "The Wisdom of Casey Stengel...and Yogi Berra." There are ads featuring Babe Ruth, pictures of old tobacco cards, the complete "Casey at the Bat," and dozens of other little gems sprinkled throughout the book. As opening day approaches each year my annual rite of spring is to watch "Baseball," and I always take out this companion volume and leaf through it as I watch a century of baseball history. This volume can stand on its own, which might be the single best testament to how good of a baseball book it happens to be.
Rating:
Summary: An annual rite of spring: watching "Baseball"
Review: Every spring I watch Ken Burns' celebrated documentary "Baseball" on the weekend of Opening Day. Even if I am not sitting glued to the tube while it is on, listening to John Chancellor tell the story of the game is an enjoyable experience. Each "inning" takes on a specific focus, providing a defining element in the way Ty Cobb played the game, the Black Sox Scandal, the way Babe Ruth played the game, the struggle of the Negro Leagues, the dominance of New York temas in the Fifties, the creation of Free Agency, etc. Concise profiles of many of the game's greatest players and managers are spread throughout the nine volumes. More importantly, virtually every great moment in the history of the sport is to be found, not to mention some wonderful old-fashioned baseball songs. Clearly, the climax of the documentary comes in Inning 6, "The National Pastime," when Jackie Robinson starts playing for the Dodgers. The series begins with a prologue on Ebbets Field and Robinson is laid to rest in the final episode. While the focus is on the Major Leagues throughout, Burns always checks back in with what is happening with the black players and the Negro Leagues, building towards Robinson breaking the color barrier. I think it is fair to say the documentary loses some steam after that point, but then that is the point where the series gets to players and moments that overlap our own lifetime. Once we get to colored images from television there is a different feel to "Baseball" from the black & white images to which we have become accustomed. Also, the more you know about the history of baseball the more you will see the glaring omissions. Stan Musial is the obvious example cited by other reviewers, but he is eclipsed in the episodes covering the 40's and 50's by Jackie Robinson and the New York teams, just as he was during his career. In terms of the talking heads it is hard to appreciate Billy Crystal and George Will, devotees of the game though they are, after listening to Buck O'Neill (who is the breakthrough "Shelby Foote" of "Baseball"). However, I prefer to ascribe these shortcomings to editorial decisions and the fact this is only a nine-tape set instead of maliciousness. So, yes, it could be better, and maybe it is too reverent, but there is a fundamental love of the game here comparable to such treasured feature films as "The Natural," "Bull Durham" and "Field of Dreams." All of these are necessary spring training workouts for preparation of enjoying the boys of summer.
Rating:
Summary: Baseball: a film by Ken Burns
Review: Fantastic for those who are trying to explain to others their love of the game, especially to your kids. Too bad the DVD's price resembles the cost of attending the modern game, and then some. Wait for it to hit the used market.
Rating: 
Summary: Ruined by Burns's Sanctimony
Review: Baseball is a game that reflects, in many but not all ways, America. Because of this, Ken Burns has decided to use the history of baseball as a vehicle for one of his sanctimonious sermons - in this case, civil rights - just as he did with the Civil War and has done with Jazz. The struggle for racial equality is an element of the baseball story, but it is not the baseball story. The ripoff here is seen in the black players who are interviewed. Burns elicits only half-hearted testimony that, yes, there was discrimination and, yes, it's good that the black leagues are extinct, thanks to Jackie Robinson and his successors. It would be a crime against Burns's political correctess to say anything else, but it's not that hard to see through the cant, for it is obvious that these players loved oplaying the game, regardless of where they played. But Burns disingenuously tries to portray them as the miserable victims of a plantation culture. If you really want to puke, just try to get through Burns's attempt to make baseball a struggle for *gender* equality! Burns flogs sentiment for every drop he can extract. How many times must we hear the Star Spangled Banner or Take Me Out to the Ball Game rendered as variations on a hymn? How often must we feel ourselves being manipulated by the slow, stately, pretentious narration? If we didn't understand English, we would be hard pressed to say, by the narration alone, whether we're listening to Ken Burns's version of the Civil War or Baseball. But there is a big difference between warfare and a non-contact game (unless you define baseball by Ty Cobb) and, though Burns would have us think otherwise, a game is just a game. Fun. A film about a game should be fun, too. But, watching this lugubrious version of history, one would conclude that Ken Burns doesn't agree. As in all of Burns's works, there is useful documentary here, but is it worth wading through all the slop?
Rating:
Summary: The transition of a person...
Review: It's very simple. This collection will make a non-fan become a fan, a fan fall in love with the game, and the die-hards weep tears of joy for baseball. Ken Burns is an absolute genious: surpassing Spielburg exponentially. I strongly recommend this set and the other Ken Burns' works of art.
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