Rating: 
Summary: Enjoy it. I wish I could.
Review: If your DVD player is made by RCA . . . DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!! I thought I received a defective set when I noticed gaps while watching. Then I noticed that the gaps always occurred when the PBS logo was displayed in the corner of the screen. Whole chunks of the documentary would be skipped whenever the logo appeared. Then I visited the PBS site and saw the warning that these DVDs may not be compatible with RCA players. If you don't have an RCA DVD player, I recommend this set wholeheartedly. There's a lot left out in the telling of the story of baseball, but there are so many wonderful stories and characters in its history that some things had to be left out. Enjoy it. I wish I could.
Rating: 
Summary: Baseball Is Great!
Review: My 10 year old son and I have really enjoyed wathing these DVD's. My love of the game came late, but these DVD's have really helped me catch up. My wife and daughters frequently watch also. Unlike some other reviewers, I love the efforts to tie what was happening with baseball, to what was going on in the rest of the country. Baseball is America and America is Baseball. The DVD's played wonderfully for me. We did not have any of the skipping problems reported by others. The ability to check the stats of players being discussed was great!!
Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: I've never been a fan of baseball, but I am a big fan of Ken Burns. After watching (and purchasing) The Civil War, The West, Not for Ourselves Alone, Lewis & Clark, and his America series, I knew I couldn't lose by Baseball, and I was right. This series brought tears to my eyes and a newly found sense of appreciation for the National Pastime. The history of black America in this series was not thwarted and the truth be known. What I love about Burns the most is his ability to show the truth with a backdrop so astounding, one walks away with such deep admiration for history and where we all came from, my days will never be the same - he's a genuine artist. Baseball is definitely a must see.
Rating:
Summary: The documentary is great but the medium (DVD) is lacking
Review: I discovered very quickly that watching these DVDs on my DIVX capable DVD player would be VERY FRUSTRATING! Skipping occurs at various points on each disc apparently caused by added features. The only way to avoid the skips is to note where they take place and then FF through the offending frame (a time consuming and not very satisfying fix). I did verify that it was my player because the skips do not occur when I use the DVD player on my PC. The packaging makes no mention of any possible incompatibilities.
Rating: 
Summary: Puffball
Review: If you go from Civil War to Baseball to Jazz, or wherever else you hustle to grab big bucks, you won't know much about what you're doing but you will live well. The mistakes here are formidable. Wally Pipp, Yankee first baseman, was not beaned, creating an opening for Lou Gehrig. He had a migraine. The experts: Doris Kearns, George Will. Oh. The result is slick and superficial and pretentious. Look up a Don Honig or an Eliot Asinof. Those fellers works are baseball.
Rating:
Summary: Crystal Clear Picture, Awesome Series!
Review: The DVD set provides a noticeably sharper picture compared to the video set. If you are a baseball fan you will love this series. Some people may find it boring because it focuses on how the game ties in with the American culture historically instead of just being a continuous highlight reel. Ken Burns is a master storyteller and in my opinion this series is spectacular. I like baseball, I like history, and I love this series. If you do not think you will like the integration of the story of baseball with history, you will probably not like this series. The DVD set provides an extra disc of footage not seen in the video set. Some of the great footage is a series of Charlie Rose interview. I especially liked the one where he interviews Bob Costas after Mickey Mantle's death.
Rating: 
Summary: Baseball: The American Game
Review: I never was a fan of baseball. But after buying and watching this series, the history of the game hooked me. I started out with the VHS version. But was pleased when it was released on DVD. Ken Burns did a great job with this series. However, all 9 of the disc's in the set I bought have skips in them. But for those interested in the history and drama of the National Pastime, this series cannot be beat.....
Rating:
Summary: Baseball in New York
Review: While I am a big fan of Ken Burns's documentaries, "Baseball" was my biggest disappointment. Of all the subjects he has chosen, baseball was the one I knew the most about before I watched the film. Burns did a great job of describing baseball in New York before 1970--the Yankees, Dodgers, Giants and Mets. Every key player from those teams is showcased, and the World Series involving them is treated as if baseball was never better. Maybe that's true. I enjoyed the archival film, photographs and narrative concerning those events. Classic Burns quality. But baseball's history is not limited to New York. For example, the Philadelphia Phillies played the Cincinnati Reds in the first major league game in 1883. The Phillies have 117 years of major league history. Ken Burns limits his discussion of the Phillies to a total of two topics: a brief biography of Grover Cleveland Alexander(who pitched against the Yankees in the 1915 World Series) and the Phillies players' racist taunts of Jackie Robinson of the Dodgers. That's it for 117 years of Phillies history--nothing about the 1950 Whiz kids, Mike Schmidt (greatest third baseman ever, 3 time MVP, over 500 home runs), the sole World Championship in 1980 (after 97 years of futility and the best league championship series ever), Steve Carlton (3 Cy Young awards), the infamous 1964 collapse(6 game lead blown in last 12 games of the season with a 10 game losing streak), Jim Bunning, Shibe Park/Connie Mack stadium, Chuck Klein, more losses than any team in any professional sport ever, Robin Roberts, Larry Bowa (highest fielding percentage of any shortstop ever), Richie Ashburn or Pete Rose (most hits ever). Burns had his blinders on, wanting only to tell the story of baseball in New York. While he did a good job, anyone who is a fan of a team from virtually any city other than New York will sit through 18 hours and feel utterly shortchanged. The remedy is to provide truth in advertising: change the title of the documentary to "Baseball in New York".
Rating:
Summary: Beware of frequent interuptions on DVD version
Review: This documentary - in its original form - is nothing short of magic. Poetry. While I am happy that I purchased this dvd set, I am very frustrated by the frequent interuptions to the narrative. Sometimes mid-sentence, breaks have been intentionally added in order to provide the viewer with the opportunity to "press the select button" to see the players stats as "extras" of the dvd. Keep in mind, there is no way to go back and get the ends of the sentences - they're simply not there. These interuptions completely disrupt the flow of the narration and leave the viewer feeling like their missing out. If you prefer the "extras" that the dvd has to offer including player stats, scene selection, etc., you will enjoy this set. However, if you want to experience this beautiful documentary in the form that Ken Burns had originally intended - by the VHS version. You will NOT be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: You can't have it both ways...
Review: I found the documentary the most comprehensive baseball piece to date. Certainly there were areas that were lacking, and others perhaps overdone. In the end, you can't have it both ways. To precisely cover what everyone wants, would take double the amount of time and 20 DVD's! Bottom line: If you can find better, purchase it! Truth be known, you won't. If it were not for Ken Burns and his exhaustive efforts, many of you would still be grovelling that nothing extensive on baseball exists. You can't please everyone all the time, and if you want better than this effort, find it or produce it yourself. I rate this effort a 5 star all the way. Nothing like it existed before and likely won't again. This is as good as it may ever get, and it is more than good enough.
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