MLB Bloopers: Baseball’s Best Blunders + Red’s
Memories: The Greatest Moments In Cincinnati Reds History (2010/Shout!
Factory DVDs)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Documentaries: B-
The Major
League Baseball DVDs continue with two amusing titles that may not run as long
as they could, but are entertaining just the same. MLB
Bloopers: Baseball’s Best Blunders is a fun compendium for fans and even
those unfamiliar with the sport will enjoy.
It also reminds us of how good the game used to be and how the heart and
soul of the game was something to celebrate.
It still has its moments these days, but big money, commercialism and
scandals have tainted the game and it has not totally recovered. When the Pete Rose scandal broke out, he was
punished and despite so many worse offenses by other players, yet he is still
banned from the Hall of Fame.
Which
brings us to Red’s Memories: The
Greatest Moments In Cincinnati Reds History, which shows Rose in his glory,
the team remains the franchise’s oldest, starting in 1869! It has a proud history and this program
begins to show us how amazing that has been, so much so that we could argue
that their success set the tone for all future sports teams in all games. Even if you are not a fan (and a fan of other
baseball teams; their rivals), it is a lesson in sports achievement and
endurance that cannot be ignored.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 x 1 on both have a mix of old analog NTSC video,
old film and new HD video, which is fine, though some may not like the 1.33 X 1
analog video being cut at the top and bottom to fit a wider frame. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is also a mix of
new stereo and older monophonic sound, plus you do get some volumes drops and
variances since almost all the audio is location recoding. Older audio also has distortion, as TV audio
standards in the old days were low. Extras
on both discs include extra footage that could have easily fit into the main
programs and some of which should have been added.
- Nicholas Sheffo
