Tuesday night, Cardinals fans and players were treated to the premiere of the official Major League Productions 2011 World Series Film. (See highlights of the premiere here.) Although I wasn’t able to swing the 4 1/2 hour drive to St. Louis to be there in person, I did get a chance to see the film … twice now! The verdict? The right story in the right hands is magic. The Cardinals were the right story, and MLB Productions was the right set of hands.
Throw in the NLDS Game 5 bonus DVD, plus extras like “This Week In Baseball” with Lance Berkman, the final outs of the NLDS, NLCS, and WS Games 6 and 7, and this is a set you don’t want to miss out on.
It wasn’t long after the premiere in St. Louis began before the praise started rolling in.
And even the MVP himself chimed in.
It’s crazy, when you think about it. This whole roller coaster ended less than a month ago. So many moments are still so fresh in my mind. My heart still races as I recall the divot I was forming in the living room floor with my pacing during the 9th, 10th and 11th innings of Game 6.
So many highs. Just as many lows.
But let’s face it — there were far too many moments to fully comprehend in real time.
That’s where MLB Productions comes in. And this film truly has it all.
The film sets the stage by starting, well, at the beginning — Spring Training. It moves quickly through the regular season, noting the highlights: the 2-6 start, Albert’s “down” year, Molina’s up year, Rasmus-gate, what we can now simply call “The Meeting” that changed the course of the season (and history, really). Short, but sweet.
Then, everything slows down a notch for that magnificent game 162, complete with reaction shots from the clubhouse.
The division and league championship series highlights don’t last too long, but the World Series coverage is brilliant. Detailed, deliberate, different.
Narrator Jon Hamm’s delivery is stellar. Never over-the-top, but at times intense, he was the perfect complement to the well-written script. The story is telling enough, especially with the appropriate use of the in-game calls, featuring Joe Buck and Mike Shannon, among others. Hamm’s narration is simply a transitional element from one incredible moment to the next.
Mix in interviews with players, coaches, front office staff, and MLB reporters, and we’re given a whole new take on the complete St. Louis Cardinals story. Whether it’s Allen Craig talking about his mind set before facing Ogando for the second time, David Freese reiterating his “just trying to get something to hit” philosophy in the biggest moments of his career, or Lance Berkman claiming he was thinking … nothing in his 10th inning at bat, fans are granted a look at the wild ride from the perspective of the guys in the dugout.
But, there’s more than one side to every story. The 2011 World Series wouldn’t have been the same without the resiliency of the Texas Rangers. Thus, we also hear from Ron Washington, C.J. Wilson and the gang.
Still, simply watching the series unfold all over again wouldn’t be enough. It all happened so fast in the moment. But here, it’s slowed to a more manageable pace. Different angles, dugout sound bites, super slow-mo … it gives you a chance to fully digest just what was taking place.
You’ll see in-game reactions that you didn’t catch before (and some that you did but would love to see again!) You’ll hear players compliment each other on their clutch performances. And you’ll see a delightful Derek Holland impersonation, this time of his own manager.
From Chris Carpenter’s diving out at first base in Game 1 to Nolan Ryan’s now classic angry stare from late in Game 6, every key moment is there, slowed down, explained, and explored.
Complemented by stunning cinematography and appropriate soundtracks, the un-scriptable story unfolds. Every out feels just as significant watching it back as it did live. And the celebration after the last out? Just as sweet.
I laughed. I cried. I clapped. I was nervous all over again. And I remembered once again something I’ve said plenty of times this season — I love this team.
“Just call them the Comeback Cardinals,” Hamm says both at the beginning and end of the film. Hearing that won’t ever get old.
Remember, you have the chance to win your own copy of the World Series film 2-disc DVD. Click here to enter our giveaway.
Tara is a St. Louis Cardinals reporter for Aaron Miles’ Fastball and a contributor to Around the Horn. Follow her on Twitter @tarawellman.
There’s so much to the film that it really does need to be watched multiple times! I’ve only watched it once so far, but I too loved the music and the interviews and just the way such already dramatic moments were enhanced.
And I loved hearing LB say that he was thinking nothing during his at-bat in the 10th inning of Game 6. It was just so cool to hear him talk about how he was able to tune out all the distractions and everything else at that moment and just focus.
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I watched it twice now and noticed more the second time for sure! I loved that part from LB, too. Oh, and the part where David talks about how fast Lance is (mostly because of the look on his face when they cut back to him laughing!).
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