Rating: 
Summary: What's it about?
Review: This is a pretty good film, but the title is very misleading. While the beginning of baseball and some of the history is covered the title should be Baseball: The Negro League. I understand Mr. Burns wanted to represent the race struggle during this time, but why? His greatest representation of racial struggles is the Civil War film (which by the way, is excellent). There are WAY TOO MANY important points in the history of baseball that are completely left out or metioned almost as afterthoughts while things that have absolutely nothing to do with baseball are discussed. Babe Ruth's "Called Shot" was briefly mentioned, but Martin Luther King was discussed at length. Lou Gherhig's disease was skimmed over, but there was discussion about Cassius Clay. These are not baseball heroes. Jackie Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, etc. That was who I wanted to see in addition to the numerous other black, white, hispanic, and so on, heroes and acts that made the sport great. If you're going to purchase a movie about baseball - this may not be what you're looking for.
Rating: 
Summary: A good film but not great
Review: This is another extra ordinary film by Ken Burns but a few things seem a little off base. He covers certain events to the point of exhaustiveness and makes you wish he would move on. There was more than enough mention of the Negro struggle but he left other key people out all together. In the 1970's to present he talks about Roberto Clemente and his death but all together leaves out Yankees catcher Thurman Munson. He leaves out Stan Musial from the 40's. And just when did the Braves leave Milwaukee? What about the little to no coverage of Lou Gherig? Where was something about Joe Dimaggio and his relationship with the sex symbol of America Marilyn Monroe? He stopped to mention the shooting of Martin Luther King Jr. but only briefly mentioned John F. and Robert Kennedy's deaths? What about the landing on the moon...This event was just as immportant as Kings death? Overall Mr.Burns did a fantastic job and the first 3 tapes will show anybody just how baseball came to be. I have no doubt of the struggles of the Negros during the growing years of baseball but there were other players he could have talked about as well. If you still want to see his best work then the Civil War is the movie that defines him.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good But Not Excellent
Review: Few filmmakers are better than Ken Burns when it comes to shooting documentaries. Burns' Baseball series is further proof that he is one of the best documentary filmmakers around today, although Baseball pales in comparison to Burns' Civil War series. This anthology has some great things going for it; for instance, it's for the most part very well written and is accompanied by great photos. The music is also quite good. Many of the people who were interviewed for these films offer superb commentary, especially the former Negro Leaguer Buck O'Neil, one of the most delightful personalities the game has ever produced. Most of baseball's best moments are highlighted with proper detail. Unlike most baseball histories (books or films), Burns' documentary gives extensive coverage of the Negro Leagues, which only makes the series better. For the most part, this is a very strong, very well-done series. Unfortunately, it does suffer from a few shortcomings. Many people have complained that Burns chose to focus too much on certain teams, like the New York Yankees, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Boston Red Sox. These critics may have a legitimate complaint, but they have to realize that those three teams are steeped in baseball history and do deserve a lot of coverage, although probably not as much as they received. Because those three clubs were focused on so heavily, many teams and players were given the shaft. Stan Musial doesn't even get mentioned in the video that focuses on the 1940s, a decade in which he became one of the five or ten best ballplayers of all time. But at least he gets mentioned (on some of the other videos). Mike Schmidt, generally considered the greatest third basemen who ever lived, isn't mentioned even once during the entire 20-hour series. This type of oversight is tremendous and cannot be ignored. The fact of the matter is that Schmidt played in the 70s and 80s, two decades (along with almost half of the 90s) that were crammed into the same video. As a result, much of modern baseball history is neglected. Where is the famous George Brett Pine Tar Incident? What about all the player strikes, especially the one in 1981 that split the season in half? Why isn't the amazing 1991 World Series covered in greater detail? The answer is that Burns tried to cover too much time in the last video. The 70s was certainly a good enough baseball decade to warrant an entire video, and Burns could have covered the 80s up to the present with another video. But that would have meant having ten videos instead of nine, thus eliminating the opportunity to call each series installment an inning (oh boy, that would've ruined it). Another problem is that some of the people who are interviewed are way too sentimental. John Thorn, for instance, goes completely off the deep end with his comments several times, especially when he compares baseball to "the promise of eternal life." One can do justice to baseball without resorting to careless sap. Unfortunately, this series gets sappy more often than it should. Yes, baseball is a great game, but it is not the meaning of life. Despite all of these problems, the series is extremely informative and very entertaining. Worth buying if you love the game.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic Baseball Chronicle
Review: I was so impressed with this collection. When it first aired on PBS, I was glued to the set. Anyone who wants to know in depth history of baseball, this is a great source. I have rented the videos a ton of times. One of my favorite episodes is "Shadowball" which focuses on the Negro Leagues and the admission of minorities into Major League Baseball. Buck O'Neil, the charismatic player, coach, and historian has some great insight to the old game. By the way, if you are ever in Kansas City, stop by the Negro League Hall of Fame. Chances are Buck will greet you personally and spend time discussing baseball with you for as long as you like. It was one of my most cherished baseball moments. Burns triumphs with a granular look at the various eras in baseball. For the die-hard fan, this is a must for your collection. I tear up every time I hear Gehrig's "luckiest man alive" speech, sing along with the "Say Hey" song, etc. Burns puts you right in the moment. You'll love it. I just wish Burns would add one more volume to update until the end of the century. But we would always be going back for more as long as the game is played.
Rating:
Summary: Baseball, Baseball, ain't it a dandy PBS series :-)
Review: I taped this series myself off my local PBS station when it first aired. It's fantastic. I am looking forward to getting my DVD copy next month (yes I have already ordered it). Now if only PBS video would re-release, The Civil War, The West and I, Claudius on DVD, I'll feel like a millionaire :-).
Rating:
Summary: Superbly Done
Review: For the sheer amount of footage alone, this will probably be the definitive documentary on the subject for many years to come. But the real appeal is the historical perspective that ties together the events of the day with the people living through them. Fans of the game may nitpick, but there is nothing else I have seen that tackles the subject of baseball better. A fair warning: those with an interest in history will likely love this, but casual fans may find it a bit tedious. Those who dislike both history and baseball will obviously shudder at thought of 18 hours of either. But those who like both will actually find it too short.
Rating:
Summary: A great book about a great game
Review: This book could always have more added to it over the ages, and one could always say 'What about... Why wasn't that included in the book?', but nonetheless this book is a treasure. I dearly loved every page I turned and every paragraph I read. It is loaded with photos of a great many heros of the game, and enlightening backgound and stories. It obviously was a great effort to put this book together, and I consider it a worthy tribute to the subject. Baseball is a sport of emotion and devotion. It has grown with America, and therefore is an integral part of our nation's soul. More can always be told about history of the game, and more should be told, but this is a wonderful presentation. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BUT 10 DISCS?
Review: Ken Burns' "Baseball" is a fabulous document and I'll be glad to have it on DVD but 10 Discs! With the storage capabilities of DVD they could have made this a nice little 3 or 4 disc package - I guess they feel the size will warrant the price.
Rating:
Summary: Not quite as good as it should have been
Review: As a Brit only recently come to like Baseball, I have craved this for years, so that I could learn the history of the game. Luckily I got it this Christmas from my wonderful wife. I really do think this is an excellent collection, I've enjoyed it greatly, it's taught me a lot, and it has some great stuff on it. The best bit? Buck O'Neill. I'd not heard of him before and he is easily the most appealing personality interviewed. There are some things which should have been done better. The most obvious is running old baseball clips at the wrong speed. It should have been easy to find out, or just plain guess, the frame speed of old movies and adjust them: the classic Hollywood documentary did this in the 70s. As it stands, I really don't know what Babe Ruth looked like running round the bases. It's a pity because one of the joys of the set are the old clips. My other main complaint is that in the second half of the set, living players are underused. The historians like Dan Okrent and Robert Creamer do an excellent job, but when we reached living memory, it would have been better to have seen the real players involved in the incidents talking. For example, it's absurd to hear the story of Pete Rose talking to Carlton Fisk in the 1975 game six ("this is some kind of game") from a third party when either Rose or Fisk could have told it. The contributions of Buck O'Neill, Curt Flood, Ted Williams et al are so much more meaningful than other people's view when they are talking about their own history in the game. Even Happy Chandler shows up singing Take Me Out to The Ball Game, so why not talking about being the commisioner who allowed baseball to integrate? Little niggles like this take away from the pleasure, but the pleasure is great. I'm now nostalgic about "take me out to the ball game" though I've only been to one ball game in my life! Finally, I have to say there was a problem with one of the tapes, but Amazon replaced it immediately without quibble.
Rating:
Summary: THANKS, MR. BURNS, FOR A PROJECT THAT IS LONG OVERDUE.
Review: Yes, there is a lot about baseball in New York and Boston. Yes, I did find some mistakes. However, the overall package is first rate as far as I'm concerned. The country and the game grew up together, and being one who appreciates baseball's history, I found it to be both nostalgic and informative. To enjoy these tapes I feel you should have an appreciation of the history of our country. Too much of the history taught in schools is political. Wars, treaties, and presidents! These tapes give you a social consciousness of our country's history. You come away realizing that many of the game's problems are the same as they were over 100 years ago. To those who don't enjoy these tapes, I can only sympathize. As Jacques Barzun of Columbia University said, "Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball." Thank you, Ken Burns, for taking on this monumental task.
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