In April 2013, unfamiliar faces appear at the Jamsil Baseball Stadium during the opening matches between Doosan and SK. The nervous middle-aged men throwing and batting the first ball are, in fact, Korean-Japanese former team members that played on that same spot in the 1982 finals of the Bong-hwang-dae-ki games.
It started with the unheralded arrival of a wisecracking heavyweight basketball player named Charles Barkley. Then came the recruitment of multi-sports legend Bo Jackson, a victory in itself since he might have gone to Alabama. When Frank Thomas wasn't drafted by a major league baseball team, he decided to cast his fate with Auburn... as a football player. Told through an unforgettable reunion of the famed trio at the 2013 Iron Bowl, here's the real story of how these future Hall of Famers turned the orange and blue of Tiger athletics into gold.
Few cities love their baseball team as much as Chicago loves the Cubs, and this documentary attempts to explain the close bond between the Windy City and their National League squad by interviewing some of the team's most-beloved players as well as celebrities who have been die heard fans of the Cubbies their entire lives. In addition to offering archival footage of many of the team's biggest stars, this program contains interviews with Bob Costas, Dennis Franz, Scott Turow, and Bud Selig.
In 2008, a year before the great Dock Ellis died at 63, radio producers Donnell Alexander and Neille Ilel, recorded an interview in which the former Pirate right hander gave a moment by moment account of June 12, 1970, the day he no-hit the San Diego Padres. Using their original radio documentary as the audio and inspiration, Isenberg commissioned an original animation from James Blagden whose incredible black and white illustrations, lo-fi animation and comic timing perfectly complemented Ellis’s masterful storytelling.
Since 2013, Japan has implemented the free high school policy. However, only 10 Chongryon Korean high schools are excluded from this policy. The reason is that there are suspicions that the grant for free education will be misused by Chochongryon and others. Five of these schools protested about this measure and filed a claim for damages against the government in 2013. After four years of hearings, the first trial decision was made on July 19, 2017, starting with the case of Hiroshima Chongryon Korean high school.
The Houston Astros overcame the worst start in franchise history to win the National League.
The 1975 Fall Classic matched the Reds against the Boston Red Sox in a seven-act performance that enthralled the nation. After an extra-innings defeat in Game 6 the night before, the Reds trailed 3-0 in Game 7, but like true champions, they battled back to win the game and take home the series. The taut drama of the previous season's finale was replaced by an awesome display of professionalism and dominance in the 1976 World Series as the Reds swept the star-struck New York Yankees. Fourteen years later, the Reds again swept their opponent, but this time it was a significant upset. The defending champion Oakland Athletics were out-pitched and out-played over four games as the Red Legs completed their wire-to-wire season with their fifth championship in franchise history.
The history of the Negro Leagues is often a forgotten part of baseball history. Despite its popularity and wealth of talent, the era was not well documented. Pride and Perseverance sheds light on this period and shows how it laid the groundwork for today's African-American players in Major League Baseball. With rarely seen footage from the 1920s through 1950s, these extraordinary stories illustrate the birth of the Negro Leagues and depict both the struggles endured and milestones achieved by its players. The film also highlights Negro League innovations that helped shape modern day baseball, such as the Leagues' usage of portable light towers to enable games to be played after dusk for the first time ever
In 1994, the Montreal Expos held the best record in baseball until the mid-August strike and the entire post-season was cancelled. The team never found success again, and in 2004, the franchise was forced to leave Montreal and move to Washington. This film provides access to powerful behind-the-scenes footage – ranging from the players’ bus ride to the stadium, to their emotional reactions stepping onto the field, to the Montreal fans who have never forgotten baseball’s best team in 1994. Interviews with media who followed the team’s season and discussions with former coaches and players will paint both a thrilling and heartbreaking picture of the influential ‘94 Montreal Expos – a groundbreaking squad whose legacy lives on in Montreal
"Michael Jordan Above and Beyond" provides a much-needed look at Michael Jordan's fantastic return from retirement in 1995. The first 20 minutes or so recap his retirement, attempt at minor league baseball, and his dealing with his father's murder. It picks up when it starts looking at the huge frenzy that was his return to the NBA in the Spring of 1995. It covers his mediocre first game back against the Pacers, his Friday night Chicago return against the Magic, and his subsequent return to form with a game-winning shot against Atlanta, and a career night dropping 55 on the Knicks.
A documentary about the 2001 World Series.
The unusual talents of Johnny Price, a minor league baseball pitcher and trick artist, are showcased in this Pete Smith Specialty. Among other talents, Mr. Price can throw two (and, in certain situations three) baseballs simultaneously to different people. The catchers can be side by side, with one high and one low, or standing on the pitcher's mound and second base while Price throws the ball from the catcher's position. He can even perform these feats while suspended upside-down.
Made in 1990, this compilation video highlights the "Best of the Best" in Baseball.
A unique and insightful documentary following the experiences of college baseball players as they compete in one of the most prestigious amateur leagues in the country, The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). There are currently over 200 MLB players that have spent time in the Cape Cod League. Filmed over the summer of 2003, Touching The Game takes viewers behind the scenes of the CCBL, from host families and hot dog vendors, to fans and former players, now household names through their own Major League careers. Featuring extensive interviews, incredible aerial footage, and a local soundtrack, Touching The Game shows baseball in its purest form.
Major League Baseball has been transformed by the influx of Cuban players such as Aroldis Chapman, Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu. But a special debt of gratitude is owed to two half-brothers, whose courage two decades ago paved the way for their stardom. "Brothers in Exile" tells the incredible story of Livan and Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, who risked their lives to get off the island.
This film is an intimate and moving cinematic record of Shohei Ohtani's journey to MLB stardom. A faithful portrait of his talent development and battle with injuries, and his unique mindset to become a superstar ballplayer breaking all the barriers of race, language, discipline, and culture.
'Local Heroes' combines exhaustive research, rare archival film footage, fascinating still photography and revealing original interviews to bring viewers a fill range of the area's diamond history, from its mythical beginnings with Ballston Spa native Abner Doubleday to Heritage Park in Colonie - and everything in between.
This documents Spokane's love affair with baseball over the past 100 years, tracing the team's historic legacy back to its origins in 1890 and continuing through the decades to the Indians' present day management by Brett Sports.
Alaska may be best known as the land of moose, bears and intense winters, but few know about the hidden jewel that is the Alaska Baseball League. For the first time on film, Touching The Game Alaska takes a captivating inside look at this fascinating institution and its incredible history as a proving-ground for more than 500 Major Leaguers and Hall of Famers like Tom Seaver and Dave Winfield, many of whom appear in the film. This feature length documentary is highlighted by superb baseball, stunning imagery and humorous anecdotes, from planes crashing on fields during games to bear encounters to salmon fishing misadventures to the more than century old tradition of the Midnight Sun Game. Four years in the making, the film not only showcases baseball played in a place where the summer sun never sets, but also gives insight into the colorful, rugged and fiercely independent people of this frontier land.
The 2019 World Series was loaded with surprises, comebacks, superstars, and a few new records. Home field advantage belonged to the 105-win Houston Astros, who were looking to take back a title they had won in 2017. The white-hot Washington Nationals were fighting for the first championship in franchise history. The Washington Nationals beat the Houston Astros in a most unpredictable Fall Classic, winning Game 7 with one last rally in a season full of rallies. For the first time in MLB history, the road team won all seven games in the World Series.