[.ca] MLB: 2002 World Series Video

If a Giants fan likes it, you know it's good:
This DVD of last year's world series is very well done. I am a life-long Giants fan who agonized over the loss, but realized they over-achieved just to make the world series. I love baseball and I love the Giants. That said, I found the video to be an excellent record of the series and pointed out a lot of interesting details, not just home runs and big moments. It's well shot and edited and the team that put it together worked hard to do an excellent job of this production. I should know: I have produced high end media such as films and videos for many years and I know what it takes to deliver a solid product such as this effort.

Very Exciting DVD.:
This DVD WORLD SERIES 2002 is just wonderful, It looks and sounds great, and covers the season's of Both the Giants and Angles well. It covers the playoffs even better and it covers the Fantastic 7 game World Series in high detail. The DVD is fill with excitement and dramatics. It also has great bonus material of the Home Runs (Bones Glaus and Salmon Speizo) The Memorial Moments Ceremony, Songs with highlights (Tom Petty, Gene Autry) and a very detailed look at the Angles great game 6 comeback. The DVD also includes a Rally Monkey Baseball Card. This is a must get for every Angles Fan and every fan of Great Baseball.

Overall, a Good Production:
Game 5 of the 2002 American League Championship Series seemed to be "déjà vu all over again." With a 3 games to 1 lead, and a chance to win the pennant before the home fans, the Angels cruised through 6 innings with a 3-2 lead, only to see the Minnesota Twins come back to lead 5-3 in the top of the 7th. Angel Nation knew what was coming: another heartbreaking loss in Game 5, then 2 crushing defeats in Minneapolis, and no pennant once more. But wait! The script had been changed! The Halos batted around, scoring TEN runs in the bottom of the 7th, to bury the Twins 13-5 and win their first A.L. flag. Maybe the Angels were finally for real! One would think the Halos should have dispatched the Giants in 5 or 6 games. After all, the Angels won more games than the Giants during the regular season playing in a much stronger division. But, these are still the Angels we're talking about, and it was Game 4 in which the Same Old Angels made their appearance. Ahead 2 games to 1 and nursing a 3-0 lead into the fifth behind John Lackey's strong effort, Giant Kenny Lofton laid a bunt down the 3rd base line which finally went foul - only the umpire didn't see it that way. Everything came unraveled after that. The Giants scored 3 runs to tie, then won it in the 8th. In Game 5, the Giants flattened the Angels 16-4 to take a 3 games to 2 lead -- and the game wasn't as close as the score would indicate! Game 6 saw the teams return to the Big A, but all seemed hopeless as timely Giant hitting and costly Angel miscues gave the National Leaguers a 5-0 lead with but 8 outs remaining. The rest, as they say, is history. In what I consider the greatest World Series game ever played, the Angels mounted the greatest comeback during an elimination game in the history of the Series, winning Game 6 by 6-5, then winning Game 7 by 4-1. Now to the video, specifically the DVD. First, I concur COMPLETELY with the comments posted in December 2002 by "spark240." I own a few MLB videos of World Series from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, and frankly like them better. This video has its weaknesses. First, I question also the selection of Troy Glaus' home run as the Game 4 Bonus Footage. While impressive, Glaus' home run was not the high point of that game. Had the Angels played that Series like, well, the Angels, "The Bunt" would have found its rightful place in Angel lore. The bunt by Lofton, and the Halos' subsequent collapse, should have been the Game 4 Bonus Footage. Second, I could have done without all those images of Jackie Autry in the owner's skybox in Game 6. One - perhaps after Glaus' double - would have sufficed. Third, the video glossed over the performance of Angel reliever Brendan Donnelly. Donnelly eventually got the job done, but was wild and erratic getting there. While Donnelly was pitching the 8th inning of Game 6, TV announcer Tim McCarver publicly questioned Angel manager Mike Scioscia's selection of him over Percival. The video made it seem like he mowed 'em down. Finally, there was no mention whatever of the Angels' sorry history in must-win games. I know I was not the only one watching the ninth inning of Games 6 and 7, wondering just how the Halos would find a way to lose. I fully expected a two out, two strike, three run homer in the top of the 9th in Game 7. But, overall I liked this video. I liked the subsequent interviews that are interspersed throughout. It must have been hard for Giant players and their manager to do that. (Not surprisingly, Barry Bonds could not have been bothered.) The close-up of Giant owner Peter Magowan glowering after Darin Erstad's home run in Game 6 was just priceless, as was the close-up of Barry Bonds slumped in the back of the dugout after the final out. The DVD also contains its own music video, "Dreamville" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, showing the Angels' clubhouse celebration, as will as clips from the team in the 1960s. Whenever I hear "Dreamville" now, I think of the Angels and their victory. There are two other music videos as well, "The Last DJ" by Petty, as well as - what else - "Back In the Saddle Again," by original Angel owner Gene Autry.

One of the Most Exciting Series and a Great Video to Boot!:
This is probably the best of these productions to date. Well produced with additional features that allow you to get the TV feed of some of the most exciting plays. On top of that, we had the most exciting World Series since the Braves-Twins of the early 90's.

Nice production; ideal for most fans:
This was a great World Series. I hadn't watched the Angels much before the playoffs began, but watching them DEMOLISH the Yankees in the Division Series, I knew they would not be stopped by anyone. This DVD is really more of a presentation ABOUT the World Series, like an extended SportsCenter, rather than a presentation OF the World Series. The actual game footage is very tightly edited around the selected highlights. All the home runs are featured, of course, and many of the other dramatic periods of scoring. Interspersed with game footage are many segments of interviews with managers and players (not Barry Bonds), and a few brief "behind the scenes" vignettes. The whole production is tied together with a decent narrative and music to emphasize the drama of mighty forces clashing. It all looks and sounds pretty cool, and I'm sure it gives casual baseball fans everything they could want. More serious baseball nuts will certainly be reminded of the greatness of this Series, but may not be entirely able to relive it watching this DVD because the games have been cut down so much. To me, the full build of tension and drama requires much more. You won't get much of this context for the highlight moments, except from the narrator or the interviewees telling you. Again, for people who do not automatically become absorbed in the "psychology" of a whole game in progress, having your action shots framed in this manner is probably the most efficient and compelling presentation. For those who do, this is still a real fun disc, but you'll want to keep your homemade VHS tapes.