Courtesy: A&E Entertainment/MLB Productions
Major League Baseball is almost to its halfway point for the 2012 season. The annual All Star Game, which marks the halfway point of the season, is only two weeks from today. So what better way to get excited about the big game than with a collection of some of the greatest games in the history of baseball?
Baseball’s Greatest Games: Collector’s Edition is the ultimate archive for hardcore baseball fans and sports historians. This set includes ten of the greatest games in the history of America’s past time. It takes viewers on a ride from the Pittsburgh Pirates’ miracle win in game Seven of the 1960 World Series to the now legendary Game Six of the 1975 World Series between the Red Sox and Reds, and all the way to the epic comeback of the Red Sox as they faced the New York Yankees in Game Four of the 2004 ALCS and broke the “Curse of The Bambino.” There are other stops along the way, too, including the now infamous Game Six from the 1986 World Series between the Red Sox and Mets that made Bill Buckner one of baseball’s most wanted among fans.
The whole collection kicks off with Game Seven in the 1960 World Series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees. What makes this such a legendary game was that the Pirates had managed to tie the series up at three games each after struggling at first. Everybody thought the Pirates were done early on in that series. But Game Seven changed sports history forever when Bill Mazeroski took to the plate and nailed one over the head of Yogi Berra to bring the Pirates one of the team’s biggest ever wins. Fans will revel in the extra commentary on the game included on the bonus eleventh disc. Mazeroksi and his friends discuss the game winning homer, and why it was so special coming from “Maz” as he was nicknamed. His friends discuss how humble Mazeroski was throughout his career and how he was more well known for his fielding than for his batting. Those factors, combined with the fact that the Pirates came from behind in the series overall to win it all makes this truly one of the greatest games of all time.
Game Seven of the 1960 World Series is just one of the amazing moments in baseball history included in this mega grand slam of a set. Another of the really amazing moments included in the set is the win by the Boston Red Sox over the Cincinnati Reds in Game Six of the 1975 World Series. There were a lot of factors that made this such an amazing game, regardless of which team fans support. As Pete Rose himself notes in the interviews on the bonus disc, a big part of what made this a legendary game was that it had a “Superbowl Flavor.” His comparison makes sense. Both teams had superstar lineups. And that the series had to be held back a few days because of rain only served to make the stories that much more plentiful. Both he and former Red Sox star Fred Lynn note that this was really the game that skyrocketed baseball to the upper echelons of sports at the time.
The all star lineup and weather issues weren’t all that made Game Six of the 1975 World Series the mega game that it still is today. The two teams fought a tough battle for twelve innings before Carlton Fisk came up in the 12th inning and slammed the game winning homer to lift the Red Sox over the Reds 7-6. Of course, the Reds still went on to win the series and the MLB championship that year. That’s a whole other story in itself. But hearing Fisk himself talk about his realization that he didn’t really appreciate the magnitude of what he’d done at the time adds another dimension to the enjoyment of the game. As with other interviews, this is included on the set’s bonus eleventh disc.
The Red Sox make more than one appearance in this collector’s set. Actually they have more appearances in the set than any other team. New York comes in second with three games listed. And speaking of New York, the whole set closes out with the now historic 2004 ALCS matchup between the Red Sox and Yankees in which the Red Sox finally broke the “Curse of The Bambino.” The Yankees were leading the ALCS series three games to none against the Red Sox. But Game Four changed everything. Just as the Red Sox ’75 matchup against the Reds went twelve innings, so did this matchup. The difference is that thanks to a huge blast from David Ortiz in the 12th inning, the Red Sox began a turnaround that would eventually result in the Red Sox winning the series and then going on to take down the Cardinals in the World Series. What makes this game even more amazing is that it was the first time in the history of Major League Baseball that any team had come from a three games to none deficit to eventually win the series. Red Sox fans will revel in re-living every hit and every out right to the last as they watch this game any time they want in its entirety, sans commercials.
The history of Major League Baseball is loaded with moments that are favorites for fans of all ages. And the games listed here are without a doubt some of those unforgettable moments in time. And as already ntoed, they are only a small portion of what makes this set a must have for any true baseball fan and sports historian. There are seven other equally momentous games that fill out the set. And as the ones listed here, they are ones that will live on forever for many more generations to come, thanks now to A&E TV and MLB Productions. Fans can get this set for their favorite sports fan online now at amazon.com or via MLB.com at http://shop.mlb.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=706121&cp=2366583.
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