Product Reviews
In this section, you will be able to find the products the Your Sports NightCap crew has chosen to review for our listening audience and readers at large. Please feel free to write in, when you’ve had an opportunity to sample them too. We look forward to getting your thoughts… Enjoy!
The New York Yankees: Fall Classic Collector’s Edition 1996-2001 reviewed by Neil Berman
While the New York Giants have the Big Apple in a frenzy after their amazing run through the NFL postseason capped by a historic and classic Super Bowl victory over the previously undefeated Patriots, the last New York team to win a world championship were the Bronx Bombers in 2000. The New York Yankees: Fall Classic Collector’s Edition 1996-2001 DVD set captures all the excitement and glory of the famed Pinstripes dominant period that included 5 American League pennants in 6 years, including 4 World Series crowns.
This DVD set is a must-have memento for Yankees fans and baseball historians alike. With 7 discs highlighting the glory days of the Joe Torre era in the Bronx, baseball fans can relive all the drama of the latest dynasty to rule over America’s Pastime.
This collector’s edition plucks out the 5 games that defined the Yankees success with protagonists such as Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, Mariano Rivera, and other classic Bronx Bombers carving out their legacy. Also included are World Series Bonus DVD’s from the Yankees first world championship of the Torre era in 1996 to the bitter and rare disappointment of the Yankees surrendering a 9th inning lead in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series in the final game of Paul O’Neill’s career.
The most cherished aspect of this DVD set for a baseball enthusiast are the behind the scenes interviews and never before seen footage that allows viewers inside the Yankees clubhouse as they make history with every pitch and swing of the bat. From Joe Torre’s wizardry and emotion after the 2001 AL Pennant was secured to celebrations after world championships and the prose of Paul O’Neill after hanging up the pinstripes one last time, this collector’s edition truly captures the essence of what it means to be a Yankee.
Another wonderful feature is the opportunity to be able to revisit 5 World Series games that defined the Yankees recent run of dominance. Game 5 of the 1996 World Series kicks off the proceedings in earnest, as this was the game that fueled the dynasty to be. With the Yankees trailing 2-1 in the series to the Braves and down big in Game 4, Jim Leyritz gave the Bombers a jolt off Mark Wohlers which catapulted the Yankees to their first world championship since the early 1980’s. The DVD breaks down the game with interviews and dissects pitch-by-pitch the at-bat that started the Yankees championship era.
The next highlighted games are Game 3 of the 1998 and 1999 World Series. These were contests that defined the Yankees recipe for success in this period. Great starting pitching, unlikely heroes (such as Scott Brosius) becoming World Series icons, and dominant relief to shut the door late in ballgames led by the best closer in history Mariano Rivera.
The 2000 World Series is featured and memorialized as one of the most special and unique of the Bronx Bombers triumphs. That postseason had its own unique hurdles including the Yankees pursuit of their third consecutive world championship which culminated with a Subway Series with their neighbor from Queens. Game 4 of that series is shown in its entirety, which gave the Yankees a 3-1 lead and put them in position to capture the championship of New York and the baseball world the following game.
The last featured game may be the most memorable of the entire period of Pinstripe supremacy. Game 4 of the 2001 World Series will go down as one of the best games in baseball history where Curt Schilling had to even feel the Mystique and Aura of the House that Ruth Built at its mightiest. With the Yankees trailing the series 2-1 and the game in the bottom of the 9th, Tino Martinez drilled a 2 out game-tying blast that rocked baseball’s most hallowed and sacred grounds to its core and put the Yankees back on track toward a potential 4th consecutive World Series title. The game became the first World Series game to be played in November as it crept past the midnight hour until Derek Jeter once again made another indelible mark on baseball history with an opposite-field shot that tied the series and gave New Yorkers a brief respite from the horrors of 9/11 that befell the city less than two months before the contest.
Besides the 5 games that defined the era of Yankees brilliance, this collector’s edition sprinkles in interviews and moments with the players that made this wonderful time in Yankees history come alive. There is footage of Doc Gooden’s no-hitter and David Cone’s and the gregarious David Wells’ perfect games. There are a cornucopia of great Jeter moments and pitching performances from the likes of Roger Clemens and other great Yankees hurlers.
Simply, this collector’s edition is a must-have for Yankees fans and baseball aficionados alike. With interactive menus and inning selection, the DVD’s are easy to navigate and make for a ton of viewing pleasure. This set is imperative if you want to be able to chronicle baseball history during the long winter months when the Hot Stove is barely exhibiting a flame, and you are gearing up for pitchers and catchers to report. This collector’s edition encompasses everything you need to enjoy one of the best chapters in Yankees history that set a new standard for excellence in modern baseball.
New York Yankees Vintage World Series Films reviewed by Paul Gassée
Just tearing the shrink wrap off this DVD set, I was excited about digging into this viewing delight. Despite my not being the fervent Yankees fan that my Co-Host Neil is, I can tell you that I’ve always had a reverential respect towards this franchise. The Yankees are the supreme being in Major League Baseball, with 26 World Championships—their elegance and swagger evident every time they take the field in their pinstripes. In this DVD, I was hoping to be able to get an inkling at how this franchise built up its mystique, how the “winning” tradition came about… Lastly, and rather selfishly, in this time of transition for this organization, with Torre’s recent departure West, I wanted a window into this proud club’s winning ways: what has been the magic formula that has made this team so great throughout the years?
For someone that needs to keep his knowledge of the game fresh, because I have to talk about it intelligently “on air”, I found this DVD series to be ideal for that purpose. The narrative is pieced together in such a fashion that you’re given just the right elements to remind yourself of the important story lines contained in Yankee baseball history. The editors of the video series deserve a huge credit for putting together the reader’s digest version of 17 Yankee Championships. In these compilations, you’ll get interviews of key protagonists, crucial play-by-play calls by some of the familiar voices of Baseball (Joe Buck, Bob Costas, as examples), good narration, and a classic musical score that will help carry you back years in the past, and immerse you in baseball history.
This series of Collector DVDs does not forget that baseball (like many other human enterprises) is a people business (as Joe Torre has not been shy about reminding us, in recent years). The characters of these historical dramas are put forth in short snippets to enliven the play on the field. As a recent Yankee fan, for example, you’ll be able to get David Cone’s thought process as the 1999 Series unfolds in front of you… You’ll get Jeter’s perspective going into Game 3, that season. Ironically, it was thrilling to see Girardi’s take on the situation as a catcher, as he now steps into the managerial role in the Bronx, after broadcasting Yankee games over the past few years. How will his catcher’s mentality translate into that of managing? How does he approach problems posed by the game of hardball? We’ve all heard that history repeats itself. By learning about Girardi in the past, you’ll be more likely to anticipate his moves as the Yankee skipper of the years to come…
One of the great things about revisiting moments of past is that you’ll be able to not only relive special moment, engage in gratuitous nostalgia, but also go back and rewrite your own memory. We tend to remember things in certain ways; our memory has a way of distorting events, or just transforming them as they transcribe themselves in our recollection. At times, we are affected by the press; as they emphasize a certain slant or angle of an event. Other times, we are a swayed in our beliefs by friends or other interested party. We can also fall prey to our emotions, as they play a distortive role, as memories engrave themselves in our personal “hard drive”. But rarely, are our memories crystal clear on what has actually transpired. This DVD Series allows you to set your memories straight, by reliving some of the greatest moments in Yankee history.
To any person that has listened to my Show with any degree of regularity knows the amount of respect I’ve got for the National Football League. Many pundits have made the case that it has become America’s Game, as it has grown into the 800-pound gorilla of the national sporting landscape, over the last few years. The recent viewership numbers from this latest Super Bowl would certainly support this position. There are many reasons why the NFL has become such a behemoth. The obvious one is its uncanny ability to efficiently market its existing product. The cause that doesn’t usually get mentioned—but is truly underrated—is its constant willingness to look back and honor its past. Through its vehicle—Steve Sabol’s NFL Films—the league has created a rich tradition that is revisited every week, through another mash-up of its extensive film database. I can remember sitting down, as a young child, and consuming these NFL Films episodes with great delight; soaking up every tidbit of football lore. As I was growing up, and my interest in Baseball continued to develop, I would deplore the fact that there was no Baseball equivalent to those films, formally narrated by John Facenda. Until I discovered this series of DVDs… I can now say that this DVD series is not only a must-have for any Yankee fan, but for any fan of Major League Baseball. If you’re looking for a close look at Baseball’s most successful franchise, this DVD is an absolute can’t miss, and should be one of the sturdy building blocks of a comprehensive baseball video library…
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What eloquent prose by two intellectual and philosophical sports aficionados…..