4/17/09

At Long Last...


Sorry for the horrendously long wait... 

Without further ado, here is my review for "The New York Yankees Essential Games of Yankee Stadium". 

Firstly, I would like to talk about what this set actually looks like physically. As you can see by the picture, it comes in a metal case with a really nice picture of the Old Yankee Stadium. There are 6 DVDs in total, with each game on a single disk. On each DVD, there is the box score from the game that's on the disc, which is pretty cool. As a reminder, the 6 games shown are 1976 ALCS Game 5 (Chambliss' Walk Off),  1977 WS Game 6 (Reggie 3 HR), 1995 ALDS Game 2 (Jim Leyritz Walk Off), 1996 WS Game 6 (Clincher), 2001 WS Game 4 (DJ Walk Off), and 2003 ALCS Game 7 (Aaron Boone). There are a bunch of extras too, including...

  • Chris Chambliss on his 1976 ALCS Game 5 home run
  • Ron Guidry 18 Ks (June 17, 1978)
  • First game after Thurmon Munson died, Bobby Murcer hits the game-winner (August 6, 1979)
  • 1976 ALCS Game 1, hometown fans aid Derek Jeter's home run
  • 1999 ALCS Game 1, Bernie Williams' walk-off home run beats Boston
  • 2000 World Series Game 1, first Subway Series since 1956
  • 2001 World Series Game 5, Scott Brosius repeats the impossible, Alfonso Soriano wins it
  • "The Dive" by Derek Jeter (July 1, 2004)

  • Unlike Yankeeography, WS Videos and other such products, there isn't any commentary to go along with the game. It is just the broadcast of the game from when it happened. Although commentary can contribute a lot to the viewing experience, it's not necessary for these games, simply because of their intense excitement. Watching the broadcasts, for me, brought me back to wonderful experiences I had as a kid. I immediately remembered watching a lot of these games with my Dad, which is always a fantastic memory to go back too. For the games in the 70s, it was the first time I was able to see these games in full, so I was able to have new experiences as well. For the younger people, it's really valuable to be able to watch these older games, because it can really enrich your Yankee fandom. Reliving these spectacular moments also just gets me so pumped. For example, when I watched Tino hit his HR in the ninth to tie it and Jeter finish the ballgame with a shot to RF, I literally started cheering and doing a little bit of a fist pump with a huge grin on my face. It's so much fun to be able to have these epic games at your disposal because it can give you quite a boost to remember these amazing moments in baseball history. 

    The quality of the games is fantastic. I've seen other recordings of these games, and a lot of the time the audio lags a lot, which is so frustrating. The video and audio are perfectly clear, and the viewing experience is very very nice. It's just as though you were sitting watching the game in '76, '77, '95, '96, '01, or '03. The only thing I don't like is the fact that Joe Buck commentates some of the games. To be honest, his Boston bias has always made me angry.  

    I would really recommend giving this set a look. It's worth every penny. I personally love to relive these great Yankee moments, and I'm sure that you all will too. 

    No comments: